Derry City 4-2 Cobh Ramblers

It was a fairly innocuous affair at the Brandywell on Friday night as Derry City played host to Cobh Ramblers in the final round of league games. Derry had already consolidated third spot in the table and, barring a 10-0 away day victory for Cobh, and a reliance on results elsewhere going their way, it looked certain the visitors were consigned to relegation. As it happened, Galway and Finn Harps both won and Cobh didn’t manage that elusive goal spree.

The only matter still to be settled on the night was whether Derry’s Mark Farren could manage to bag himself the honour of being the League of Ireland’s top goal scorer. Former Cork front man Dave Mooney had set a decent target of fifteen before his move across the water, while both Farren and St Pats’ Mark Quigley, who was also in the running last year, lingered one behind.

Farren got an early goal to set him on the road as he converted Niall McGinn’s tame cross into the net with a deft touch fooling the Cobh net minder, James McCarthy after just five minutes. Kevin Deery made it 2-0 ten minutes later with a 25yard effort that was kindly deflected into the net by an unfortunate Ramblers defender.

Derry looked to have sewn up the match as a contest in the 23rd minute when clever link-up play between the front line and midfield resulted in a goal for Niall McGinn. Farren found Kevin Deery in space and in turn he played a slide rule pass through for McGinn to pick it up on the edge of the box. That young man has been the find of the season. His cool finish into the bottom left corner was almost clinical you’d say. The Ramblers hadn’t really turned up by this stage.

Derry began to look careless and Ross Gaynor started to come alive. He’d had a quiet first half, as most of his colleagues had had, but shortly before the break he found some spark of interest. Clive Delaney, honoured as player of the season just before kick-off, was caught in possession and Gaynor was on hand to put the ball in the back of the net. Stephen Kenny the Derry manager will be annoyed to have conceded a sloppy goal just before half time especially with one eye on the Cup Final next week against Bohemians.

Midway through the second half, Davin O’Neill rifled a shot passed the normally reliable Gerard Doherty to reduce the deficit further. It may just have given the home side the impetus they needed as they had clearly taken their foot off the gas following their bright start to the match.

In the 83rd minute, Mark Farren bundled home his sixteenth goal of the season to claim a forgettable victory for the hosts. It was also enough to earn him the accolade of the league’s top goal scorer. Lets hope he can maintain that run of form for one more week.

Derry City: Ger Doherty; Eddie McCallion, Peter Hutton, Clive Delaney, Steven Gray (Mark McChrystal 46); Kevin McHugh (Thomas Stewart 73), Barry Molloy, Kevin Deery, Niall McGinn; Mark Farren, Sammy Morrow.

Cobh Ramblers: Anthony Fennelly; Stephen Mulcahy, Graham Cummins, Kevin Murray, John Meade; Michael Mulconry (Michael O'Shea 78), Greg O'Halloran, Colin O'Brien (Alan Kearney 81), John Kearney, Ross Gaynor; Davin O'Neill.

Referee: Hugo Whoriskey.