Derry City 2 Galway United 1
Derry City boss, Kenny Shiels, was delighted to enter the mid-season break in third spot having defeated Galway United at Maginn Park.
And while the home side had to work particularly hard to extend their unbeaten run to 10 games, the Derry boss will not have any complaints.
Two goals in the space of eight first half minutes put Derry into the driving seat.
Ronan Curtis settled the home side down after just five minutes when breaking the deadlock with a superb free-kick and three minutes later the home side had doubled their lead.
Dean Jarvis lofted the ball forward and when Barry McNamee flicked the ball into the danger area, Nathan Boyle was on hand to glance the ball home.
Galway, however, refused to be rattled and they had battled their way back into the match by the 25th minute.
Vinny Faherty flicked the ball in between two Derry defenders and while Gary Shanahan appeared to slip at the vital moment, he had enough purchase on the ball to defeat Ger Doherty.
That goal brought the visitors back into the game and Ronan Murray did well to force Doherty into a save from a free-kick in the 35th minute.
After the break both sides had chances, Curtis driving the ball over the crossbar from close quarters while, at the other end, Faherty had a shot crash off the crossbar on the hour.
Derry had two superb chances in as many minutes to put the game to bed.
In 78th minute Curtis did well to cross from the left, Boyle headed the ball goalwards with Galway’s Lee Grace cleared the ball off his line.
A minute later Boyle was played in by Jarvis but his effort rebounded off the post.
Derry City: G. Doherty; Monaghan, McDermott, Barry Jarvis; Daniels, McEneff, Holden, Curtis; McNamee; Boyle (B. Doherty, 87)
Galway United: Winn; Horgan, Folan, Grace; Shanahan, Holohan, Cawley, Ludden; Murray, Faherty (Cunningham, 82), Devaney (Melody, 87).
Referee : R. Harvey (Dublin)
Bohemians 0 Drogheda United 0
Drogheda United drew a blank in front of goal for the fifth match on the spin as they frustrated Bohemians at Dalymount Park.
With two of the lowest scoring side in the league coming face to face it was never going to be a thriller as Pete Mahon’s visitors dug out a third successive scoreless draw.
A dour first half was finally brought to life on 20 minutes by Drogheda’s Adam Wixted.
The winger raced away on the counter to play Marc Griffin in on goal and he brought a save from Shane Supple.
Wixted provided another moment of quality as he turned smartly to work Supple again with a crisp shot from a 33rd minute corner.
Another corner caused Bohs problems in first half stoppage time as skipper Derek Pender headed Jake Hyland’s hooked shot off the line.
After the break Bohemians’ Fuad Sule, Keith Ward and Dinny Corcoran all had chances before the hour mark as the home side looked to break the deadlock.
Drogheda hung on though, with Colm Deasy heading off the line from Corcoran in added time before substitute Philly Gannon had ad shot blocked.
Bohemians: Supple; Pender, Cornwall, Byrne, Morris; Poynton, Sule, Brennan (Gannon, 71), Fitzgerald (Simon, 81); Ward; Corcoran.
Drogheda United: McGuinness; Deasy, Gallagher, McGuigan, Dunne; Wixted, Hyland (Masterson, 68), S. Brennan, McEvoy, G. Brennan; Griffin (Byrne, 78).
Referee: Lee Evans (Wales).
Limerick 5 Bray Wanderers 3
Limerick’s new manager, Neil McDonald, saw his charges score twice late on to deny Bray in a hugely entertaing affair at the Markets Field, watched by 1,174.
Limerick began and finished in style in a game which produced five goals inside the opening 35 minutes.
Chiedozie Ogbene cracked in the first after thirteen minutes and he made it two five minutes later.
Within a minute Ryan Brennan had the visitors back in contention and it was all square after 29 minutes when Aaron Greene headed past Hall.
Limerick got back in front when Rodrigo Tosi headed in from a Dean Clarke ball.
Both goalkeepers made good saves but it was all square again when Gary McCabe slotted home a penalty after Brennan was taken down.
Dylan Connolly had a great chance to win it for Bray and Brennan had a shot saved before Limerick grabbed their two late goals, the first a super strike by Batien Hery after 87 minutes and the second from Clarke two minutes later.
Limerick FC: Hall(B Clarke ht) Kelly (D Clarke 32), Williams, D O'Connor, P O'Conor, Lynch, Tosi, Whitehead, Robson (Tracy 50), Ogbene, Hery.
Bray Wanderers: Cherrie, Clancy, Kenna, Lynch, Buckley, McCabe, Noone, Brennan, Salmon, Connolly, Greene.
Referee: A Buttimer
Sligo Rovers 0 Finn Harps 0
There was no separating north west rivals Sligo Rovers and Finn Harps in a tense derby lacking creativity at the Showgrounds on Friday night.
With the stakes high for both tteams, an even first half featured only two shots off target.
Raffaele Cretaro went closest in the 38th minute, spinning his marker on the edge of the box before dipping a left-foot effort off the top of the crossbar.
Jonny Bonner came on for Paddy McCourt shortly after the hour-mark, and he forced Micheál Schlingermann into a save with his first touch, but neither side looked like getting a winner.
Sligo: Schlingermann, Adebayo-Rowling, Callan-McFadden, Leahy, Donelon, Boylan, Russell, Ayunga, Sadlier, Cretaro (Kenny 89), Place (Roddan 71).
Finn Harps: Gallagher, McNulty, Cantwell, Mailey, Coll, McAleer (Funston 90), Boyle, McCourt (Bonner 63), Houston, O'Connor, Dsane.
Referee: R Rogers.
