League Report: Derry City 0 - 2 Dundalk

A goal in either half for Dundalk sealed the win against ten men Derry at the Brandywell to see them stride out seven point leaders of the SSE Airtricity Premier League.

This time last week, there appeared to be a shift in the league’s momentum. Dundalk drew with a ten man Longford to allow Cork to reduce their distance from the summit to four points. Heading into this match with Derry, Stephen Kenny must have implored the importance of returning to winning ways to ensure that the Leesiders were kept at arm’s length.

After a delay of some ten minutes while a net was mended, the game kicked off basked in glorious sunshine and with a vibrant tempo. Derry began brightly and were at least as dangerous as the champions in the opening twenty minutes. Their most notable effort being a powerful shot by Aaron Barry which required a reflex save from Gary Rogers to put the ball out and prevent what would have been a cracking goal. At the other end, Gerard Doherty denied Ciarán Kilduff whose header was saved low after he headed down from inside the six yard box.

Conor McCormack cut his teeth playing football in the Dundalk District Schoolboy’s League and the Carlingford native handed Dundalk a numerical advantage when his robust tackle on Sean Gannon saw referee Robert Harvey produce a red card. On the whole, the tackle didn’t seem particularly misplaced, but it had a ferocity that Harvey deemed dangerous. Assistant manager Paul Hegarty was incensed and was sent to the stands for his disputes.

Last week, Dundalk failed to break down a ten man Longford Town side and speaking after the game, Daryl Horgan wondered if the sending off was a blessing in disguise for Longford that removed any incentive to attack and focus on defence. Lilywhite fans certainly hoped that wouldn’t be the case at the Brandywell – dropping any more points could have left their side a single game away from being leapfrogged in top spot. There was a touch of déjà vu after the red card, as the game entered a scrappy spell that saw the visitors enjoy plenty of possession but fail to assert themselves.

Ciarán Kilduff stepped up to alleviate any fears there would be a repeat of last week by netting his side’s first goal in the additional time of the first half. Towell picked out Massey on the left who squared it for Kilduff to score his second goal in just three appearances – all the more impressive considering he has yet to play a full ninety minutes for the Lilywhites.

As the sunshine on the Brandywell faded, so too might the Candystripe fans’ enthusiasm in the second half. The sizable turnout grew more and more subdued as City conceded possession all too easily and were penned back in their own half. Despite looking dangerous on the counter, there was little for the home side to cheer.

Dundalk too were acutely aware of the precariousness of their lead. After his introduction, David McMillian’s snapshot looked certain to make it two, but Doherty expertly saved and was blessed that Towell wasn’t on target with his rebound effort. As the visitors pressed without success, occasional Derry counterattacks served as a reminder that their lead might be undone by a single lapse in concentration.

Due to the delay in kick off, news of the Cork/Limerick result filtered through the ground and dispelled some of the apprehension of The Town fans. Stephen Kenny animatedly gestured for his team to lift it from his technical area. It seemed to work. In the dying embers of the game, McMillian was played through and slotted it home to seal the result. The visitors could relax and they passed the game to its conclusion.

This was far from The Lilywhites at their best but they were efficient and deserving victors. Results elsewhere perhaps put a sheen on this result that will allow for the performance to be viewed through purple lenses, but there’s no denying that establishing a seven point lead on Cork was a fine bit of business on the banks of the Foyle.

Derry City: Gerard Doherty, Rob Cornwall, Ryan McBride ( Seamus Sharkey 73), Aaron Barry, Dean Jarvis; Philip Lowry, Conor McCormack, Aaron McEneff, Barry McNamee, Stephen Dooley (Ronan Curtis 46), Mark Timlin (Ryan Curran 82).

Subs not used: George Kelly, Joshua Daniels, Shaun Patton, Mark Quigley.

Booked: Cornwall (43), McEneff (50)Lowry (60)

Sent off: McCormack (25). Paul Hegarty (26).

Dundalk: Gary Rogers, Sean Gannon, Brian Gartland, Andy Boyle, Dane Massey, Stephen O’Donnell, Richie Towell, Ronan Finn; John Mountney, Ciarán Kilduff ( David McMillan 75), Daryl Horgan.

Subs not used: Gabriel Sava, Shane Grimes, Kurtis Byrne, Paddy Barrett, Darren Meenan, Chris Shields.

Booked: Mountney (38)

Sent off: None.

Referee: Mr Robert Harvey (Dublin)

Attendance: 2,050 (estimate)

ExtraTime.ie Man of the Match: Ciarán Kilduff (Dundalk).