- Chris McNulty
- Fri, Apr 04 2014
ENDA Curran was Derry City's match-winner in a tense north-west derby with Sligo Rovers on Frida night.
It was the result the Brandywell was waiting for and, although they were clinging onto it a little by the end, it was a deserved win for the home side.
Nine minutes into the second half, Curran picked up possession and, from just right of centre, the 21-year old's crisp low drive beat Gary Rogers, going in off the base of his right-hand post for the first Brandywell goal of Roddy Collins's Derry tenure, the first in 234 minutes at the venue this season for the Candystripes.
Sligo held the Indian sign over City in recent meetings, with Curran's goal giving Derry their first win over their neighbours in sixteen attempts and their first home win in seven years over the Bit O'Red.
It was a night when Collins's masterplan produced the goods, but not before a first half of some sloppiness and carelessness by his team, who were a changed outfit for the better after the re-start.
Just two minutes after Curran's opener, with the home crowd still in high voice from the goal, Michael Duffy roared in from the left flank and, after a mesmerising run, the youngster - who last week signed a new deal committing until the end of the 2015 season - forced Rogers into making a strong save that took all the goalkeeper's might to push it to safety.
City had Gerard Doherty to thank, too, after the goalkeeper thwarted John Russell with a stunning save in the 76th minute, Doherty somehow getting down to his right to make a strong stop from Russell's drilled attempt that wasn't found wanting for power.
Sligo will rue not making a better fist of it having had marginally the better of the exchanges in the opening 45 minutes, but Derry closed the shutters well in part two, with Barry Molloy's introduction, only three minutes after the goal, adding some steel to their midfield.
Sligo were certainly the more composed outfit in the first half. Derry's play was nervous and all-too often lacked the refined touch that Joseph Ndo gave the visitors.
It was from a rare misplaced pass by the returned Ndo - back in the starting XI along with John Russell and Ross Gaynor - that presented Rory Patterson with a chance in the 16th minute. Patterson's first touch took him around Evan McMillan and teed himself up perfectly, but Rogers was equal to the Strabane man's stabbed effort.
Derry were wanting fluency, but found themselves wasteful in the positions of promise and were left largely restricted to having a go from distance in the opening half. From one such attempt, Enda Curran drove into the hands of Rogers while Mark Stewart squandered an earlier opportunity after he did well to initially carve out the chance.
Given both their recent record in these fixtures and after a slow start to the season, Derry's somewhat tentative opening here was understandable, but it was still they who had what was perhaps the first half's best chance when, just after the half-hour mark, Aaron Barry connected to a Dean Jarvis corner, but couldn't divert the ball goalward.
On the stroke of half-time, Danny Ventre tried his luck, but the ex-Sligo player's shot was always rising as he connected first time, after a David Elebert throw-in was only partially cleared by Sligo.
When Gaynor scampered down the left to force a corner off Cliff Byrne in the fourth minute, it set the tone for the first period, but despite having the better of the play Sligo didn't create much by the way of clear-cut chances.
Eric Odhiambo connected with an Alan Keane cross in the 26th minute, but failed to trouble Gerard Doherty with a header, while Keane himself tried his luck, although a curling left-footed shot never was dealt with routinely by Doherty.
There had been an early scare when Doherty made a mess of a clearance and a momentary lapse looked to have set up Aaron Greene, but the Sligo man couldn't capitalise.
When Curran fired Derry in front, it was just the tonic to awaken the Brandywell and, despite Sligo hurling the kitchen sink, appliances and utensils at Derry, the home side held on for a precious win.
With Dundalk to follow on Monday night, though, the focus will move sharply away from this one.
Derry City: Gerard Doherty; Roddy Collins jnr (David Elebert 12), Cliff Byrne, Aaron Barry, Dean Jarvis; Mark Stewart, Danny Ventre, Enda Curran, Michael Duffy; Jon-Paul McGovern (Ryan Curran 73); Rory Patterson (Barry Molloy 59).
Subs not used: Ciaran Gallagher (gk), Ryan McBride, Shane McEleney, Mark Timlin.
Booked: Stewart (74), Duffy (89).
Sligo Rovers: Gary Rogers; Alan Keane, Evan McMillan, Jeff Henderson, Ross Gaynor; David Cawley, Joseph Ndo (Kalen Spillane (83), Aaron Greene; Eric Odhiambo (Paul O'Conor 69), John Russell; Sean Maguire (Jordan Loftus 87).
Subs not used: Richard Brush (gk), Danny Ledwith, Kalen Spillane, Jake Dykes.
Booked: None.
Referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).
Attendance: 1,500 (estimate)
Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Cliff Byrne (Derry City).
