Derry City and Shelbourne cancel each other out at Tolka Park
Candystripes avoid third successive defeat, but slip to fourth
Shelbourne 0
Derry City 0
Derry City denied league leaders Shelbourne a seventh successive league win, but they slipped down to fourth place in the Premier Division in the process.
It is now just one point in the last three league games for Ruaidhri Higgins and his players, who failed to look like scoring throughout.
Of the two teams, it was the Candystripes who did at least try to win the game, but a lack of threat in the final third, plus the loss of Pat Hoban to injury stifled their attack and they have now taken just three wins from eight league games as a result.
After a stop-start to the game from both teams, Shelbourne created the first real chance when Paddy Barrett’s ball over the top picked out the run of Evan Caffrey in behind Shane McEleney, but his first time effort floated over the bar with just Brian Maher to beat.
The game finally kicked into life midway through the first half, with chance at both ends, with Wil Patching heading into Conor Kearn’s hands from Michael Duffy’s corner, before Shels broke at pace, and Will Jarvis got right in behind the Derry defence but was unable to pick out a red shirt in the six-yard box.
Derry City were fortunate to survive when Shels broke away three-in-two from a corner, when an offside flag stopped Evan Caffrey, but as the game passed the half hour, it was the visitors who were edging on top. City had a number of free kicks in the Shels half, giving them opportunities to pack the penalty area, and when Pat Hoban flicked on one such set-piece, Boyce was unlucky to see his shot fly just over at the back post. Already Derry City had shown much more intent than they had in the entire game against Galway at the weekend.
But the game was devoid of opportunity and excitement and the second half brought no improvement from either team. The loss of Pat Hoban through injury did not help Derry City’s cause at all, and neither team had even a sight of goal until 70 minutes when Patching’s free kick was deflected just wide for a corner which came to nothing.
Derry City continued to probe in the closing stages, but they did so without much belief with both managers having to be content with a point.
Teams
SHELBOURNE: Kearns, Gannon, Barrett, Wilson, Lunney, Smith (Martin 64’), O’Sullivan, Molloy, Caffrey (Farrell 62’), Burt (Ledwidge 82’), Jarvis (Byrne 82’).
DERRY CITY: Maher, Coll, Connolly, S McEleney, McJannet, Boyce (Todd 89’), O’Reilly, Patching, McMullan (Kelly 76’), Duffy, Hoban (Mullen 45’).
REFEREE: Eoghan O’Shea