McEneff paves way as Candystripes keep good times rolling

DERRY City made it five wins out of five at the new Brandywell as they deservedly beat 10-man Bohemians 3-1 last night.

In an action-packed game, Bohemians paid the price for a Paddy Kavanagh red card midway through the second half.

Shane Supple was forced to pick the ball out of his net on 20 minutes after Derry took the lead in impressive fashion.

Nicky Low found Aaron McEneff on the edge of the Bohs box and, despite having two defenders at his back, he skilfully worked his way into the area and hammered a left-footed shot past Supple and into the bottom corner of the net for his sixth goal of the season.

But the lead lasted just six minutes as Bohs hit back in style, Dylan Watts racing in behind the Candystripes defence and hooking the ball over Gerard Doherty to level the game.

The game was end to end at this stage and Bohs somehow survived a Derry corner as Supple made a spectacular save he knew very little about.

McEneff ’s in-swinging corner eluded everyone except Ronan Curtis, whose close-range effort struck the goalkeeper on his right hand and stayed out.

The Bohs goal was leading a charmed life and Supple was left still standing again on 30 minutes.

An incredible through ball by McEneff cut the Bohs defence apart and Ronan Hale raced onto it before driving a ferocious effort past the goalkeeper, only to rattle the upright.

Bohemians should have taken the lead as half-time approached but for a very poor finish from Dinny Corcoran.

Darren Cole lost the ball on halfway and Bohs broke forward quickly. Jonathan Lunney played Corcoran through, but he hit a weak effort at the Derry goalkeeper, who saved easily.

Bohs were working hard to push Derry onto the back foot, but Kavanagh’s efforts were viewed as too severe by referee Rob Rogers on 56 minutes. The official produced a red card for the former Derry man for a lunge on Curtis.

Derry wasted no time in taking advantage of the extra man as they restored their lead within seconds of the dismissal.

Jack Doyle whipped in a superb cross which was brilliantly taken out of the air by Ronan Hale, whose shot was then saved by Supple. He only managed to turn it into the path of Rory Patterson, however, who lashed his team back into the lead with his fourth goal of the season.

Derry lost Ronan Hale through injury on 73 minutes but they should have had the third goal moments later when Gavin Peers’ header across the penalty area fell for Curtis, whose goal-bound volley was brilliantly headed off the line and over the bar by Dan Byrne. From the resulting corner, the hosts came agonisingly close to the killer goal as Peers’ header from Low’s corner bounced off the top of Supple’s crossbar.

Derry finally made the game safe in added time when Low raced clear, rounded Supple and slotted in his first ever goal for the Candystripes.

DERRY CITY: Doherty, Cole, Peers, Toal, Doyle, McEneff, Rory Hale, Low, Curtis, Patterson (Cofie, 82 mins), Ronan Hale (McDonagh, 73 mins).

BOHEMIANS: Supple, Leahy, Casey, Byrne, Moore (Devaney, 87 mins), Gannon, Corcoran (Stokes, 61 mins), Kavanagh, Buckley, Lunney (Lyons, 69 mins), Watts.

Referee: Rob Rogers First blood: Aaron McEneff opened the scoring for Derry