Shamrock Rovers 1 Derry City 0
Rory Gaffney capped a bustling front-running display with the only goal of the game as Shamrock Rovers added further credence to their four-in-a-row championship aspirations with a second win of the season over putative title rivals Derry City.
The victory, the champions’ fourth in five games, avenged a defeat to Derry at Tallaght Stadium back in early March to stretch Stephen Bradley’s side’s lead at the top of the table to seven points.
Defeat marked a fourth time in six games in which Derry have failed to score. They remain second in the table, though only on goal difference ahead of St Patrick’s Athletic who drew away at Dundalk.
With four changes from the side that surrendered a 2-0 lead at Dalymount Park on Friday night, it was Rovers who found themselves on the back foot early on.
Despite injuries to key players such as Patrick McEleney, Will Patching and Michael Duffy, Derry came to play, their positive approach forcing two corners in the opening minutes as they dominated the ball.
And the visitors had Rovers at sixes-and-sevens on nine minutes as they carved them open, Adam O’Reilly threading a ball through for Brandon Kavanagh.
The former Rovers midfielder spun off Dan Cleary to skip away, skilfully rolling his studs over the ball before rifling narrowly wide from the edge of the area. It was 13 minutes of a lively start before Rovers threatened, almost catching Derry napping at the back.
Richie Towell’s quick throw on the right found Johnny Kenny racing in on goal. And though the Celtic loanee lobbed the ball over advancing goalkeeper Brian Maher, the vigilant Cameron Dummigan got back to hack the bouncing ball clear.
The home side then created the first clear-cut chance of the game on 21 minutes.
Kenny cleverly spun off two defenders from Sean Hoare’s pass to slide Towell in one-on-one. Maher stood up well to make the save with his body.
But Maher, nor his rearguard, covered themselves in glory five minutes later when Rovers punished sloppy defending to take the lead as Derry tried to play out from the back.
Dummigan’s attempted ball forward was cut out by the alert Hoare who found Gaffney on the left.
Still with plenty to do, the Rovers striker used his strength and tenacity to hold off the challenge of right-back Ronan Boyce to gallop across the edge of the area and roll a right-foot shot into the bottom corner past the poorly positioned Maher to mark his eighth goal of the season.
Gaffney’s industry knew no bounds. The Mayo man was everywhere, mining another chance for himself out of nothing on 39 minutes. All it lacked was the finish as his left-foot drive arrowed inches wide of the post.
Despite their early promising endeavour, Derry didn’t produce a shot on target until stoppage time at the end of the half when Adam O’Reilly’s drive from distance never looked like troubling Leon Pohls.
Derry began the second half as they did the first, enjoying good possession as they probed for openings.
But keeping their shape well, Rovers frustrated them, Derry lacking the guile to break them down as they continued to struggle to bother Pohls between the home posts.
With plenty of ability to stretch Derry on the counter, Rovers did just that on 71 minutes. Sean Kavanagh and Towell worked the ball to substitute Graham Burke who curled a shot off his weaker right-foot off target.
With Brandon Kavanagh continuing to show clever feet in their attacking third, Derry mustered a half chance on 74 minutes, their only real threat of the second half. Skipper Cameron McJannet surged forward on to the pass to shoot well off target.
Derry manager Ruaidhri Higgins brought on an extra striker in Cian Kavanagh in the hope of providing some much needed impetus to his side’s attack as they chased the game over the final 15 minutes.
It mattered not as the visitors continued to show a palpable lack of guile in the final third that has to be a worry with Europe on the horizon.
Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Hoare; Towell (Watts, 76), Poom; Farrugia (Gannon, 45+1), Byrne (Burt, 64), Kavanagh; Kenny (Burke, 64), Gaffney (Power, 76).
Derry City: Maher; Boyce, Dummigan (Connolly, 66). McEleney, McJannet; Diallo (C. Kavanagh, 75); Graydon (McEneff, 38), O’Reilly, B. Kavanagh, Doherty; McGonigle.
Referee: Rob Hennessy (Clare)
