- Dave Donnelly
- Sun, Mar 12 2017
Derry City made it two wins from two in Dublin this season as they eased aside Shamrock Rovers 1-0 despite playing the final 20 minutes with ten men following Lukas Schubert's dismissal.
Ryan McBride scored the only goal of the game midway through the second period as Derry were rewarded for their superior organisation of endeavour before Schubert saw red minutes later for dissent.
Rovers attempted to pile on the pressure in the closing minutes, as the Candystripes retreated into their own half with ten men behind the ball, but failed to fashion a clear goalscoring chance.
Kenny Shiels' side arrived in Tallaght with just one game played – a 4-1 defeat of Bohemians at Dalymount Park on the opening day – after their bow with Limerick at temporary home Maginn Park was postponed due to floodlight failure.
However there were few signs of rustiness in the opening minutes as Derry began the game on the front foot, hassling the hosts into mistakes and registering the first shot on goal after 14 seconds.
Dave Webster lost track of a lofted ball over the top and, after the ball rebounded off his back, Harry Monaghan picked out Barry McNamee, who should have made Tomer Chencinski work harder from ten yards.
The Hoops did eventually work their way into the game and dominated the ball for much of the opening half, but aside long-range efforts from Ronan Finn and David McAllister had little to show for it.
Sean Boyd could have worked Ger Doherty when Simon Madden found space on the right for the first time and got his cross away, but he nodded the ball well wide under negligible pressure.
The Candystripes, for their part, looked more threatening on their infrequent ventures forward, and it took a strong covering challenge from Daniel Devine to thwart Ronan Curtis when the ball sat up nicely in the box for the winger.
Neither side created much of not until two minutes from the break when Nicky Low found fellow Scotsman Harry Monaghan in the box – the midfielder should have scored but he failed to make a strong connection with his header and it trickled beyond the far post.
As with the first, Derry fought to take the front foot early in the second half and Curtis forced another diving block from Devine. From the resulting corner, he missed his kick when picked out by Low's quick delivery.
Derry were continually finding joy down the right-hand channel between Devine and Trevor Clarke – before he was forced off at half time with a shoulder injury following a collision with Nathan Boyle – and later Sean Heaney.
McNamee exploited that space to chip a cross just above Curtis, and Aaron McEneff made the same surging run to force the corner that led to the game's only goal.
The Hoops had struggled with set-pieces in last week's win over Bohemians, and they were unsure again as Low's ball across goal deflected off Boyle's shin and sat up for McBride, who smashed his shot past the helpless Chencinski from close range.
The Derry City captain had kept Rovers striker Sean Boyd, and his replacement Michael O'Connor, quiet all night, and he was just as emphatic when presented his chance at the other end.
The travelling support's euphoria was short-lived, however, as four minutes later Schubert saw his second yellow for kicking the ball away, having earlier been booked for halting Ryan Connolly's route towards the penalty area.
Derry boss Kenny Shiels later queried the decision, insisting Schubert's contact with the ball was “momentum,” but the action appeared deliberate and the home fans were quick to remind referee Graham Kelly of the Austrian's parlous status.
Rovers boss Stephen Bradley introduced fresh legs in the form of 19-year-old James Doona in a bid to unlock Derry's deep-sitting defence, but aside a poor header from Darren Meenan they creating nothing of note.
Shiels lauded his side's performance over 90 minutes – in particularly those final 20 – as they restricted the Hoops to just a handful of off-target attempts.
“We dominated up until the sending-off and then we had to put organisation before quality, and that organisation gave us a nullification of everything they give,” said Shiels.
“My keeper in 90 minutes didn't have a save to make, which is testament to that organisation.”
Bradley said: “There was nothing in the game. We were flat, they were flat; we didn't create, they didn't create. We're disappointed to lose it on a set play.
“We had a little spell in the first half and obviously the last 20 minutes we piled the pressure on, but we didn't do enough in terms of creating chances.”
Shamrock Rovers: Tomer Cheninski; Simon Madden, Daniel Devine, Dave Webster, Trevor Clarke (Sean Heaney 46); David McAllister (James Doona 77), Ronan Finn, Ryan Connolly, Darren Meenan, Brandon Miele; Sean Boyd (Michael O'Connor 56).
Subs not used: Kevin Horgan (gk), Sean Heaney, Roberto Lopes, Paul Corry, James Doona,Gary Shaw, Michael O'Connor.
Booked: Sean Boyd (45), Simon Madden (65), Michael O'Connor (80).
Derry City: Ger Doherty; Lukas Schubert, Aaron Barry, Ryan McBride, Dean Jarvis; Nicky Low, Barry McNamee, Aaron McEneff, Harry Monaghan, Ronan Curtis; Nathan Boyle (Mark Timlin 83).
Subs not used: Eric Grimes (gk), Scott Whiteside, Alon Netzer, Mark Timlin, Josh Daniels, Rory Holden, Mikhail Kennedy.
Booked: Ronan Curtis (34), Lukas Schubert (40 & 71)
Sent off: Lukas Schubert (71)
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).
Attendance: 3,251
Extratime.ie Player of the Match: Nicky Low (Derry City).
