Goal(s): Vinny Sullivan 84
Waterford have moved three points behind league leaders Shelbourne with a late away win over Rovers at Richmond Park.
United made the better start with Kevin Waters shooting low and wide after just three minutes. With both sides lacking in the final third, Rovers’ best chance of the first half came when Stephen Grant shot wide following a dummy by Trevor Molloy on a low cross from Shane Robinson.
Liam Buckley’s men hadn’t won a game in their previous four and forced matters for much of the second period. However with six minutes remaining, Willie Byrne put Vinny Sullivan into space with a low through ball and the strike turned to fire a crisp, angled drive past Barry Ryan at the Shed End.
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CORK CITY 1 DERRY CITY 1
Goal(s): Cork - Conor O'Grady 65; Derry - Gary Beckett 32
Derry took their third draw in their last six games away from Turner’s Cross, having taken the lead against the run of play in Dermot Keeley’s first league game for the Foylesiders.
Despite having the lion’s share of possession, Cork conceded on 32 minutes as a Gary Beckett free-kick dubiously awarded by Ian Stokes, saw Cork keeper Michael Devine wrong footed with a severe deflection off the Cork wall. That was Beckett’s fifth of the season seeing him top of the scoring charts at the Brandywell club.
Cork had their chances with Alan Bennett hitting Wayne Russell’s side netting and striker George O’Callaghan forced Russell to parry and headed wide on 40 minutes from a Billy Woods cross.
However midfielder Conor O’Grady, Cork’s player of the year last season, equalised for the home side on 65 minutes with a great strike from all of 25 yards. Padraig Moran was brought on for debutant striker Michael Holt late on with Alan Gough replacing keeper Wayne Russell as Derry shored up for a valuable away point.
Cork City: Devine; Horgan, Woods, D Murray, Bennett; O’Grady, CT O’Brien, Doyle, Casey; O’Flynn, O’Callaghan.
Derry City: Russell (Gough); Hutton, E McCallion, McLaughlin, McChrystal; Hargan, Doherty, Martyn, McGlynn; Holt (Moran), Beckett. Ref: I Stokes (Dublin)
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UCD 1 DROGHEDA UTD 0
Goal(s): Robbie Griffin 37
UCD took an invaluable three points away from Belfield tonight with a 1-0 win over Drogheda. The Students now six points behind ninth placed Derry thanks to their second win of the season.
It is undoubtedly their most important win with Paul Doolin without his two first choice strikers in a squad of just sixteen fit players. Against the run of play, College midfielder Alan McNally flicked a header into Robbie Griffin’s path and the striker scored his third goal in seven days in the 37th minute with a low drilled shot past Gary Rodgers.
United’s Danny O’Connor and Andy Myler both headed over midway through the first half as makeshift striker Griffin shot wide when a pass to Darragh Ryan seemed like the right option on 40 minutes.