Sligo Rovers 1 - 0 Derry City

• Christopher Davey
• Sun, Aug 16 2009


After their four goal demolition of Sligo Rovers on Tuesday, Derry City were looking to beat the same opposition to advance to the next round of the FAI Ford Cup, but they were foiled by a Sligo Rovers side who played with their hearts on their sleeves for the whole of the ninety minutes.

The deciding goal came from a controversial Rafael Cretaro free on the eighty seventh minute, which didn’t please two Derry fans who at the final whistle made their way to Buttimer to show their disgust with the decision to allow the free.

It was Sligo Rovers who opened much the brighter in the game, as they seemed to want to avenge Tuesday’s result. As early as the eighth minute, a cross field ball from Owen Morrison towards the rampaging Rommy Boco signalled the attacking ethos that Rovers had for the evening.

Chances then were few and far between for both sides for the remainder of the half, and although they half ones did fall to Stewart and Cretaro. The best of the chances of the first half fell to Gareth McGlynn on the thirty third minute. He broke from midfield, shrugged off the challenge of Danny Ventre and shot low, but the shot was saved by Brush.

Just before the half time whistle, both sides had one chance apiece to break the deadlock. The first fell to Matthew Blinkhorn of Sligo Rovers, who headed wide from an Owen Morrison free. The better of the two fell to the Foylesiders. Thomas Stewart was lurking at the back post when McGlynn had scissor kicked towards goal but it was headed wide. Stewart however was found wanting, as he failed to react fast enough to the shot.

The second half opened with an immediate bite as Rommy Boco steamed up the wing and drilled the ball into the area, but it was cleared by the Derry defence. Then Derry looked to turn the screw on Rovers, and Ruaidhrí Higgins had two frees from the left. The first on the fifty sixth minute was at quite an acute angle, and looked to be dipping under the Sligo crossbar, but was cleared by the fists of Richard Brush. The second of the pair came on the sixty third minute when Higgins curled it high, but just to the left of Richard Brush’s near post.

Both sides then pushed for the winner, and chances fell to both Richie Ryan on the sixty sixth minute and to Ger O’Brien on the seventy fifth minute. Both shots were long range, and both shooters should have done better.

Gerard Doherty seem to throw a reference to Richard Brush’s blunder on the seventy eighth minute, when he tried to beat Matthew Blinkhorn, twice, and struggled on both occasions, but eventually cleared to former Derry winger Brian Cash, who looked to loop the ball into the Derry net with Doherty off his line, but he dragged the volley to much to the left of the shed end goal.

Fantastic awareness by Richard Brush kept Sligo in the tie on the eighty third minute, when a sloppy Conor O’Grady header was pounced upon by Thomas Stewart. Stewart looked to take it around the onrushing Brush, but alas the Rovers ‘keeper spurned the opportunity.

The only goal of the night came on the eighty seventh minute, when Rob Turner was fouled on the edge of the box. Up stepped Rafael Cretaro, and after a consultation with referee Anthony Buttimer, he took a quick free. The ball was sneakily curled around the unsuspecting Derry wall along the ground, and into the net catching out everyone in the ground.

Extratime.ie Man of the Match; Romauld Boco. Sturdy as rock in the Sligo defence, and his marauding nature is a joy to watch on the right wing. Every Sligo opportunity came from his pairing with Morrison and Cash in the right midfield position.

Sligo Rovers: Brush; Boco, Camano (Ryan 60),Keane, Kendrick, Morrison (Cash 76), Ventre, O'Grady , Doyle, Cretaro, Blinkhorn (Turner 85). Unused: Marshall, Ciaran Kelly, Meenan, Christopher Kelly

Derry City: Doherty, Delaney, Hutton, Gray, Higgins, Stewart, O’Brien, McGlynn, Molloy (Martyn H/T) , Scullion (McClean 79), McManus (Farren 60) Unused: McCallion, Jennings, McEleney, Nash

Referee: Anthony Buttimer