eircom Premier Division:
Derry City 1 (Hargan 17) Bohemians 0
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Derry’s first win in nine games sees them move two points ahead of UCD in the race to stay in top flight football, with Sunday’s visit to Waterford’s RSC proving crucial, as does UCD’s fixture with Longford at Belfield.
Gavin Dykes’ men had it hard in the early stages as Bohs’ Fergal Harkin hit the post in the opening minute. But Hargan, somewhat against the run of play, gave them the lead on 17 minutes when Eddie McCallion’s left wing cross had cannoned back out to him, and the left-back who also has centre forward experience, hammered home past Shay Kelly with a crisp 18-yard drive.
The visitors looked disinterested but came close after the introduction of Glen Crowe on 66 minutes, when David Morrison saw his goal bound shot blocked superbly by the back tracking Ciaran Martyn.
City’s top scorer Gary Beckett almost doubled the Candystripes’ lead with fifteen minutes remaining, but Kelly managed to tip the striker’s 20-yard effort on the crossbar and over. Bohemians manager Stephen Kenny’s night went from bad to worse with two minutes left when he saw centre back Jason McGuinness fail to direct his header into a gaping Derry net, with little pressure from the City defence.
Kevin Hunt’s injury time header also had Derry’s nerves jangling, but they held out for a priceless win, only their sixth of a 35-game season, which sees them with every chance of surviving in the Premier Division, a league which has seen them compete every year since 1987.