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Dundalk 1 Waterford 0
Dundalk had to dig deep at Oriel Park on Friday, a 94th-minute own goal finally breaking Waterford down and helping the Lilywhites close the gap on Cork City at the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division to a point after the champions were held to a draw by Limerick.
With the game deep in stoppage time, it looked like Stephen Kenny’s side were on course for their fourth scoreless draw in just six games.
However, that all changed when Michael Duffy’s vicious cross from the left ended up in Lawrence Vigouroux’s net, the last touch appearing to come off Garry Comerford.
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It was a goal greeted by a combination of euphoria and relief, the three points moving Dundalk ahead of the Blues into second place.
Dundalk had the better of the chances and were kept at bay by Vigouroux, the Chilean goalkeeper denying Karolis Chevedukas and Dane Massey in the first half.
Massey squandered a gilt-edged opening when he ballooned over the top in the second period and Patrick Hoban had a goal ruled out for offside as Dundalk pushed for a breakthrough.
The visitors defended well and they almost drew first blood when substitute John Martin held off Seán Hoare to bear down on goal but Gary Rogers stood tall to mark his 500th League of Ireland appearance with a sixth successive clean sheet.
It looked like that would be the only positive for Dundalk on the night but they kept going to win it right at the death.
DUNDALK: Rogers; Gannon, Cleary, Hoare, Massey; Shields (O'Donnell, 84 mins), Chvedukas (Murray, 71 mins);McGrath (Tagbajumi, 79 mins), Benson, Duffy; Hoban.
WATERFORD: Vigouroux; Kavanagh, Browne, Webster, Barnett; Daly (Martin, 66 mins), Aborah (Keegan, 76 mins), Holohan, Comerford, Puri; O'Halloran.
Referee: Rob Harvey.
Attendance: 2,215.
Limerick FC 1 Cork City 1
In advance few gave Limerick much of a chance against champions and current leaders Cork City but the home side were good value for their point at the market’s Field on Friday night.
Cork dominated the game and almost snatched a stoppage-time winner but Karl Sheppard’s low free from 20 yards was blocked by Limerick goalkeeper Brendan Clarke.
Limerick’s Dennehy brothers, Billy and Darren, were involved in both goals.
Billy’s powerful shot gave Limerick the lead but Darren was penalised for a foul on Kieran Sadlier, who scored from the spot.
Limerick had a chance of an early lead when left back Billy Dennehy fired in a cross which Danny Morrissey headed back to Shane Duggan who was just off target.
Cork’s first major chance came after 17 minutes when Sheppard set up Sadlier, who shot over. The home support had the opportunity to air their lungs when Billy Dennehy raced through the middle of the Cork defence and shot low past Mark McNulty from 20 yards after 19 minutes. That lead that lasted until the 36th minute when his brother Darren fouled Sadlier who stepped up to make it 1-1 when he sent Clarke the wrong way with his penalty.
Cork were on top for the remainder of the half and Sheppard, Seán McNamee, twice, and Sadlier all fluffed opportunities while Morrissey forced a superb finger tip save by Clarke.
Darren Dennehy should have scored on the hour at the back post but he shot over. As Limerick kept up the pressure McNulty made a good save from Shaun Kelly who was shown a yellow card seconds later for a foul on Morrissey.
Chances continued to be created at both ends with Cork’s Seán Griffin firing straight at Clarke from distance after 65 minutes.
Morrissey had a chance for Limerick after 66 minutes and in stoppage time Sadlier’s free was superbly saved by Clarke.
LIMERICK FC: Clarke, Kelly, B Dennehy, Whitehead, Cantwell, Coleman, Duggan, D Dennehy, Kearns(Fitzgerald, h/t), Ellis, Morrissey (O'Sullivan, 67 mins)
CORK CITY: McNulty, McCarthy, Barry. McLoughlin, Griffin, Morrissey,McCormack (Howard, 81 mins) Sheppard, McNamee (Keohane, 72 mins), Sadlier, Cummins.
Referee: N Doyle (Dublin).
Shamrock Rovers 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 0
A 77th-minute own goal by Kevin Toner helped Shamrock Rovers to claim all three points at the expense of St Patrick’s Athletic in a tense Premier Division clash at Tallaght Stadium.
Both sides looked set for a share of the spoils, until Toner inadvertently sliced an Ethan Boyle cross past Pat’s netminder Barry Murphy. This ensures that Rovers hold onto fourth place in the top-flight table, with results elsewhere seeing their opponents dropping down to seventh.
Whereas Liam Buckley kept faith with the Pat’s side that played out a scoreless draw with Dundalk last Monday, a 1-0 defeat to champions Cork City prompted wholesale changes from Rovers boss Stephen Bradley.
A fit-again Greg Bolger anchored the home team’s midfield and he kept a close eye on Darragh Markey for much of the opening half.
Chances were few and far between in the early stages of the contest, before Rovers goalkeeper Tomer Chencinski clawed away Owen Garvan’s audacious free-kick from a tight-angle.
Trevor Clarke was getting forward at will for the hosts, and his inch-perfect delivery on the stroke of 20 minutes was headed past the post by the unmarked Brandon Miele.
A subsequent shot by Graham Burke forced a low save from the ever-reliable Murphy. Yet, following a comfortable Chencinski stop from a close-range Conan Byrne effort, the sides remained inseparable at the break.
As he looked to increase the tempo of his attack after the break, Buckley introduced Ian Turner for the ineffectual Byrne on the right wing.
