Derry City 2 - 0 Galway United

Derry kept their slim hopes of finishing second in the league alive last night with a comfortable win over league strugglers Galway United in the Brandywell. The visitors had only themselves to blame and if last night’s performance is any indicator of the lack of fight they have left for their remaining fixtures of their relegation battle, then it doesn’t augur well for the Tribesmen.

Galway looked lethargic from the first whistle and only played in sporadic bursts throughout. Derry played with a little more interest than their guests but the early goal settled the game and the Candystripes rarely had to move out of second gear. Not a game for the spectators then and the crowd will have been disappointed as you could quite rightly have expected a more spirited performance from a team in the last throes of a relegation battle and with a grudge to bear for their FAI cup semi-final exit at the hands of their hosts one week before.

Niall McGinn gave his counterpart a torrid time of it last night with a mix of mazy runs and clever through balls for the overlapping Stephen Gray and in fact that’s where the first goal came from. Gray’s cross was just inches too high for Farren leaping in the box but the ball dropped nicely in front of Kevin Deery but Gary Rogers in the Galway net was equal to the shot. However as the ball rebounded out, it was Gareth McGlynn who was quickest to react, he adjusted his body well and flicked off an athletic bicycle kick which was enough to find the net, perhaps via a defender and the inside of the post.

The remainder of the half passed without much incident as Derry half heartedly pushed for a second while Galway had little to offer down the other end. Peter Hutton and Clive Delaney were very solid together again at the back for Derry and in all honesty Gerard Doherty hadn’t a serious save to make in the whole match.

Just under twenty minutes into the second half, Niall McGinn ended the matter with an uncharacteristic header from 16 yards. Rhuari Higgins released McGlynn down the right and the winger made it to the touchline before swinging in a lofted cross. Mark Farren had made a run to the front post bringing two defender with him and so McGinn was found in acres of space arriving into an empty box for a relatively simple finish into the bottom corner.

Galway did have an opportunity to reduce the deficit on the 81st minute when Jay O’Shea was judged to have been tripped on his way into the box but Gerard Doherty was alert enough to thwart the striker by saving the resulting penalty low to his right, Peter Hutton hacked the rebound clear.

O’Shea came closer again minutes later when he crashed a shot off the Derry crossbar but the sudden resurgence was to be too little too late for the visitors who must now overcome Finn Harps on Friday if they are to have any hope of retaining their premier league status.

Derry City: GerDoherty; Aaron Callaghan, Clive Delaney, Peter Hutton, Steven Gray; Gareth McGlynn, Ruaidhri Higgins, Kevin Deery, Niall McGinn (Ciaran Martyn, 84); Sammy Morrow (Thomas Stewart 76), Mark Farren (Kevin McHugh 76).

Galway United: Gary Rogers; Seamus Conneely, Alan Keane, John Fitzgerald, Marc McCulloch; Jonathan Keane (Iarfhlaith Davoren, 63), John Lester, Ciaran Foley (Derek Glynn, 56); John Russell (Alan Murphy 78), Jay O'Shea, Vinny Faherty.

Referee: Richie Winter.

Attendance: 1,700 (estimate).