Paul McMullan goal ruins Stephen Kenny's big night at Inchicore
Second half goal sees Derry City beat St. Patrick's Athletic for the fourth game in succession
St. Patrick’s Athletic 0
Derry City 1
Paul McMullan's second half goal ruined Stephen Kenny's big night as Derry City defeated St. Patrick's Athletic at Inchicore.
The winger, who scored his first goal for the club just last week against Shelbourne, produced a brilliant finish to seal all three points and keep Derry City in second place, just one point off the top.
The Candystripes were in control throughout and they could have taken the lead 25 minutes in when Pat Hoban picked out the run of Paul McMullan in behind the St. Pat’s defence. The winger closed in on goal but the angle was against him and Daniel Rogers was able to save.
That was the only real action of a disappointing first half, with Pat’s unable to threaten a Derry City defence that was missing the injured Mark Connolly.
It didn’t get any better for the home side in the second half with the home side unable to rouse themselves despite the sold-out crowd.
Derry City were comfortable and Ruaidhri Higgins sent on Michael Duffy and Patrick McEleney early in the second half, and immediately his team looked sharper and more of a threat, the former producing a great cross which Pat Hoban was so close to getting on the end of.
St. Pat’s then came close for the first time in the game when McEleney was dispossessed in midfield and Kian Leavy sent Brandon Kavanagh in on goal, but his shot, which beat Maher, was cleared off the line by Cameron McJannet.
The goal the game desperately needed came with 13 minutes to go when Patrick McEleney picked out the run of McMullan through the middle, and the winger kept his composure to slide the ball past Rogers to score his second goal in three games.
Teams
St. Patrick’s Athletic: Rogers, Breslin, Redmond, Lennon, Forrester (Nolan 83’), Melia (Keating 62’), Leavy (McLaughlin 63’), Kavanagh (Bolger 67’), Mulreany, Keeley (Palmer 83’), Turner.
Derry City: Maher, Coll, McJannet, S McEleney, Boyce, O’Reilly, Doherty (Duffy 57’), Diallo (P McEleney 57’), Patching (Dummigan 74’), McMullan (Kelly 93’), Hoban.
Referee: Mark Houlihan