Airtricity Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic 1 Derry City 0
After 18 years in the wilderness, Shelbourne are on the cusp of capturing a League of Ireland title.
It could happen on Sunday, it should happen next Friday, unless Shamrock Rovers edge past Damien Duff’s side at the finish line.
St Patrick’s Athletic, meanwhile, under the wily guidance of Stephen Kenny, slide into second place in the Premier Division off an eight-game winning streak.
Brandon Kavanagh bagged the only goal in front of 4,998 at Richmond Park to reinforce exactly why Derry City’s double dream fell apart; securing 22 points from a possible 54 in 18 away games does not deserve to top any pile.
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Derry have an FAI Cup final to win against Drogheda United at the Aviva Stadium on November 10th and Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men can still impact the title race, by gifting the title to Rovers if they beat Shels at the Brandywell next week.
Kavanagh’s goal on the stroke of half-time left St Pat’s four points adrift of Shelbourne after Sean Boyd put the leaders 1-0 up against Drogheda United at Tolka Park.
If Rovers stumble tomorrow, it is possible that Stephen Bradley’s five-in-a-row chasing champions could miss out on European football in 2025. Imagine.
Or Rovers will keep hold of the title by mopping the floor with Dundalk and Waterford next Friday, if Shels lose in Derry.
That about sums up the League in 2024. Nothing is certain.
[ Drogheda put it up to Shelbourne but Duff’s men prevailOpens in new window ]
Such were the stakes, the Inchicore venue produced a niggly affair. Referee Rob Hennessy let a heap of fouls pass without caution until flashing yellow cards at Derry trio Duncan Idehen, Ronan Boyce and Sadou Diallo.
Kian Leavy tended to be the victim, punished for some weaving, diagonal runs. Jamie Lennon took revenge for his young playmaker by swallowing a yellow after horsing into Will Patching.
No quarter was given but it made sense that Boyce was replaced by Colm Whelan at the break; the defender was on track to being sent-off and Derry were in desperate need of an equaliser.
The “dashing wing play” Stephen Kenny mentioned in his programme notes, while adding that Zach Elbouzedi and Jake Mulraney were injured, did not prove strictly true as an hour before kick-off Elbouzedi was named in the team.
What the occasion was missing were natural born strikers as Patrick Hoban, who leads the league with 14 goals, and teenage sensation Mason Melia were not fit enough to feature.
Big Joe Redmond had Hoban’s replacement Danny Mullen under his thumb, until he didn’t.
Derry appeared to have scored the opening goal on 38 minutes when Mullen dropped deep to send Adam O’Reilly scurrying around Joe Anang, but Redmond recovered to clear off the line.
Patching and Boyce mustered half-chances before St Pat’s scored against the run of play. Kavanagh’s initial right foot shot was blocked by Derry goalkeeper Brian Maher, but he loitered inside the box where a second ball came his way. So he buried it with the left.
Higgins went for broke, especially as news filtered through from Tolka that Rayhaan Tulloch had made it 2-0 for Shelbourne just as Whelan smashed a shot off the crossbar.
Patrick McEleney entered the fray, carving St Pat’s open and forcing Anang to make a sensational stop from Michael Duffy’s snap shot.
Hope remained for both teams when Bridel Bosakani pulled one back for Drogheda but, on this night, Derry finally lost control of their destiny.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Anang; McLaughlin, Redmond, Grivosti (Turner 89 mins), Breslin; Lennon; Kavanagh (Kazeem 73), Forrester; Elbouzedi (Palmer 61), Keena, Leavy.
DERRY CITY: Maher; Boyce (Whelan 46 mins), S McEleney, Idehen, Wisdom (Davenport 84); McMullen, Diallo P McEleney 60), Patching (Robertson 72), O’Reilly, Duffy; Mullen.
Referee: R Hennessy.
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