Gary Shaw was thrown into mix by Rovers as the final-quarter beckoned – in a direct swap with the industrious Daniel Carr. Burke had seen an earlier strike float just over the left-hand upright and Seán Kavanagh was also off-target after Boyle picked him out inside the Pat’s box.
Despite being on the front-foot for much of the second period, Rovers were still searching for an elusive breakthrough goal. However, with just 12 minutes of normal time remaining, Murphy was finally beaten in cruel circumstances.
From a Boyle cross on the right, Toner diverted the ball into his own net. This suddenly moved Rovers into the ascendancy with the finishing line in sight and placed Pat’s on the brink of a third league defeat in 2018.
They applied significant pressure on the Rovers goal in the closing stages, but ultimately couldn’t find a way through a disciplined home rearguard.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Chencinski; Boyle, Grace, Lopes, Clarke; Bolger, Miele (Coustrain, 78 mins), Finn, Burke (Byrne, 88 mins), Kavanagh; Carr (Shaw, 66 mins).
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Murphy; Madden, Desmond, Toner, Bermingham; Brennan, Garvan; Byrne (Turner, 54 mins), Markey (Keegan, 84 mins), Clarke (Doona, 84 mins); Fagan.
Referee: D Tomney (Dublin).
Bohemians 2 Sligo Rovers 2
Adam Morgan scored his fourth goal of the season as Sligo Rovers twice came from behind to earn a battling point against Bohemians at Dalymount Park.
Though it ended a run of three defeats for Bohemians, Keith Long’s side remain second bottom of the table ahead of Monday’s trip to champions Cork City.
After a dour opening, the game sparked to life courtesy of a sublime lead goal from Bohemians’ Eoghan Stokes on 28 minutes.
Oscar Brennan swept a pass out right for the run of the striker who worked the ball onto his left foot before curling a majestic shot to the far top corner.
But negligent defending from a corner gifted Sligo a soft equaliser seven minutes later.
Rhys McCabe floated an innocuous looking delivery to the near post from where David Cawley scored with a downward header.
Starting the second half well, Bohs regained the lead on the hour.
Karl Moore’s corner was flicked on to the back post for Ian Morris to score with a diving header.
Once again, though, Bohs didn’t deal with a set-piece as Sligo equalised within two minutes.
McCabe’s free kick on the right was only partially cleared and Morgan found the net with a crisply struck left-foot volley.
BOHEMIANS: Supple; Pender, Cornwall, Casey, Leahy; Morris (Corcoran, 78 mins); Kavanagh, Buckley, Brennan, Moore; Stokes (Ward, 80 mins).
SLIGO ROVERS: Schlingermann; Boylan, Callan-McFadden, Sharkey, Waters; McAleer, Cawley, Roddan (Moorhouse, 86 mins), McCabe, Roy (Wixted, 67 mins); Morgan (Morrison, 90+1 mins).
Referee: Ray Matthews (Longford).
Derry City 5 Bray Wanderers 1
Derry City appear to be well over their 6-1 drubbing by Shamrock Rovers after recording their second 5-0 win over the space of five days in their refurbished Brandywell home.
However, the win was not confirmed until the hour mark and, indeed, following the 55th-minute dismissal of midfielder Nicky Low.
The diminutive Scot was shown a red card for a last-man challenge of Aaron Greene and that decision spurred the Candystripes into immediate action despite their numerical inferiority.
Derry did manage to break the deadlock in the 15th minute, but failed to add to that strike despite dominating the ball throughout the opening half.
Low gained possession on the edge of the area and his shot was deflected off the body of Rory Patterson, giving Bray goalkeeper Aaron Dillon no chance.
Two minutes later Derry should have doubled their lead. Dillon did well to parry a Ronan Curtis but Monday night’s hat-trick hero, drove the rebound wide of the target from close range.
As Derry huffed and puffed in the front line, Dillon certainly earned his wages, pulling off top-drawer stops to deny Derry’s Aaron McEneff and Curtis.
Following the change of ends, Bray upped the tempo and while Dillon continued to be heavily involved in the action, the home lot were stunned when Low was sent off in the 55th minute.
A determined Derry battled back immediately and the 10 men netted that vital second goal four minutes after Low’s departure.
Full back Conor McDermott lofted the ball forward and when Curtis won the race for possession, his accurate chip over Dillon’s head saw the ball bounce into the Bray net.
Derry then ended the game as a contest in the 63rd minute when awarded a penalty after substitute Ben Doherty was upended by Bray skipper Hugh Douglas. McEneff produced a cheeky chip down the middle to send another big Brandywell crowd home happy.
Ronan Hale made it 4-0 with a superb goal on the counter-attack in the 77th minute, while sub David Hopkirk made it a second 5-0 win with it first touch have entered the fray in the 86th minute before Ronan Coughlan grabbed a late consolation for Bray .
DERRY CITY: Doherty; McDermott, Cole, Toal, Doyle; Ronan Hale, Low, Rory Hale (Hopkirk, 86 mins), Curtis; McEneff); Patterson (Doherty, 60 mins).
BRAY WANDERERS: Dillon; McKenna, Douglas, Heaney, Lynch; Coughlan (D. Kelly, 76 mins), O'Connor, Sullivan, Galvin (J Kelly, 71 mins); Noone, Greene (Pender, 86 mins).
Referee: D MacGraith (Mayo)
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