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Shamrock Rovers 0
Derry City 0
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Noel Synnott's under fire Hoops battled to a draw against City at Richmond Park to end a run of three straight league defeats on a night that saw a large group of supporters stage a pre-match protest against the club’s board of directors.
Rovers had slipped into the bottom two with an appalling run of results which saw them take just one point in eight league games.
And while they remain far from safe, Friday night’s point against the Candystripes took them 10 points clear of Dublin City, who will have to embark on their best run of results of the year to supplant the Hoops in the second-from-last spot.
The kick-off was delayed by around five minutes after an on-field demonstration by a group of Rovers fans who unfurled banners to announce their disapproval of the club’s current plight.
When the game finally got under way, the "home" side were guilty of more than a few nerves, while Derry, buoyed by their 2-0 victory over champions Shelbourne on Monday night, started positively.
Left winger Killian Brennan, making just his second start for the club, struck the post after four minutes with former Derry keeper Russell Payne well beaten.
Derry right back Damien Brennan came close to scoring two minutes later, but Payne stretched out a leg to divert his shot around the post as the Hoops hung on.
At the other end, a free kick by Shane Robinson was tipped over by David Forde, but Rovers struggled to get the ball forward to support Dave Mooney and Trevor Molloy, taking a deeper role than usual behind Mooney.
Rovers’ best shout for a winner came 20 minutes from the end when Molloy was tumbled inside the area, but referee Pat Whelan waved away the protests, and the Rovers forward continued his one-man quest for a winner when bursting into the box in the 80th minute only to see his drive fizz over Forde’s crossbar.
Shamrock Rovers: Payne, Gough, Palmer (McGuinness, 70), Doyle, Malone, O’Brien, Tracey, Robinson, Rutherford, Molloy, D. Mooney (Grant, 60).
Derry City: Forde, McCallion, D. Brennan, Hutton, Delaney, Doherty (Byrne, 66), Martyn, McGlynn (Deery, 80), K. Brennan, Beckett (Holt, 73), Murphy.
Referee: P Whelan (Dublin)