Elsewhere ten-man Longford Town beat Shamrock Rovers, who lost their goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd earlier on with no replacement on the bench, and St Pat's came from behind for a 2-2 draw with Drogheda.
---
eircom League Premier Division Results and Reports:
DERRY CITY 0 BOHEMIANS 3 (Ryan 4, Morrison 29, Hunt 81)
Brandywell, 7.45
Bohemians reclaimed the Premier Division’s pole position tonight, taking all three points in a 3-0 win from their visit north to a rain-lashed Derry.
Winger Bobby Ryan bent home his first league goal of this year, from a fifth minute free kick for an early lead. Former Shelbourne goalkeeper Alan Gough made a good effort to save it, diving low to his right, but the wind-assisted effort had too much pace for Gough and his four-man wall at the city end of the ground.
Derry started with Gary Beckett up front, and Sean Friars and Gareth McGlynn in support of the striker, with chances few and far between. Early frustration led to midfielder Peter Hutton earning himself a seventh minute yellow card from referee Anthony Buttimer, on his first visit to the Brandywell, for two robust challenges in the space of forty seconds.
The opening half saw Gavin Dykes’ home side chasing the game, evidenced by further bookings for Paddy McLaughlin on 26 minutes, and Kevin Deery just on the stroke of half-time. Derry’s best chance of the half fell to Sean Friars on 18 minutes, but the former Ipswich midfielder’s left-footed free kick went narrowly wide.
Bohemians deservedly scored a second goal before the interval however, when a cross from the 29th minute right hand side found midfielder David Morrison in the Derry area and he cleverly directed his looping header across Gough’s goal and into the far corner of the Derry net.
Derry brought young striker Michael Holt on at half time, but he failed to inspire a poor Derry side, and the Candystripes’ biggest attendance of the season. Morrison’s seventh goal in fourteen league games spurred the Dublin side as the rain continued to pour down in the second half. Midfielder Kevin Hunt, a suspected doubt for tonight’s game, wrapped up the win in the 81st minute, scoring from twenty yards out as a corner came back out to the skipper in space.
Stephen Kenny’s men now lie a point ahead of Shelbourne on 60 points after 31 games, with Friday’s mouth-watering visit of the Drumcondra side to Dalymount Park next on the cards.
---
DROGHEDA UTD 2 (Quinless 5, O’Brien 29) ST PAT'S ATH 2 (Dunne 52, Osam 79)
O2 Park, 8.0
Drogheda’s upsurge looked to be continuing tonight under manager Paul Doolin, as they headed for a third win in their last five league encounters, but they conspired to surrender a 2-0 lead to St Pat’s at a sodden 02 Park, with Paul Osam equalising in the 79th minute.
A seventh home win in 17 could have helped them draw clear of relegation-threatened Derry, but it wasn’t to be, making Friday’s meeting with UCD all the more important. Even taking into account United’s poor home record, Pat’s away form this season has been even worse with just two wins from fifteen. But the Dublin outfit could have gone in front after four minute when the impressive Keith Dunne released Gary McPhee, but the move petered out as Gary Rogers saved, under pressure from Pat’s Paul Donnelly.
United’s Mark Quinless put the home side into a surprise lead on five minutes with his fourth of the season, following a neat lay-off from Declan O’Brien.
Defender Clive Delaney had his long range effort blocked on fourteen minutes following more good work by Dunne, before an Andy Myler shot tested Chris Adamson in the Saints’ goal sixty seconds later.
Drogheda’s O’Brien put his side 2-0 up four minutes before the break, following a corner which Pat’s goalkeeper Chris Adamson lost in mid air. O’Brien had had his header from an Aidan Lynch cross parried wide by Adamson to earn the corner, and the striker, who scored the leveller in United’s 3-3 draw with Pat’s at Richmond Park last month, made no mistake with his second chance.
An unmarked O’Brien should have made it 3-0 shortly after the restart, but it was Pat’s who commanded the early exchanges of the second period. Midfielder Dunne side-footed home Pat's first goal on 52 minutes, latching onto Keith Foy’s cross.
Things began to look up for the Cup finalists soon after as Tony Bird won a penalty for them, having rounded keeper Rogers and been brought down. The Saints’ top scorer dusted himself off, but blazed his spot kick attempt over the Drogheda cross bar to the delight of the home crowd, as torrential rain began to fall.
Pat’s continued to press and got their reward eleven minutes from time as Osam stabbed home from close range for his first goal in thirteen league games, and probably his most important.
There was further drama in stoppage time when Bird could have won it for the visitors and United’s Myler was put through one-on-one with Adamson, but defender Darragh Maguire was on hand to clear the danger and hand the Dubliners’ their fifteenth draw in 31 games. Pat’s are five points behind third-placed Cork, with two games in hand on the Munster side, as the race for European places goes down to the final run of games.
---
SHAMROCK R 0 LONGFORD T 1 (Francis 65, Gartland s/o 70)
Tolka Park, 7.45
Having lost twice in their last three games, Longford were thanking former Hoops’ striker Sean Francis tonight as his 65th minute strike gave them full points in a 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers at Tolka Park.
Town were helped on their way with an early injury to the home side’s goalkeeper Tony O’Dowd. Liam Buckley was left red faced as he failed to name a replacement goalkeeper amongst his substitutes and right midfielder Shane Robinson was forced to don O’Dowd’s gloves for the rest of the encounter.
And in fairness, in a week when Rovers have linked up with Notre Dame basketball club, the youngster proved his mettle, juggling a number of crosses and protecting his area when called upon, until Town top scorer Francis hit his tenth of the season shortly after the hour.
20-year-old defender Graham Gartland was sent off five minutes after Francis’ goal, but they managed to hold on to a result which sees them edge four points clear of Drogheda, in seventh.
---
WATERFORD UTD 3 (Fitzgerald 1, O’Brien 5, Fenn 70) CORK CITY 0
RSC, 7.30
Waterford United continued their impressive form against Munster rivals Cork City, as they took their second win against Pat Dolan’s Intertoto chasing side in four league meetings, thanks to tonight’s 3-0 victory at the RSC.
Funnily enough the incessant rain that had peppered the venue all afternoon ceased for the game’s beginning, and it was the home side who capitalised after just sixty seconds.
Midfielder Wayne Fitzgerald ran into space 20 yards out from the City goal, having picked up a loose ball over the halfway line and without hesitation the Tipperary man drilled home his third goal of the season into the bottom right corner of Michael Devine’s net.
It went from bad to worse for a slack Cork back four, containing Dan Murray back from suspension, as just two minutes later another Blues’ midfielder found the City net. Striker Daryl Murphy tried to cross in from the right flank, but having had his first effort blocked, he managed to square for the onrushing O’Brien to blast home past Devine from twelve yards.
O’Brien nearly returned the favour to Murphy in the ninth minute when his left wing ball found the striker in space, but Murphy’s shot went wide. City had chances through a Denis Behan free kick and a Colin T O’Brien header from a George O’Callaghan corner, but looked poor throughout.
Waterford’s Murphy again should have scored six minutes after the break when put through one-on-one with Devine by Fitzgerald, but his left-footed shot skewed wide.
Strike partner Neale Fenn sealed the points for Waterford on 70 minutes with his second goal in the space of five days, dispossessed Dan Murray and fired a low right-footed effort under Devine. A cheeky back heel by the former Tottenham man nearly put Murphy through for a fourth in the closing minutes, but again Murphy failed to capitalise.
With just three games left for Jimmy McGeough’s United, they lie in sixth level on points with Shamrock Rovers now, and they play the Hoops next Friday.