Derry City 1 Sligo Rovers 2
As City’s search for a home victory against Sligo Rovers heads into it’s seventh year, Declan Devine will be left to rue the chances that his sides missed before the Bit O’Red showed their class to take all three points.
For the second successive game City were guilty of missing a penalty, with Rory Patterson the culprit this time. His second half spot kick was well saved by Rodgers but with the game poised level at that point, it was a true turning point. The defending champions showed all their class to engineer Cawley’s opener and Danny North pounced on a Molloy mistake to make it two nil to the visitors. Sean Houston’s late strike gave the home side a glimmer of home, but the champions closed out the game to ensure that once again they rule the roost over their North West neighbours.
Spectators and players alike were caught unawares by a pre-match downpour, and the windy and wet conditions make any constructive play dificult in the first half. The visitors had the upper hand in the possession stake and Kieran Djalili, in a free role, was particularl impressive in the opening stages. However the home side gradually got to grips with the slick interplay of the visitors. Sligo, with Davoren and Keane overlapping, were suspectible to the counteract and Simon Madden began to find time and space down City’s right on the break. Patterson had the first real chance when his low free kick from 30 yards surprised Rodgers, who was glad to see it skim wide of the post. Sligo also had their best chance from a free kick when Ndo spotted McMillan free in the box. The striker latched on to the threaded passes but with only the keeper to beat he dragged his shot wide. McDaid broke clear down the left for the home side but he also dragged his shot across the face of Rodgers goal and wide. As the first half drew to a close, a Madden cross cum shot was palmed away by Rodgers but the sides entered the break scoreless.
The home side dominated the start of the second half and will look back at this period of the game as the one where they should have taken the lead. Patterson went to ground in the box under slightly pressure from McMillan and the linesman decided that it was a penalty to the home side. However, having seen Rafter miss a penalty in Thomond last week, Devine saw Patterson also fail to convert as Rodgers pushed his mid height effort away for a corner. From the resultant corner the netminder pulled off a world class stop from a Patterson volley. City but together a flow move which saw Kavanagh centre for McDaid, but he clipped his effort over from 12 yards out when he should have hit the target.
At the other end, McMillan was sent clear again but with McBride on his shoulder he fired high and wide. However it was a warning that City failed to take and in the 65th minute and probing move from Sligo eventually released Cawley down the right and he beat Doherty low at his near post to break the deadlock. The goal was celebrated gleefully by the visiting support, who realised they were in a contest. The goal settled the visitors and they began to control the tempo of the game against a City side who seemed to be suckered by the first goal. Danny North replaced McMillan and when Molloy misjudged a long ball, North faced onto it and finished comprehensively. At that stage it looked as if it was all over for the Candystripes but a power strike from Houston with three minutes to go gave the home fans renewed hope. However it wasn’t to be and the visitors took all three points to leapfrog back into third spot.
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