Youths undone by soft goal
Campaign resumes with nothing to show from Derry trip
DERRY CITY 1 WEXFORD YOUTHS 0 ONE COSTLY defensive lapse undid the Wexford Youths challenge in the Brandywell on Friday as high-flying Derry City maintained their bid for European football with a 1-0 victory to mark the resumption of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division after a three-week break.
A speculative punt forward over the head of left-back Craig McCabe was latched on to by the lively Nathan Boyle as netminder Graham Doyle advanced, and the winger calmly knocked it over the captain’s head and into the net to give the home side an 18th-minute lead.
It was the decisive goal in a game controlled possession-wise for long periods by the Foylesiders. However, they never looked like putting the outcome firmly to bed, with their build-up play slow and laborious to the obvious frustration of their supporters.
And the end result was another one to file under the ‘what might have been’ category for Youths, as they had more than enough chances to salvage a draw at the very least from the long journey to the north-west.
Just before that Derry goal, Jonny Bonner had played in Andy Mulligan with a neat pass, but the left winger’s shot was kept out by the feet of netminder Ger Doherty who seems to reserve his best for facing Youths as he was also inspired during the earlier league meeting in Ferrycarrig Park.
It was a return to familiar territory for Bonner who had played with the Candystripes at under-age level and in the ‘A’ championship, although he never made a full senior appearance.
And he was involved once more in the next clearcut chance for the visitors, slipping a 37th-minute pass to full-back Conor O’Keeffe who was making his first league start after two appearances off the bench and nine stints as an unused substitute.
O’Keeffe, who has started all five cup games to date across FAI, EA Sports and Leinster Senior competitions, cut inside and unleashed a left-footed drive which Ger Doherty did very well to turn away for a fruitless corner.
Another opportunity arose in the 41st minute when Danny Furlong passed to attacking partner Paul Murphy before accepting the return, but he shot from the left across goal and narrowly wide.
An injury picked up in training midweek ruled out Aidan Friel and led to O’Keeffe’s introduction at right-back, with Craig McCabe switching to the left. The other change from the loss to Bohemians three weeks earlier saw Ryan Delaney come in at centre-half in place of Stephen Last who was fit enough for the bench after sustaining a shoulder injury in that game.
A few nervy back passes in the early stages suggested that Youths were a little ring-rusty, while Paul Murphy was well off target with their first speculative effort in the sixth minute.
Ryan Delaney headed a Nathan Boyle cross away for the sole Derry corner of the half which didn’t pose a threat, while Chris Kenny couldn’t get sufficient power on Paul Murphy’s free-kick in the eleventh minute after a foul on Eric Molloy.
Another Murphy setpiece didn’t unlock the defence either before Conor O’Keeffe was injured in an aerial clash with Joshua Daniels as he bravely got his head to another testing cross from the busy Nathan Boyle.
That Mulligan chance and the Derry goal followed in quick succession before Graham Doyle dealt capably with an Aaron Barry shot after a deflection took the sting out of it.
Danny Furlong headed wide at the far post after Chris Kenny crossed from the right, while Conor O’Keeffe then brought the best out of Ger Doherty.
Gary and Ryan Delaney defended crosses from Aaron McEneff and Joshua Daniels respectively, with the latter action leading to a breakaway and that Furlong shot which didn’t test the netminder.
Jonny Bonner also drove an effort high and wide before the interval, but Youths knew that they were still very much in contention as Derry seemed incapable of going for the jugular despite that one-goal advantage.
The home side did resume on a positive note though as Graham Doyle beat away Nathan Boyle’s shot from the right in the 47th minute before Barry McNamee fired over after a Boyle cross was helped into his path by Northern Ireland international Rory Patterson.
Youths forced a corner in the 53rd minute but Paul Murphy headed high and over from Jonny Bonner’s delivery. A Patterson free-kick cleared the bar at the other end before Bonner failed to get hold of a volley after a headed clearance invited him to have a go.
A neat piece of skill from the Donegal man in midfield paved the way for a cross from the right by Paul Murphy, but it was too close to netminder Doherty.
Ryan Delaney did well to shepherd the ball out of play as Derry substitute Conor McDermott applied pressure, while Aaron Barry’s header from a Barry McNamee free-kick to the far post lacked power in the 72nd minute.
The one big chance for Youths to equalise arrived shortly afterwards. A Craig McCabe throw from the right was helped on in the box by Paul Murphy to Chris Kenny whose header produced a great save from Ger Doherty at the expense of a corner.
And when Jonny Bonner delivered it back into the danger zone, Gary Delaney’s powerful header was stopped on the line by a wellplaced opponent.
It was as close as Youths came to restoring parity after the break, with Shane Dunne and Conor Whittle then introduced for Andy Mulligan and Chris Kenny while Eric Molloy moved from the right flank to the left.
A Craig McCabe tackle on Conor McDermott led to a corner and a weak shot from Aaron McEneff in the 78th minute, but the home side did come very close to doubling their lead just 60 seconds later.
Rory Patterson teed up McEneff for another effort, and this time his powerful drive may have shaved the top of the bar. Patterson was then replaced by Jordan Allan who posed problems in his brief spell on the field, although three late corners forced by the leaders were dealt with by the defence.
The third and last attempt arose after Graham Doyle made a decent save from an Allan shot. The substitute also tried an audacious effort from half-way after dispossessing Gary Delaney in added time, but it didn’t trouble the captain and netminder.
Youths’ Leinster Senior Cup final away to Bohemians, scheduled for tonight (Tuesday), has been postponed, so their next game is one of those proverbial league six-pointers. They will journey to the Carlisle Grounds on Saturday at 7.30 p.m. to face Bray Wanderers in the nearest thing to a local derby in this division, knowing that the Wicklow side picked up a point in a scoreless draw with Sligo Rovers on Friday to leave them just three below them now near the foot of the table.
Youths are now six points off ninth-placed Bohs, and they cannot afford to be cut adrift any more from the sides above them as they don’t want to be sucked into a battle to avoid relegation along with Wanderers and bottom of the table Longford Town.
Incidentally, Friday saw the debut of vanishing spray in the League of Ireland to mark freekicks, with the canister deployed by Irish Football Association referee Tim Marshall who was guesting on the night.
Wexford Youths: Graham Doyle (capt.); Conor O’Keeffe, Gary Delaney, Ryan Delaney, Craig McCabe; Eric Molloy, Jonny Bonner, Chris Kenny, Andy Mulligan; Paul Murphy, Danny Furlong. Subs. - Shane Dunne for Mulligan (77), Conor Whittle for Kenny (77), John Peare for O’Keeffe (88), also Matt Connor, Danny Ledwith, Stephen Last.
Derry City: Ger Doherty; Niclas Vemmelund, Ryan McBride (capt.), Aaron Barry, Dean Jarvis; Nathan Boyle, Keith Ward, Aaron McEneff, Barry McNamee, Joshua Daniels; Rory Patterson. Subs. - Rory Holden for Ward (HT), Conor McDermott for Boyle, inj. (65), Jordan Allan for Patterson (80), also Dylan Doherty, Patrick McClean, Ryan Doherty, Ronan Curtis.
Referee: Tim Marshall (Fermanagh).