Cancel your November plans! Derry City are heading to the FAI Cup Final again!

Bohemians 0

Derry City 2

Michael Duffy struck twice at Dalymount Park to send Derry City back to the FAI Cup final at the expense of Bohemians. 

The winger struck a goal in each half of an absorbing Cup semi-final, the first spectacular, the second fortuitous, as the Candystripes reached their second FAI Cup final in three years.  

It keeps Derry City on course for a possible league and cup double with the Candystripes also right in the mix at the top of the Premier Division. 

A stroke of good fortune led to Derry’s first opportunity on 17 minutes, and it came from the first time that Michael Duffy got a run on the Bohs’ defence. Four Bohs players converged on Duffy but the ball ricocheted into his path and he raced into the area before pulling it back straight into the path of Pat Hoban who didn’t get a clean hold of on his left foot, giving Kacper Chorazka a comfortable save.

The Candystripes were having to be alert defensively with Grieve dropping deep into his own half and Rooney and Tierney switching on the right, but the visitors held firm and come the half hour they had two chances in 60 seconds which had Chorazka worried.

Firstly, McMullan found the run of McEleney in behind the Bohs defence, and his pull back found Hoban, who dd well to retain possession under pressure before lying it off for Adam O’Reilly, who drilled an effort just over from 25 yards.

Moments later, Duffy found space opening up ahead of him as he bore down on the Bohs penalty area, and he went for goal, but, like O’Reilly, his effort was just too high.

The game exploded into life three minutes before the break when Derry City took the lead in spectacular fashion. Pat Hoban won the ball just inside the Bohs area and found Duffy who was fouled just a yard from the 18-yard box. Duffy regained his feet to stand over the set-piece, and with a packed penalty area awaiting a cross, Duffy instead went for goal, and curled an incredible effort beyond Chorazka into the top corner for his eighth goal of the season.

Half Time 0-1

Derry City should have doubled their lead in the opening five minutes of the second half when Patrick McEleney split the Bohs defence with a superb first time pass to send Paul McMullan through on goal. The winger had the freedom of Dalymount Park, but he couldn’t even hit the target, shooting badly wide with just Chorazka to beat.  

The game was held up for 10 minutes due to a change of referee assistant due to injury, and that interrupted any momentum Bohemians were trying to build.

The game had resumed just a few minutes when Derry City struck again to silence Dalymount Park. Again it was Duffy who struck the blow, but rather than spectacular. This one was fortuitous, as the winger skipped inside past two opponents and went for goal, with the ball catching out goalkeeper Chorazka by bouncing just in front of him and into the net. Duffy, Ruaidhri Higgins nor the traveling fans cared as they took one huge step closer to the FAI cup final.

Alan Reynolds emptied his bench in an attempt to get his team back into the game and substitute striker Filip Piszczek came close to doing just that when he chested down a cross from Flores but volleyed just wide.

Duffy was then denied a hat trick by a superb save from Chorazka in added time before the final whistle began the Derry City celebrations. 

Teams

Bohemians: Chorazka, Smith (Kirk 37’), Mills (Miller 58’) Flores, Byrne, McDonnell (Piszczek 74’), Devoy, Rooney (Meekinson 74’), Grant, Grieve (Clarke 58’).  

Derry City: Maher, Doherty, Connolly, Wisdom, Boyce, O’Reilly, Diallo (Whelan 94’), P McEleney (Davenport 76’), Duffy, McMullan (S McEleney 94’), Hoban (Mullen 85’).

Referee: Paul McLaughlin.