Derry turn on style of champions

ONE SMALL step in the National League, one giant step for Derry City - now they are the champions in waiting. Thankfully Bohemians and Derry City put aside their December differences, though it was a surprise that this victory was achieved with such ease.

Proving their undeniable right to the championship, Felix Healy's side were actually able to saunter through the final half-hour with some ease. It had been a calm, clinical and almost classic away performance. They defended well when they had to as ever working like Trojans for each other - and successfully took the sting from the game, plundering two goals. Their win was as clear-cut as it was deserved.

After extending their unbeaten competitive run to 21 games (18 in the league), the Derry players saluted the largest invasion by the Red Army to the capital in some years. Both groups celebrated as if the title is already theirs and with an 11-point buffer over Shelbourne and Bohemians, Derry need only pick up 14 points out of the 21 still available to them.

Accordingly, an empty bottle of champagne was spotted in the visitors' dressing-room. A buoyant Felix Healy, on the verge of managing as well as playing for league-winning Derry sides, tried to keep his emotions in check. But he couldn't.

In what sounded almost like a victory declaration, Healy may have been having a gentle dig at Shelbourne when he said: "We're not a bad side. Everyone else has the best players, but we've the best team.

"We're very much a team without stars but we go out and we play and we're honest. Really good players are guys who perform week-in and week-out, not guys who are brilliant one week and poor the next.

"We've given very few poor performances this season. We got the goals when it mattered and I think we controlled the game from the start to finish. To be fair to Bohemians injuries took their toll."

Bohemians surrendered limply, and Turlough O'Connor was even disappointed at his team's failure to give it a go". In mitigation, as O'Connor added, conditions were not favourable. The unusually dry weather gave Dalymount an advanced look of its customary hard, end-of-season appearance. This was compounded by a blustery wind and a light addidas ball. The club must surely consider either changing the ball they use and/or applying more water to the pitch.

Even the great man himself, Liam Coyle, often required two touches and there was rarely time for that luxury in what was an understandably hurried, tense affair. That said, Derry mastered the conditions much better.

On the flanks, Derry generally out-worked and out-manoeuvred the home side thanks to the impressive Tom Mohan and James Keddy. Liam Coyle's peerless target-play provided an outlet.

Bohemians' distribution from the back four, but especially fullback, was dreadful. The tightness of a congested game also led to many - way too many - hopeful balls over the top. Paul Curran and Gavin Dykes are arguably the best defenders around at dealing with that kind of stuff.

For all that, Bohemians had their chances, most usually via the head of Peter Hanrahan when he advanced from midfield for first-half set-pieces. But, as was indicative of their performance overall, they tended to snatch at them.

O'Connor, in particular, lamented the eighth-minute chance Derek Swan failed to take. He reacted quickest to Declan Boyle's mis-placed pass about 45 yards out, running on before turning inside Dykes only to under-hit his attempted side-footer inside the far post. Tony O'Dowd saved awkwardly.

Mistakes continued to be the likeliest route to goal. Eoin Mullen atoned for his mis-placed 16th-minute pass when completing a sliding, goal-line clearance after Ryan Coyle - deputising adequately for Peter Hutton - set up Keddy.

Tommy Byrne wasn't too far away with a drifting 25th-minute 25-yarder, and Brian Mooney shot over from a Hanrahan flick-on moments later. But Derry were carrying an assured air about them and put together their best move nearing the half-hour.

Keddy instigated it, speeding on to one of many deft lay-offs by Coyle on half-way. Mohan switched play to Boyle on the right and then turned David Fairclough on the bye-line, before his pullback to Ryan Coyle induced a rash foul by Mullen. Tommy Dunne emphatically converted the penalty.

The first goal was always going to be crucial, more so if Derry scored it given their proven ability to defend a lead.

Warren Parkes did connect meatily with a volley when Hanrahan nodded on Donal Broughan's long ball, but directed it straight at O'Dowd, before Swan missed the target with a similar chance.

After 56 minutes, Derry broke swiftly, Keddy teasing James Coll near the bye-line before crossing to Beckett, who teed up Liam Coyle for a bouncing volley which veered away from Henderson into the bottom corner.

Once Parkes hit the post when beating O'Dowd after 62 minutes, after Hanrahan touched on a long ball by Tommy Byrne (Bohemians' best player), the game was pretty much up.

The final half-hour was a Derry party. "Champions" came the cry from the huge Derry contingent.

It's hard to argue with that now.