Candystripes held to goalless draw in Sligo

Pressure continues to mount on Tiernan Lynch after Derry City’s scoreless draw with second-bottom Sligo Rovers left the Candystripes without a win in six games following Monday afternoon’s stalemate at The Showgrounds.

It was only Derry’s second clean sheet of the season, but the Foylesiders have now amassed just ten points from ten games, leaving them joint third from bottom alongside Drogheda United. It represents a deeply disappointing start to a campaign that many expected would see Lynch’s side competing towards the top half of the table.

Derry are now winless since the final weekend of February, when an unconvincing injury-time rally saw them overcome basement side Waterford. An opening-night last-gasp winner against Sligo remains their only other victory of the campaign so far.

Lynch drafted in four changes to his starting XI following Friday’s 2–1 defeat to Galway United. Northern Ireland under-21Conor Barr, Carl Winchester, Ben Doherty and Josh Thomas came into the side in place of Alex Bannon, James Olayinka, Darragh Markey and Dipo Akinyemi. James McClean returned to the bench after missing the Galway fixture with a hip injury, while brother Patrick and captain Michael Duffy remain sidelined.

It proved a difficult watch at the Showgrounds, with neither side creating many clear-cut openings and a strong breeze doing little to help matters. Adam O’Reilly had a gilt-edged opportunity just after the quarter-hour mark when James Clarke’s cross fell kindly to him after Sligo failed to clear, but the former Preston man somehow drove his effort over the bar from close range with the goal at his mercy.

Carl Winchester then rattled the Sligo post in the twenty-fifth minute with a thunderbolt from thirty yards. The Northern Ireland international, captaining the side in Duffy’s absence, struck the loose ball first time and saw his effort crash off the left-hand upright with Sam Sargeant at full stretch.

Two minutes later Barry Cotter saw his looping header comfortably gathered by Sargeant before Seb Quirke got on the end of a Will Fitzgerald cross but fired harmlessly wide of Edward Beach’s right-hand post. In the thirty-third minute, Fitzgerald delivered a dangerous free kick that narrowly missed the head of Ollie Denham in what proved Sligo’s best chance of the first half.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with both sides struggling to break each other down as the wind blowing from left to right continued to make conditions difficult for flowing football. Josh Thomas briefly found himself in behind the Sligo defence just after the restart, but substitute Gareth McElroy produced an excellent recovery challenge to prevent the Welshman from getting his shot away.

Shortly after the hour mark, Winchester tested Sargeant with a drilled free kick, but his effort was straight at the goalkeeper. Derry went close again with twenty minutes remaining. Substitute Dipo Akinyemi did well to drive at the Rovers defence before laying the ball off to O’Reilly at the edge of the area, but his curling effort was well saved by Sargeant, who parried the ball away for a corner.

In the seventy-seventh minute Sligo came agonisingly close to taking the lead. An inswinging corner from Archie Meekison was flicked on by Gareth McElroy, but his effort struck the post. Seb Quirke attempted to volley home the rebound, only for Brandon Fleming to throw himself in the way with a brave block to keep the scores level.

Neither side could fashion a breakthrough in the closing minutes, and the points were ultimately shared at the Showgrounds. It was another frustrating away day for Lynch’s side, who have now taken just two points from four away fixtures this season. The challenge does not get any easier, with a trip to Dundalk at Oriel Park coming up on Friday evening, while Sligo travel to Dalymount Park to face high-flying Bohemian.

Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant, Jeannot Esua, Sean McHale, Ollie Denham, Will Fitzgerald, Seb Quirk (Carl McHugh, 80), James McManus, Daire Patton, Archie Meekison (Guilherme Priosti, 88), Alex Nolan, Mai Traore (Gareth McElroy, 46).

Derry City: Edward Beach, Conor Barr, Rob Slevin (James McClean, 72), Jamie Stott, Brandon Fleming, Barry Cotter (James Olayinka, 82), Carl Winchester, Adam O’Reilly, Ben Doherty (Cameron Dummigan, 82), James Clarke (Henry Rylah, 69), Josh Thomas (Dipo Akinyemi, 68).

Referee: Rob Hennessy