Derry’s Rory Patterson breaks Longford hearts with late brace

Longford Town 2 Derry City 3

Rory Patterson broke Longford Town hearts with a late, quick-fire brace as Derry City twice came from behind to win a five-goal thriller at City Calling Stadium.

Victory moves Derry up to third place in the Premier Division table and within touching distance of securing a Europa League place next season next while Longford remain six points adrift at the foot of the table.

Longford had the ideal start with the lead goal in their first purposeful attack of the game on 12 minutes.

Don Cowan had too much guile for Ben Doherty on the right to put over a low cross for David O'Sullivan to turn the ball past Derry goalkeeper Ger Doherty from close range.

Both sides had chances in an open game before Derry equalised on 38 minutes.

A Ronan Curtis cross was merely deflected by defender Pat Flynn into the path of Barry McNamee who fired low to the net.

O’Sullivan should have restored Longford’s lead within two minutes, but Doherty did well to save with his feet in a one-on-one situation.

Though Derry dominated from the resumption, Longford regained the lead from a 63rd-minute penalty.

Derry’s Danish defender Niclas Vemmelund tripped Kaleem Simon inside the area and O’Sullivan sent Doherty the wrong way from the spot.

But Derry turned the game on its head inside a two-minute spell late on.

Patterson levelled on 76 minutes following a goalmouth scramble before he latched onto substitute Josh Daniels’s through ball to drill home the winner.

LONGFORD TOWN: Coulter; J. Mulhall (Haverty, 86 mins), Flynn, Mvita, Powell; McGlynn (Dillon, 82 mins), O'Connor, Gannon, Simon; Cowan, O'Sullivan.

DERRY CITY: G Doherty; Vemmelund, Castells, Jarvis; Monaghan, McCormack (Boyle, 69 mins), McEneff, McNamee (Ward, 89 mins), B Doherty (Daniels, 69 mins); Patterson; Curtis.

Referee: Seán Grant (Wexford)