- Ciaran Duffy
- Sat, May 24 2008
Derry City manager, Stephen Kenny, had urged the Brandywell crowd to make themselves heard and their team finally gave the masses something to cheer about while recording their biggest winning margin of the league season.
In a surprisingly open and entertaining encounter with smashing goals, Derry had the perfect start with a close range Farren strike in the first minute after UCD keeper, Brennan, spilled a shot from impressive Derry winger, Morrison. Derry had further efforts saved from Sammon and a superb chip from Morrison which clipped the top of the cross-bar.
Derry were enjoying their lead but didn’t have it all their own way as UCD, who looked dangerous from the set-piece throughout, equalised in the 27th minute when they were allowed to work the ball to the edge of the Derry penalty area where an excellent drive from Purcell crept in low to keeper, Doherty’s, left.
Further chances at either end from King and Morrison left all present in no doubt that there were more goals to come in the second half.
On his previous tenure with City, Kenny’s half-time motivation took on something of a legendary status and he doesn’t seem to have lost it as Derry came blasting out at the change of ends to put their dominance onto the score-board. Left winger, McGinn, had already twice shot narrowly over when he was found after superb battling by Morrison in the middle; he didn’t miss this time with a cracking shot into the roof of the net which signalled the end of UCD’s contribution but not of Derry’s.
The wingers teamed up again when a lightning McGinn break was brought to a shuddering halt on the edge of the UCD area: up stepped Morrison to chip the freekick over the Students’ wall and high into the right hand corner of an over-committed Brennan’s net.
Not wanting to be left out of the party, substitute, McHugh, smashed a left-footed shot into the much abused UCD net deep into injury time. It was the Donegal’s man first goal of the season and could well be just the fillip to his confidence he and his, at last, firing team need.
Derry City: Ger Doherty; Eddie McCallion, Peter Hutton, Clive Delaney, Steven Gray; Niall McGinn, Barry Molloy (Ciaran Martyn 84), Gareth McGlynn, Owen Morrison (Kevin Deery 74); Conor Sammon (Kevin McHugh 63), Mark Farren.
UCD: Billy Brennan; Alan Mahon, Alan McNally, Evan McMillan, Anthony Doyle; Shane Fitzgerald (John Reilly 76), Greg Bolger (Ronan Finn 71), Brian King, Pat McWalter (Ger O’Callaghan 88); Paul Byrne, Timmy Purcell.
Referee: Dave McKeon.
Attendance: 2,600 (estimate).
