IF THE TITLE hunt for the SSE Airtricity League is over, it ended right here in the Brandywell when Shamrock Rovers scarcely deserved to come away with a point.
A late Graham Burke penalty, correctly awarded by referee Paul McLaughlin, sank the local crowd after they brought all the noise and fury that such a top of the table game would deserve.
In truth, Rovers looked like the extent of their ambitions was to play for a draw. It’s difficult to say what quality they lacked, but they showed their sheer experience in the last fifteen minutes after going down to a Cameron McJannet goal, headed in from a Will Patching corner.
Ruaidhrí Higgins will be crestfallen while Stephen Bradley looks set to become the first manager to win four league titles. They have all they could ever want for their club but they also possess that nirvana of champions in that they can dig out the ugly result, away from home against their closest challengers.
The first half was, by consensus, the best half that Derry City had produced this season. Playing to the beat of the drum in the main stand they found an early groove and with Adam O’Reilly, Paul McMullan and Michael Duffy slicing through the cover they threatened constantly. But what chances there were, were of the ‘almost’ variety.
Sadou Diallo was in regal form and had an early sighter in the second minute which flew over Alan Mannus’ crossbar. Ronan Boyce had another half-chance blocked down in the early period of dominance.
Gradually, Rovers began to assert themselves and Graham Burke’s soft shot at Brian Maher’s goal was the first effort on target, and on 22 minutes a pause in the game prompted a brief conflab in the technical area with manager Stephen Bradley to align themselves a little better.
On the half hour the first meaningful chance arrived. A Rovers corner wasn’t adequately dealt with and a bit of penalty box pinball ensued. Maher and Shane McEleney provided the relief for the home side with Rory Gaffney hammered goalwards towards the Celtic Park end.
More half chances arrived but Derry spurned a serious chance when Will Patching found himself in a bit of space with the Rovers defence stretched. A ball to Ben Doherty needed caressed but instead he hammered it and it skidded away; a measure of the adrenalin out there on the pitch.
When Rovers could put their foot on it, they had neat contributions from Richie Towell and Ronan Finn. It’s difficult to see how they were bringing the same ambition as their hosts, but Gaffney’s wrestling match with Shane McEleney was worth coming for.
The final moments of the first half brought snatched efforts at either end from Gaffney and O’Reilly, before half-time brought the prudent changes of Trevor Clarke and Neil Farrugia coming on for wing-backs Finn and Sean Kavanagh who were both yellow carded.
The first big chance of the second half was a break from McMullan, outpacing Markus Poom without a headstart to square to Ben Doherty, but it miscued off him.
Richie Towell and Burke started to knit a few things together as some of the manic energy of the game began to evaporate – momentarily as it turned out. A corner forced when Ronan Boyce had to put in behind was headed over by Lopes.
At least it felt that way until a combination of Diallo and Duffy forced a corner on 62 minutes. A Will Patching corner, and Cameron McJannet powered it home to take the lead.
Rovers knew they had to start making something more of themselves but as they pushed in the next play they left the back open for a break with Adam O’Reilly burning through. He tried to arc a shot around Mannus but it crept just outside the post.
Such was the mood for sheer graft that Derry found themselves in, energised by the goal, that Gaffney took possession in the centre circle and found he couldn’t get turned, chased down by McJannet until he was left with no option than to pass back to Mannus.
Trevor Clarke showed down the left but there was as tired look to Rovers, Gaffney’s socks sliding further down his shins as he grafted to diminishing returns.
Stephen Bradley rolled the dice with the introduction of Dylan Watts, looking for the ability to unpick the lock.
Eventually their chance came. Gaffney once again the out ball and played it through to Burke. Shane McEleney was the last man back and bundled him over, receiving a red card.
Burke got up himself to roll it home, sending the Rovers fans into raptures and setting off flares. Afterwards it was the pleasure of Bradley to make his way into the corner that housed the travelling fans and give them the traditional fist-pumps. Another title looks destined for Tallaght.
Derry City: Brian Maher; Ronan Boyce, Shane McEleney, Cameron McJannet, Ben Doherty (Brandon Kavanagh, 90); Sadou Diallo (Cian Kavanagh, 71), Adam O’Reilly; Paul McMullan (Ciaran Coll, 85), William Patching (Mark Connolly, 85), Michael Duffy; Danny Mullen (Cameron Dummigan, 71)
Shamrock Rovers: Alan Mannus; Daniel Cleary, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace; Ronan Finn (Neil Farrugia, Half-time), Sean Kavanagh (Trevor Clarke, Half-time); Gary O’Neill, Markus Poom (Dylan Watts, 80); Richie Towell (Liam Burt, 70), Graham Burke; Rory Gaffney
Referee: Paul McLaughlin
Written by Declan Bogue.
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