League of Ireland Premier Division/St Patrick's Athletic 2 Derry City 1: A first league win in four sent the home side back to the top of the table last night at Richmond Park where Mark Quigley's 12th and 13th goals of the season proved enough to extend the visitors' own rather miserable run of form in the league.
City were taunted about the possibility of relegation by the home support as they left the pitch at the end, which might be easy enough to shrug off. The locals' other favourite chant of the night, however, one that suggested the northerners' participation in the Champions League next month has some comedy value about it, seemed a little bit closer to the bone given the team's league form of late.
Fielding a team that included nine regulars from the team that went so close to winning the title last year, they were second best again here and a miserable night was made worse in the closing stages when Neil McCafferty was sent off after just four minutes on the pitch.
Perhaps hope is at hand for caretaker manager Peter Hutton and his side, however, as last night's game was watched by former Sligo Rovers manager Rob McDonald, who has been linked with the manager's job at the club.
Behind for the second time in the match at that stage, Derry were chasing the game when the red card effectively killed them off but for all the energy they expended on the pursuit of an equaliser, they were repeatedly caught on the break and Quigley was unlucky more than once to be deprived of his hat-trick.
The home side should have had a penalty early on when Ken Oman took the legs of Anto Murphy inside the box but Alan Kelly's failure to spot the foul seemed less important within seconds as Gary O'Neill was injured in the subsequent scramble and had to be stretchered from the field.
Losing the young striker for any length of time would be a blow to John McDonnell at a time when he is already struggling to add to the depth of his squad. Last night, however, his men coped well enough as Kevin Cornwall joined Quigley up front.
The 21-year-old got the opening goal a couple of minutes before the break. Having gone close a couple of times with angled free-kicks, Michael Foley's corner was punched only as far as the edge of the box from where the striker fired home.
It was decent strike and, on the balance of play, the goal was about right, with the hosts having edged it in terms of possession and dominated with regard to chances created, although in truth, neither side's first-half performance would be likely to strike fear into their respective European opponents should tapes of the game find their way to Denmark and Armenia.
Derry's equaliser, on the other hand, might just cause a little concern in the Pyunik camp. Eddie McCallion's curling ball from the right six minutes into the second period was nicely weighted but Gareth McGlynn's volley was spectacular and Barry Ryan was able to get a touch but no more.
With six draws in their last eight league games, City clearly need to start winning if they are to challenge even for a place in Europe again next season. To judge by the speed with which they found themselves having to dig in again after the goal, though, they may, deep down, have been tempted by the thought of avoiding defeat here.
Quigley, though, quickly ensured the northerners would have to return to the attack if they were to have any chance of taking something home with them by bagging his sixth goal in eight games with a close range volley of his own after Murphy's throw was flicked on by Darragh Maguire.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Ryan; Murphy, C Foley (O'Connor, 64 mins), Brennan, Maguire, Paisley; Fahey, M Foley (S Quigley, 79 mins), Mulcahy; M Quigley, O'Neill (Cornwall, 10 mins).
DERRY CITY: Jennings; McCallion, Hutton, Oman, Hargan (Farren, 78 mins); Deery (McCafferty, 82 mins), Molloy, Higgins, McGlynn; Hynes, McHugh.
Referee: A Kelly (Cork).
