Coyle weaves his northern magic

Shamrock Rovers ... 0 Derry City ... 1: It may not have been the classic we all hoped for, but the 11,000 or so who showed up for yesterday's FAI Cup final at Tolka park got all that you would have expected from two teams whose fierce competitiveness had carried them into the game on the back of long unbeaten runs. Emmet Malone reports from Tolka Park

As is so often the case when Derry run out winners, the outcome was decided by a moment of magic from Liam Coyle, but Rovers, on balance, could have few complaints about their defeat. For spells, they enjoyed much the better of what was a fast moving and, at times, exciting encounter.

Rarely, though, did they threaten to really take a hold of a game which Liam Buckley admitted afterwards had simply passed a few of his men by.

City, on the other hand, were simply irrepressible on the day. In almost every area of the field, it seemed, Kevin Mahon had been forced to gamble and everywhere he had he was rewarded for his faith.

Peter Hutton, straight back in after a six-week lay-off, was asked to look after James Keddy on the right side of midfield and almost effortlessly, it seemed, he slipped the 29-year-old winger into his back pocket.

Behind him at right back, Joe Harkin cruised through what was only his second game since returning from a two-year spell on the sidelines and Tommy McCallion's appearance in the second half, his first of the season, also went well.

Rovers could ill afford Keddy to be marked out of the proceedings for their central defensive partnership made little impact on the proceedings - Eamon Doherty's performance there earned him the man of the match award - and Stephen Grant's presence on the right meant that they were missing the pace going forward that Shane Robinson might have provided.

Within a minute of the kick-off, young Noel Hunt had shown he could unsettle the City defence if given the chance, but neither he nor Tony Grant received the service or support they would have been hoping for and only late on did Alan Gough's goal come under any sort of sustained pressure.

Just over an hour in, Keddy should have pulled his side level, but the winger headed his team's best chance of the game wide from a few yards.

The squandered chance aside, there were only glimpses of the sort of incisive attacking play that Rovers have shown themselves capable of in recent weeks.

Only once was Tony Grant given the chance to show the speed with which he could latch on to a decent ball through the City defence and on that occasion there was little support for the striker as he weighed up his options before shooting.

City, meanwhile, posed more of a threat to the Dublin side's defence with Seán Friars - before injury forced him off - giving Greg Costello a difficult afternoon, Ciarán Martyn getting forward well from central midfield and David Kelly linking things up nicely from the front.

Martyn might have opened the scoring three minutes into the second period when Richie Byrne headed Friars' corner in his direction and the former UCD player suddenly found himself in space on the edge of the Rovers area.

His swiped shot, though, bounced towards Coyle whose finish, on the turn and at full stretch, made for the sort of goal that would do any cup final proud.

Rovers were a little slow to react, but Derek Tracey's arrival added a little more bite to their midfield.

As the clock ticked away and his men continued to struggle to break their opponents down Buckley had little option but to throw more bodies forward.

When the referee's assistant indicated that there would be five minutes of added-time, the dismay on the Derry bench was all too obvious but still Mahon's men held on.

Gough's swift recovery after stopping a Robinson shot thwarted their best chance in injury-time as the former Shelbourne keeper gathered the loose ball just before Tracey could score on the follow up.

They battled bravely on, but it wasn't quite enough. This was City's day, a fact their supporters had seemed certain of long before the final whistle.

Rovers, once undisputed kings of the cup, were left to wonder when theirs will ever come around again.

DERRY CITY: Gough; Harkin, McLaughlin, E McCallion, Hargan; Hutton, Martyn, Doherty, Friars (McCready, 67 mins); Kelly, Coyle (T McCallion, 58).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Costello, Scully, Palmer, Byrne (Robinson 70); S Grant (Francis, 83), Dimech, Colwell (Tracey, 70), Keddy; T Grant, Hunt.

Referee: J O'Neill (Waterford).