SOCCER:Dundalk 1, Derry City 0 COLIN HAWKINS' second goal of the season was enough to see Dundalk pick up all three points at Oriel Park last night.
The big centre half raced forward in the 43rd minute to head past Ger Doherty to give Dundalk their fourth win on the trot and moves them up to joint-third in the table.
A thrilling first half saw chances galore at either end. Eamon Zayed was denied by some sharp goalkeeping by Peter Cherrie. His next stop was another crucial one, getting down to his left to save a weak Gareth McGlynn penalty in the 16th minute after the Derry winger had been sent tumbling by Michael Hector.
A misjudgment by Colin Hawkins allowed Zayed another sniff of goal in the 27th minute but again Cherrie was equal to the task. The duo were involved again in an extraordinary piece of play in the 35th minute. Ruaidhri Higgins smacked a thunderous volley against the bar from 25-yards. The rebound fell to Zayed, eight yards out, but Cherrie somehow stopped what looked like a certain goal with a point-blank stop.
Derry almost took a share of the spoils in injury-time only for Zayed to turn the ball wide from close range.
DUNDALK: Cherrie; Madden, Hector, Hawkins, N Murphy; Kearns, Bennett, Bolger, Ward, Quigley; Griffin (Breen 89).
DERRY: Doherty; McCallion (McDaid 66), Greacen, S McEleney, Lafferty (Harkin 81); McLaughlin (P McEleney 66), Higgins, Molloy, McClean; Zayed, McGlynn.
Ref: D Hancock (Dub).
