Shamrock Rovers 2
Derry City 0
GOALS FROM RONAN Finn and Dean Kelly ensured Pat Fenlon’s tenure as Shamrock Rovers boss began with a win tonight as his side beat Derry City 2-0.
The visitors had the better of the play for large periods in the game, but failed to score, and the Hoops are now 13 points clear of the Candystripes in third position.
Finn’s goal was just the boost the home crowd needed in a second half that was beginning to get away from Rovers, and Kelly’s header ensured all three points were safe with 20 minutes to go.
The opening half was a rather dull affair aside from some penetrative passing from Derry’s Patrick McEleney.
He unlocked the Rovers defence on several occasions, and it was his vision that led to Rory Patterson getting in behind the Rovers rear-guard for the first time, but he saw his shot saved by Barry Murphy.
McEleney also set up Michael Duffy twice in the first half, but he skewed his first shot wide, before glancing a header just past the back post.
Rovers’ play was not as fluid, and although they had spells of possession, they rarely had the Derry defence worried.
Dean Kelly probably had their best chance when he headed wide from Ronan Finn’s cross with 37 minutes on the clock.
And Gerard Doherty did have to be quick off his line just before that to gather a loose ball in the Derry penalty area.
The second half began in an almost identical fashion to the first, with the home side having all of the ball, but doing little with it for 10 minutes before Derry slowly got on top.
Michael Duffy forced Murphy into his first save after the interval with a strike from the edge of the box, and Duffy was clear of the Rovers backline a minute later, but was once again foiled by the Hoops’ net-minder.
And those missed chances came back to haunt City as Ronan Finn headed the ball past Doherty after Dean Kelly had headed Marty-Waters’ delivery back across goal.
Having started with a 4-1-4-1 formation, Pat Fenlon then showed the home crowd his offensive intentions when he brought on Karl Sheppard to partner Kelly up front.
And they secured the points with 20 minutes left to play when Finn, who was excellent in the second half, drove to the line before lofting the ball across the face of the goal and onto the head of Kelly.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy, Byrne, Kenna, McGuinness, Madden, Robinson, Brennan, Finn (Bayly 74), McCabe (S O’Connor 87), Kelly, Waters (Sheppard 65). Substitutes: Hyland, Cornwall, D O’Connor, Bayly, McPhail, S O’Connor, Sheppard.
DERRY CITY: Doherty, McBride, McNamee, Ventre, McEleney (Curran 75), Patterson (Tracey 86), Duffy, Lowry, Timlin (Jarvis 80), Dooley, Barry. Substitutes: Gallagher, Kelly, Jarvis, McEleney, Tracey, Curran, Byrne.
Referee: David McKeon.
