More penalty heartbreak for Derry City

Derry City lost their grasp of the FAI Cup yesterday with defeat to St Patrick’s Athletic at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.

Ruaidhrí Higgins’ troops were back on home turf just three days after a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out loss to Tobol Kostanay in the Europa Conference League, but despite a strong performance from the Candystripes, it was the same fate that would befall them as the Dubliners claimed a victory on spot kicks.

Attentions now turn to Friday night and a return to league action with and a trip to Dalymount Park to take on Declan Devine’s Bohemians.

Derry made four changes to the team that started their ECL defeat to Tobol Kostanay, with Ciaran Coll, Shane McEleney, Cameron Dummigan and Brandon Kavanagh into the starting eleven for Ben Doherty, Mark Connolly, Sadou Diallo and Michael Duffy.

Derry settled into the game well in spite of the quick turnaround and the home side had the first shot on six minutes when Jamie McGonigle set up Adam O’Reilly for the long distance effort but it skewed off the boot of the former St Pat’s midfielder and wide of the upright.

Another attempt soon came and went when Brandon Kavanagh picked up the ball in the midfield and played McGonigle down the wing. He crossed for McMullan running onto it 20 yards out, but it was comfortably over Dean Lyness’ crossbar.

The promising start continued for City on nine minutes when O’Reilly broke clear of Jamie Lennon but his shot whistled off the turf and, this time, wide of the other post.

Brandon Kavanagh forced the first save out of Lyness when the goalkeeper had to get down smartly to his right to gather the Dubliner’s attempt from outside the box.

Good link-up between Kavanagh and McGonigle almost saw the latter in on goal, but the ball eventually made its way back to Cameron Dummigan. His shot had Lyness worried, but it was another that went off target.

O’Reilly was in the thick of the action and, on 19 minutes, he had another long ranger bravely blocked down by Lennon before the City midfielder entered referee Neil Doyle’s notebook was a challenge on Breslin.

Lennon then blocked a Kavanagh shot behind for a corner that came to nothing as the home side continued to dominate.

St Pat’s were under the cosh, and on the half hour mark Derry had another chance when McMullan, after good work from Kavanagh, played it to Patching in space in the box but John-Alan McGrath got himself in the way of the shot that looked destined to rattle the net.

The visitors first attempt arrived in the 35th minute when the ball was only partially cleared by McMullan as far as Sam Curtis in acres of space 25 yards out but he couldn’t trouble Brian Maher.

Despite City’s dominance, St Pat’s could have taken the lead three minutes later when, from a throw, Conor Carty turned Cameron McJannet in the box. The striker tried to dink it over the onrushing Brian Maher, but he put too much on the ball and it settled harmlessly on top of the City’s netting.

After their slow start, the visitors were certainly finishing the half stronger and Forester was pulling the strings to find Jason McClelland who played in Curtis on the overlap and, while the angle was slightly against him, the full-back drew a strong save out of Maher to keep it scoreless at the break.

Second-half

The first chance of the second half fell to Paul McMullan nine minutes in, but after finding a bit of space inside the box he tried to place one in the top left corner but got his measurements just off.

Chris Forrester sent one well over the bar on the hour mark, after a short Maher clearance on the bobble fell to the midfielder, quickly followed by wayward efforts off the boots of Patching and McMullan.

Ciaran Coll should have tested Lyness when he got his head on a cross from Dummigan, but the Donegal native couldn’t keep it on target from 15 yards out.

O’Reilly played it for Kavanagh on 74 minutes who dinked a lovely cross in for McGonigle to head goalwards, but just when it looked to have looped over Lyness, the St Pat’s keeper got fingertips on it to push it over the bar.

Thomas Lonergan had the tie in his grasp four minutes later when he was picked out beautifully by fellow substitute Jake Mulraney, but with just Maher to beat the City shot stopper came up trumps to deny the Pat’s attacker with a huge save.

The woodwork then came to Pats’ rescue on 82 minutes when a trademark Patching free kick on the edge of the area had Lyness rooted to the spot but crashed back off the post.

EXTRA-TIME & PENS

City had the first opportunity in the additional period when Jamie Lennon, not for the first time in the game, got his body in the way of a shot in the box – this one off Michael Duffy’s boot.

Mark Connolly had his head in his hands on 104 minutes when a corner from Doherty came back to Sadou Diallo who floated it in but, with his back to goal, the centre half’s flicked header was over the top.

With less than ten minutes remaining, Duffy delivered a cross onto the foot of Danny Mullen ten yards out but once more Lennon blocked the way to the net.

A Cameron McJannet header, while on target, was easily gathered by Lyness on 115 minutes while at the other end a vital defensive play from Ben Doherty and a save from Maher against John-Alan McGrath denied St Pat’s a late goal.

Connolly headed a Doherty corner wide in the final action of play as the tie headed to penalty kicks.

In the lottery of ten 12 yard kicks, it was the visitors who took the spoils as misses from Michael Duffy and Mark Connolly with City’s last two – with Mulraney missing for Pat’s – sending Johnny Daly’s men through.

Derry City: Brian Maher, Ronan Boyce (Sadou Diallo 69), Shane McEleney (Mark Connolly 59), Cameron McJannet, Ciaran Coll, Cameron Dummigan (Ben Doherty 77), Adam O’Reilly, Will Patching (Patrick McEleney 105), Brandon Kavanagh, Jamie McGonigle (Danny Mullen 77), Paul McMullan (Michael Duffy 69).

St Patrick’s Athletic: Dean Lyness, Sam Curtis, Joe Redmond, John-Alan McGrath, Anthony Breslin, Jason McClelland (Jake Mulraney 70), Jamie Lennon (Ben McCormack 105), Chris Forrester, Mark Doyle (Kian Leavy 75), Conor Carty (Thomas Lonergan 70)(Mason Melia 113), Adam Murphy (Alex Nolan 87).

Referee: Neil Doyle.