Hitman Hale gets Derry back to winning ways
RONAN Hale was the match winner for Derry City in an unremarkable game against struggling Limerick.
The young striker scored his 13th goal of the season for Kenny Shiels’ team, who finally got back to winning ways after five successive league defeats. But it was far from an impressive display from Derry who completely switched off in the second half and were perhaps fortunate that the hosts did not take advantage.
Derry got their reward for a positive start with the opening goal on 24 minutes. It was third time lucky for Hale who latched onto a pass from Dean Shiels to go one-on-one with Holland and this time the striker made no mistake.
The only disappointment for City boss Kenny Shiels from the opening period was that his team were unable to add to their lead, Fisk going closest with another effort that had to be saved by Holland.
Limerick emerged much more of a threat at the start of the second half. They should have levelled within five minutes of the restart when Shane Tracey’s cross into the area eluded Dan Seaborne and found Karl O’Sullivan who should have scored but got under his shot and skied it over Gerard Doherty’s crossbar.
There was a much better effort from the hosts in the second period and they were finally giving Derry a game with Tracey bringing the first save of the game from Doherty with a free kick which the City captain had to parry over the crossbar and behind for a corner.
It took Derry until the 72nd minute to show some threat and it came when Nicky Low found Dean Shiels, who cut inside and took a shot which went over. The Limerick goalkeeper, overworked in the first period, had little to do in the second half, which said everything about Derry’s second half performance.
LIMERICK: Holland, Kelly, Cantwell, Coleman (Morrisey 84), Duggan, Tracey, Fitzgerald, O’Sullivan (Dennehy 78), Murphy, Kennedy, Maguire.
DERRY CITY: Doherty, Seaborne, McDonagh, Toal, Cole, Low (Delap 78), Splaine, McEneff, Shiels, Fisk, Ronan Hale.
Referee: Graham Kelly.