Derry City win seven-goal thriller at Dalymount!

Bohemians 3

Derry City 4

Brian Maher was the Derry City hero as the Candystripes won an incredible game of football at Dalymount Park to move into second place and boost their chances of qualifying for Europe. 

The City goalkeeper produced several stunning saves, especially in the closing stages as the visitors, down to ten men following the dismissal of Ronan Boyce, somehow clung on.

Second against third, this was more than anyone expected as two goals from Adam O’Reilly helped Derry City take a huge step towards European qualification this season.

The Candystripes conceded a penalty within 30 seconds on their last visit to Dalymount back in May, and referee Rob Hennessey was pointing to the spot again, after just seven minutes on this occasion after Carl Winchester collided with James Clarke.

Douglas James-Taylor stepped up to send Brian Maher the wrong way to give Bohs another early advantage.

But Derry responded impressively with the equaliser on 20 minutes. Michael Duffy sent Dipo Akinyemi in behind the Bohs defence and the striker did well to get a shot away from close range under pressure. Kacper Chorazka pushed the shot away, but it was cleared only to the feet of Michael Duffy, who drilled an effort back through the crowd, past the goalkeeper and into the net for his 10th goal of the season.

The visitors then stunned the home side right on half time with a second goal. Duffy’s corner led to a goalmouth scramble, and the ball fell for Ronan Boyce, whose effort deflected into the path of Adam O’Reilly, whose close-range shot went through the legs of Chorazka. The goalkeeper tried desperately to stop it going over the line, but he failed to do so, with the referee’s assistant signalling a goal.

Bohs responded well and their pressure was rewarded on 65 minutes when Ross Tierney’s low cross was allowed to go right across the face of goal, all the way to the back post where Jordan Flores arrived to tap it into an empty net.

But the Bohs joy was very short-lived as Derry City regained their lead just 60 seconds later. Carl Winchester spotted O’Reilly in space and played the midfielder through. O’Reilly still had plenty to do as he bore down on goal, but he finished calmly to make it 3-2 to silence the home cheers.

This crazy game was far from finished however as Bohs responded just as emphatically. Tierney delivered a free-kick into a packed penalty area just two minutes later and the ball fell for James-Taylor, who smashed it into the top corner to make it 3-3.

At this stage, all notion of defending had gone out the window and the fourth goal in just 10 second half minutes arrived on 74 minutes when Duffy did superbly to cross left-footed and Dipo Akinyemi guided a header beyond Chorazka and into the bottom corner.

Derry City’s chances of actually defending that lead then took a huge blow when Ronan Boyce was sent off for his second caution in 12 minutes for a foul on James Clarke, the club’s eighth red card of the season.

Bohs dominated in the late stages, but there was no beating Maher, who pulled off save after save to earn his team three huge points.

Teams

Bohemians: Chorazka, Okedina (Parsons 69’), Cornwall (Whelan 82’), Morahan, Rooney, Flores, McDonnell (Byrne HT’), Meekinson (Buckley 69’), Tierney, Clarke, James-Taylor.

Derry City: Maher, Todd, Stott (Connolly 82’), Bannon (Dummigan 88’), Fleming, Boyce, O’Reilly, Diallo (Benson 68’), Winchester (Cann 75’), Duffy, Akinyemi.

Referee: Rob Hennessey.