Report: Derry City 1 - 0 Cobh Ramblers

Stephen Kenny will be pleased to have taken all three points, for a change, in this frustrating encounter in the Brandywell. Before the game the Derry boss had asked the fans to lift the team and help turn this ramshackle stadium into a fortress. Derry are now the only team to remain unbeaten at home and Kenny wants it to stay that way.

The game got off to a lively start and Mark Farren had the home crowd on their feet well inside the first minute. Good work through Niall McGinn on the right saw the lively forward get his first glimpse on goal but his shot trundled harmlessly wide.

Minutes later it was Connor Sammon’s turn to get the crowd’s collective hearts racing. Owen Morrison threaded a decent ball in behind the defence and Sammon won the subsequent race against James McCarthy in the Cobh goal. However his cheeky touch through the custodian legs slipped agonisingly wide.

Derry had the lion’s share of the possession and pressure, but the Cobh rearguard stood firm with a steely wall of determination and good fortune. It was hard to see were a Derry goal would come from. Much of the endeavour came down Derry’s right flank, where Owen Morrison and Stephen Gray have been forming a nice understanding. The tall left back seems to enjoy overlapping Morrison but his crossing skills would be considered erratic at best.

Derry ended the half the better team but as has been the case all too often this season they are clearly struggling to open the more compact teams of this division. Points dropped against Sligo, Galway and even Bohemians may come back to haunt a team looking to be involved in the honours come the end of the season.

Shortly after the re-start, however, Farren put those ghosts to rest, for now at least. The referee did well to cut out a pass from John Kearney to Brian McCarthy and Owen Morrison was quick to capitalise. He played a lovely reverse pass across the edge of the box and out the right to McGinn. The young winger cut inside and found Gareth McGlynn, who had luck on his side when his touch back outside found Eddie McCallion continuing his run into the box. A low, driven cross squeezed through the box to find Mark Farren for a simple tap-in.

The game seemed to fizzle out then as Derry took their foot off the gas almost as if to say job done. Stephen Kenny won’t appreciate that kind of complacency especially as it could have been very costly fifteen minutes later.

John Meade saw red for a last-man challenge on Farren. The ball had certainly beat the big centre back and it was clear he wasn’t about to let the man go as well. A few more sympathetic eyes may argue it was a harsh decision to send him off but by the rules of the book he had to go. Within a minute the ball was in the back of the net, but it was Derry who were fortunate to see the linesman’s flag rippling on the wing.

Derry’s stunned crowd fell silent but the referee’s assistant had judged Kieran O'Reilly to have strayed offside. The few Derry fans who had also been in line with the incident didn’t all agree but they weren’t about to start arguing.

Derry took the wake up call and introduced Higgins to a light ripple of polite applause and McGlynn moved out onto the wing. His 100% commitment and tireless running proved futile but the match was as good as over.

Stephen Henderson will be starting to feel the pressure now as the Ramblers made it six games on the road without a point. Stephen Kenny would be best to look on tonight’s win as a mere reprieve. Performances like that won’t impress St Pat’s, Drogheda or Cork.

Derry City: Ger Doherty; Eddie McCallion, Peter Hutton, Clive Delaney, Steven Gray; Niall McGinn (Ruaidhri Higgins 73), Barry Molloy, Gareth McGlynn, Owen Morrison (Kevin Deery 90); Mark Farren, Conor Sammon (Kevin McHugh 80).

Cobh Ramblers: James McCarthy; Alan Carey, Kevin Murray, Brian McCarthy, John Meade; Gareth Cambridge, John Kearney, Michael Mulconry, Ken Coleman (Davin O'Neill 82); Graham Cummins (Roy Long 86), Kieran O'Reilly.

Sent Off: C Meade(67).

Referee: Tom Connolly.

Attendance: 2,700 (estimate).