Conference League previews: Derry on the ropes but Sligo have one eye on progress

Riga FC v Derry City, Skonto Stadions, 6pm

(Riga leads 2-0 after first leg)

Derry City can blame others for stumbling at the first European hurdle for the fifth campaign in a row. They can make plenty of excuses, chief among them being the incomprehensible red card Iceland referee Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson showed Matty Smith at an unusually welcoming Brandywell.

All sense of fairness disappeared when Ngonda Muzinga harried Smith over the sideline in the 65th minute, with the Latvians leading 1-0 thanks to Gabriel Ramos Da Penha’s bouncing finish. The Congolese defender stood on Smith’s ankle before nudging him for good measure. The Scottish winger reacted with a gentle push of his own, which was enough for Thorarinsson to become the star performer on the night.

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Derry players and management were livid with a valuable lesson being learned in the seconds after Will Patching and assistant manager Alan Reynolds received yellow cards for overzealous protesting. First, Ngonda disposed Joe Thompson of possession before sending Ramos Da Penha down the left wing, where the Brazilian skinned two defenders and teed up Ukraine’s Oleksandr Filippov to all but settle the tie.

“It’s petulance from Matty,” said Derry manager Ruaidhrí Higgins, “there’s no doubt about it, but you have to look at the incident as well and it’s absolutely not a red card.”

It’s either one or the other. Extremely strict officiating in a time when studs and blades are being used as weapons seems odd but to raise one’s hands at the start of a potentially lucrative European run raises all sorts of questions about composure under pressure.

The punishment was harsh on a blunt Candystripes attack that was nowhere near their best form this season. They are about to forgo €350,000 in prize money by exiting at the bottom rung of the Conference League ladder. Anything resembling last week’s timid display and the Derry City project under Philip O’Doherty, so full of promise last winter, will suffer a significant setback.

“I just want the players to go and take the shackles off and play with freedom,” Higgins told The Derry Journal, “because I think when we do click we’re a really good team.”

The winners are likely to face Slovakian club Ružomberok in the second round.

Sligo Rovers v Bala Town, The Showgrounds, 7pm

(Sligo leads 2-1 after first leg)

Goals by Aidan Keena are set to swell Sligo Rovers coffers with some much needed Euro. It is timely as qualification for next season’s Conference League qualifiers looks increasingly unlikely. Sligo lie fifth in the League of Ireland with plenty of road to travel. Keena understood the need to deliver, with a delicate equaliser after Lassana Mendes gave the Welsh a surprise lead in the home leg last week. Kiwi Max Mata nabbed a winner much to the delight of 400 travelling Rovers fans.

Keena, who currently tops the League of Ireland scoring race, placed his faith in the club by signing a two year contract extension this week. After his less than prolific stays at Hearts and Falkirk, the 23 year old will be keen to help Sligo progress to a second round meeting with Motherwell.