Wexford Youths 1 - 5 Derry City

Derry City moved to within just two points of First Division leaders Waterford United on Sunday afternoon as they demolished Wexford Youths 5-1 at Ferrycarrig Park. With the Candystripes in this kind of form the race for the First Division title will be keenly contested and not the procession that many had foreseen after Waterford's blistering start to the campaign.

Wexford started this game well, perhaps taking heed of Mick Wallace’s statement that they need to believe in themselves more. Patsy Malone and Shane Dempsey were strong in central midfield and centre backs David Breen and Anthony Wolfe coped comfortably with Davy McDaid, who was operating as Derry’s lone striker in the absence of Mark Farren.

Dean Broaders was lively too on the left wing, where he combined well with Gary Sheahan and Danny Furlong, the Wexford front men. For the opening fifteen minutes they controlled possession but, critically, they failed to open up the Derry defence.

Instead, Derry’s Shane McEleney played a ball down the right flank for Ruairi Harkin to chase and when he delivered the ball into the centre Wolfe, under no great pressure, turned the ball past his own keeper to put the visitors ahead in the 16th minute.

Worse was to follow six minutes later. Pat McEleney put McDaid through on goal with a clever ball that split the Wexford defence and, as McDaid hurtled towards goal, a clumsy challenge from young fullback Chris Kenny brought the Derry man down. With no covering defender, referee Graham Kelly had no option but to pull out a red card.

It was unfortunate for Kenny, who has performed well for Wexford since he came into the side recently, but more unfortunate still for his team as Pat McEleney planted the subsequent free kick into the top left corner of Wexford’s net to make it 2-0.

With just 22 minutes played, two goals down, and reduced to ten men, it was going to take a lot more than self belief for Wexford to get back into this game. The remainder of the first half saw Derry take absolute control.

Barry Molloy, at the heart of the midfield, picked up loose ball and distributed it among his team mates like a benevolent uncle at Christmas time. Harkin and Kevin Deery also played simple effective balls for James McClean on the left, McEleney on the right and McDaid, straight ahead of them.

Wexford were on the rack and reduced to driving the ball forwards for Furlong and Sheahan who, if they reached them at all, had neither the time nor the space to do anything effective.

The second half began similarly to the first; Wexford having found some encouragement during the break played some nice football. But it took only five minutes for the next Derry goal to come.

Molloy picked up a Wexford clearance and played McClean into the box. Anto Russell stepped across him and the Derry winger was dumped onto the turf. It was a stone-wall penalty and Pat McEleney did the necessary.

Wexford were now faced with a wave of Derry attacks. Pat McEleney drove a terrific shot towards Packie Holden’s goal which the keeper somehow tipped over. Then, McEleney again tested the Wexford keeper who got down to save at the foot of his left hand post. On 56 minutes the pressure told as Deery worked his way into the box and cut a pass back to McClean who, with all the time in the world, slotted in Derry’s fourth.

The next goal, surprisingly, went to the home side. A Shane Dempsey free was clipped towards the back post where a Derry head rose from among a scrum of bodies and looped the ball towards the far post. As it descended more bodies arrived underneath and in the stumbling chaos that followed it appeared to be nudged across his own line by defender Mark McChrystal.

After the game no-one seemed clear as to what exactly had happened, not even Ger Doherty, the Derry 'keeper. “No idea,” he admitted, “there was a lot of bodies, one of our lads was pushed....it may have hit someone’s back."

It didn’t matter. Six minutes from time a Deery free from the left hand edge of the Wexford box was diverted home via Mark Scotlock’s knee and with that the rout was complete. All that was left was for the Derry fans to perform a celebratory conga in front of the main stand and for Mick Wallace to consider how he might encourage a dejected Wexford squad to find some self confidence in time for next weekend's trip to Limerick.

Wexford Youths: Holden; Breen, Kenny, Russell (McCann 61’ (Rowe 69’)), Wolfe; Broaders, Dempsey (Sinnott 73’), Keohane, Malone; Furlong, Sheahan.
Subs not used: Byrne, Doyle.

Derry City: Gerard Doherty; Friars, McChrystal, Shane McEleney, Scoltock; Deery, Harkin (Sweeney 82’), Patrick McEleney (Clarke 89’), McClean (Cassidy 77’), Molloy; McDaid.
Subs not used: Kelly, Sharkey.

Referee: Graham Kelly.

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Pat McEleney (Derry City).