Derry City 2 - 0 St. Patrick's Athletic

Derry City kept up the pressure at the top of the league with a dominant display against a St Pats team who seemed to lack a cutting edge in the last third of the field, at the Brandywell on Friday evening.

Goals from Eamon Zayed and Stewart Greacen, both of which may have been own goals although for now we shall give the benefit of the doubt to the attackers, were enough to see off the Inchicore outfit, who looked a little bit jaded after their extra European fixtures.

The game started at a brisk pace with Derry out of the traps very quickly and in the second minute Eamon Zayed turned on the edge of the area, stinging back up keeper Chris Bennion’s hands and almost causing him to fumble it into his own goal. In the tenth minute Zayed should have opened his account when the lively Stephen McLaughlin fizzed a cross behind the backline but the Libyan international striker, despite sliding in, failed to connect with the ball. In the 29th minute, Zayed was downed in the area and Derry were claiming a penalty but Dave McKeon waved it away and from where I was sitting that looked like the correct call from the official who had a very good game.

Derry were doing all the pressing at this point and further good opportunities were squandered by Higgins and Pat McEleney as Derry took the game by the scruff of the neck. In the 42nd minute, Derry skipper Kevin Deery picked up a silly booking for dissent and just before half time Pat McEleney almost fizzed one in but it was just the wrong side of the post. A quick counter attack saw St Pat’s force a couple of corners which ultimately came to nothing.

Derry resumed the second half as they’d finished the first, with Zayed, Pat McEleney and McLaughlin causing the visitors particular problems. But as the half wore on the players were getting frustrated about not being able to break the deadlock and a scrappy passage of play ensued. In the 70th minute St Pat’s David McMillan found himself bearing down on goal but shot wide when he should have done better. The breakthrough for Derry finally came in the 72nd minute when Ruaidhri Higgins sent a hopeful ball over the St Pat’s rearguard and with Zayed bearing down on him Chris Bennion seemed to misjudge the flight of the ball and it rolled into the net, with or without a touch from Zayed.

St Pat’s in form Striker Danny North had a glorious chance to redress the balance two minutes later but somehow shot wide with just Gerard Doherty to beat. In the 83rd minute, the match was over as a contest when Kevin Deery swung a corner in and Greacen seemed to bundle it over the line, but again it was hard to tell if he got a touch.

St Pat’s brought on Sean O’Connor, Paul Crawley and Conor Kenna for Daryl Kavanagh, Ian Bermingham and Stephen Bradley but it was too little too late for Pete Mahon’s side and Derry were fully deserving of all three points on the night.

Derry City: Gerard Doherty; Danny Lafferty, Stewart Greacen, Shane McEleney, Eddie McCallion; Kevin Deery(c), Barry Molloy, Ruaidhri Higgins, Stephen McLaughlin; Patrick McEleney, Eamon Zayed.
Subs not used: Eugene Ferry, Emmett Friars, Ruairi Harkin, David McDaid, Ryan McBride, Michael McCrudden, James Henry.
Bookings: Deery (42), Greacen (76), Zayed (80).

St Patrick’s Athletic: Chris Bennion; Derek Pender, Ian Bermingham (Paul Crawley 84), Evan McMillan,  Brian Shortall; Daryl Kavanagh (Sean O’Connor 84); Stephen Bradley(c) (Conor Kenna 84), Davie Mulcahy, Derek Doyle; Daniel North, David McMillan.
Subs not used: Sean Stewart, Jake Carroll, Shane Guthrie, Ian Daly.

Bookings: None.

Referee: Dave McKeon.
Attendance: 2,142
extratime.ie Man of the Match: Stephen McLaughlin.