McDaid keeps Derry's hopes alive

Derry City 1 Shelbourne 1: SHELBOURNE WERE clearly the happier having held Derry City at the Brandywell in this FAI Cup semi-final yesterday afternoon, the pendulum having now swung in favour of the Tolka Park side for Wednesday night's replay.

With both managers agreeing that a draw was probably a fair result in the end, Brandywell boss, Declan Devine, was bitterly disappointed by the goal his side conceded during the early stages.

For Alan Mathews, it was all about remaining in the FAI Cup and he appeared happy to leaving the Foyleside venue to prepare to host the replay.

But with Derry having fielded their strongest side of the season having gambled with the fitness of a number players, it was clear that some of the gambles actually failed to pay off.

Indeed, the inclusion of Rory Patterson proved to be a major surprise, the striker out for the past 18 weeks with a torn hamstring while Barry Molloy and Stephen McLaughlin both passed pre-match tests. Gambles, therefore, had been taken but it was Shelbourne who stunned the Brandywell crowd after just five minutes.

With the visitors having started brightly, a deflected pass found its way into the path of David Cassidy on the left wing and the Shelbourne captain found himself with only the goalkeeper Gerard Doherty to beat and he finished with aplomb.

And while Derry attempted to step up a gear, efforts from Patterson, Stewart Greacen and Kevin Deery all failed to trouble Shelbourne goalkeeper Chris Bennion as the visitors held their slender lead at the break.

Following the change of ends the home side actually had the ball into the net in the 48th minute when Greacen appeared to have forced the ball over the line but referee Damien Hancock ruled the effort out for a foul on Bennion.

But Derry continued to push and got their reward in the 57th minute. Left back, Dermot McCaffrey floated a high ball over the Shelbourne defence and the alert David McDaid raced through unmarked to get his head to the ball and force it home off the upright.

DERRY CITY: Doherty; Madden, Greacen, S McEleney, McCaffrey; P McEleney, Deery, Molloy, McLaughlin (Farren 84); McDaid (Brolly 93), Patterson (McNamee 70).

SHELBOURNE: Bennion; Ryan (Shortall 95), Paisley, Boyle, S Byrne; Kavanagh, Cronin, Dawson, Cassidy (C Byrne, 77); P Byrne, Hughes (Gorman 61).

Referee:D Hancock (Dublin).