AIRTRICITY LEAGUE Shamrock Rovers 1 Derry City 0:AN OPPORTUNISTIC winning goal from Rohan Ricketts has champions Shamrock Rovers within touching distance of retaining their title.
Now four points clear at the top of the table, Michael O’Neill’s side will be going for the league when they travel to UCD on Monday week. “It’s a nice position to be in, but we have to make sure we finish the job off,” said O’Neill.
“We’ve two opportunities – away to UCD and at home to Galway. We have put ourselves in a great position and it was a great win for us. We knew the significance of the three points. We knew after the Bohs game that we had to win the four remaining games.
“The reality is that results elsewhere have given us a little bit of a cushion. It’s nice to have that, but we want to make sure we win it as early as possible – which will be at UCD on Monday week.”
A terrific tempo to the start of the game brought corners at either end in the opening minutes with one from Ricketts having to be tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Ger Doherty.
Given what was at stake, there was no doubting the desire and commitment from both sides, epitomised by Rovers opening up Derry for the first time on 12 minutes on the left. Karl Sheppard’s cross applied the pressure which was matched by Ryan McBride’s vital clearance yards from goal.
Rovers’ Jim Paterson needed to show equalling adept defending five minutes later to slide in and take the ball off the toe of Gareth McGlynn whose pace appeared to have got him through on goal from Patrick McEleney’s pass.
A clumsy piece of defending by Craig Sives gave Daniel Lafferty a free-kick opportunity from a decent position which he curled over the wall and narrowly wide.
Derry added intensity to their game and, despite losing McGlynn to a calf injury, were unlucky not to be in front by half-time.
Stephen McLaughlin had a goalbound drive deflected for their third corner of the game before Rovers had a right let off on 37 minutes.
Richard Brush made the wrong option to come for a Lafferty cross. Eamon Zayed outjumped him to see his header come off a post with Dan Murray scrambling the loose ball clear.
Minutes later Rovers had claims for a penalty waved away for an inconclusive looking handball by Barry Molloy from Ronan Finn’s across.
All Derry’s positive endeavour in the latter part of the first half was undone when they gifted Rovers what proved the game’s only goal four minutes into the second half.
Brush’s long clearance was allowed to bounce through by central defender Stuart Greacen. Unbeknown to the Scot, though, was the run of Ricketts who could scarcely believe his good fortune as he lobbed the advancing Doherty to score from the edge of the area.
Rattled, Derry ought to have been 2-0 down four minutes later. Gary Twigg headed a Ricketts free-kick back across goal where Sives looked certain to score. His first time shot, though, was straight into the arms of Doherty positioned right in front of him.
Rovers were bossing Derry around now and Ryan McBride bravely got his body in the way to block a stinging shot from Twigg.
Their own title hopes slipping away, Derry, who’d lost control of midfield, struggled to respond as Rovers remained dangerous on the counter-attack.
One such riposte almost brought a second score on 80 minutes. Twigg threaded Finn in on goal but Doherty kept Derry’s hopes alive with a vital save with his feet.
“It looks like it is, you have to be realistic,” said Derry manager Stephen Kenny in accepting that their title hopes are all but gone.
“First of all, we’ve got to qualify for Europe which we haven’t done yet. We’ve got to make sure we’re right for Galway on Sunday.”
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Brush; Sullivan, Sives, Murray, Paterson; Finn, Rice, Turner, Ricketts (McCabe, 74 mins); Sheppard (Dennehy, 84 mins), Twigg.
DERRY CITY: Doherty; S McEleney, Greacen, McBride (Higgins, 76 mins), Lafferty; McGlynn (Farren, 36 mins, Harkin, 76 mins), Molloy, Deery, McLaughlin; Zayed, P McEleney.
Referee: Alan Kelly(Cork).
