Soccer

LOI round-up: Dundalk and Cork pick up first wins

Meanwhile, St Pat’s were frustrated by Finn Harps

Dundalk’s Patrick Hoban celebrates scoring from the penalty spot during their Airtricity League win over UCD. Photo: Morgan Treacy/inpho

Mon Feb 25 2019 - 22:09

Dundalk 2 UCD 1

Michael Duffy secured Dundalk their first league win of the season as they came from behind against UCD at Oriel Park on Monday night.

With the game locked at one goal apiece, last year’s PFAI Player of the Year produced a trademark goal to secure Dundalk, and their new head coach, a first league win of the season.

A brisk opening saw chances fall at both ends with Patrick Hoban hammering a close-range effort straight at Conor Kearns before Jason McClelland was denied by Gary Rogers at the other end.

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A similar move led to UCD’s opener in the 29th minute. Farrugia ran onto a Conor Davis pass on the left and buried his effort past Rogers to give Collie O’Neill’s side the lead.

Hoban pulled Dundalk back on level terms eight minutes after the restart. Sean Gannon’s ball in from the right came off the hand of a UCD defender and Hoban sent Kearns the wrong way from the spot.

And Dundalk bagged the winner on the hour mark when Duffy picked up a Chris Shields pass on the left and cut inside, leaving Dan Tobin trailing in his wake, before drilling a low effort under Kearns.

Dundalk: Rogers; Gannon, Cleary, Hoare, Massey; Shields, Flores (McGrath 37); D Kelly (Dummigan 87), Murray (Mountney 61), Duffy, Hoban.

UCD: Kearns; Tobin, Scales, Collins, Dignam; McClelland (McDonald 87), Doyle, O'Neill, Molloy (Farrell 83), Farrugia; Davis (Mahdy 73).

Referee: Tom Connolly.

Sligo Rovers 1 Cork City 2

Cork City picked up their first win of the new season with a hard fought win over Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.

A Sean McLoughlin header and a wonderful Gearoid Morrisey strike from distance saw City lead comfortably.

Kyle Callan-McFadden pulled one back for Sligo on 63 minutes, but a gallant Bit O’Red were unable to pull an equaliser out of the hat.

Without a win in both of their opening games, it was John Caulfield’s men who dictated large portions of this first half.

City’s early pressure told just short of the quarter hour. Dante Leverock deflecting Shane Griffin’s corner only as far as McLoughlin, who volleyed home from 12 yards.

The closest the Bit O’Red came to an equaliser before the break, was when Daryl Fordyce’s opportunistic effort from out wide sailed harmlessly over the Cork goal.

The second half was just four minutes old when Morrisey unleashed an unstoppable drive from 30 yards into the top corner of Ed McGinty’s goal.

Kyle Callan-McFadden halved Cork’s lead on 63 minutes, meeting Jack Keaney’s corner.

Sligo Rovers: Ed McGinty; Kyle Callan-McFadden, Dante Leverock, John Mahon; Lewis Banks, Regan Donelon (Niall Morahan 7); Jack Keaney, Daryl Fordyce (David Cawley 66); Kris Twardek, Liam Kerrigan (Sam Warde 66) ; Romeo Parkes.

Cork City: Mark McNulty; Conor McCarthy, Dan Casey, Sean McLoughlin, Shane Griffin; Conor McCormack, Gearoid Morrisey; Garry Buckley, Daire O'Connor (James Tiley 69), Karl Sheppard; Liam Nash (Dan Smith 69).

Referee: Ben Connolly.

Derry City 3 Waterford 2

Derry City put Friday night’s defeat at Shamrock Rovers behind them by winning a thriller against Waterford at a packed Brandywell.

Having enjoyed a comfortable first half during which they really should have led by more, Derry entered the break 1-0 to the good, thanks to a 13th minute strike from Ciaron Harkin, his first goal for his home town club, having been set up by Michael McCrudden.

Declan Devine’s side grew in confidence following the goal and David Parkhouse and McCrudden really should have added to Derry’s lead.

However, that said, Cherrie had to be on his toes as Bastian Hery set up Aaron Drinan, the Derry keeper pulling off a superb save.

Waterford got back into the game following a penalty award on the hour, Derry’s Darren Cole upending Bastian Hery inside the area and Shane Duggan made no mistake from 12 yards.

Having failed to clear a corner, full back Darren Cole brought Hery crashing down to earth and a well placed referee, Neil Doyle, immediately pointed to the spot. Shane Duggan gleefully tucked the ball home from 12 yards.

But Derry battled back and in the 75th minute, they moved back into the driving seat when a cross from Patrick McClean found the net off the body of Rory Feely and when a powerful drive from Harkin was also diverted home off a defender, the home side had the put to bed.

However, when Waterford sub Corey Galvin hoisted a high ball over the head of Peter Cherrie, who had strayed off his goal-line in the 87th minute, the match was pulled out of the melting pot and a very nervous finish for the home crowd.

In the end, Derry saw out four minutes of additional time, much to the delight of their support.

Derry City: Cherrie; Cole, Toal, Gilchrist, McClean; Ogedi-Uzokwe, Sloggett, Harkin (Bruna, 84), McCrudden (Delap, 70); McNamee; Parkhouse.

Waterford: Connor; Lynch (Poynton, 31), Delaney, Brown, Feely; Elbouzedi, Duggan, JJ. Luney, Hery; S. Twine (Galvin, 57), Drinan (Akinade, 61).

Referee: Neil Doyle (Dubin).

St Patrick’s Athletic 0 Finn Harps 0

Newly promoted Finn Harps frustrated St Pat’s at Richmond Park to earn their second big point in four days.

In a poor spectacle of a game on a cool night by the Camac, the home side struggled to break down Ollie Horgan’s visitors whose dogged defence saw them deserving of a draw.

Though enjoying plenty of the ball from the start, St Pat’s struggled to create much in a frustrating first half for the Inchicore side.

St Pat’s upped the tempo from the restart with Mikey Drennan turning to fire a shot narrowly wide.

Despite Brandon Miele and Chris Forrester being introduced to try to liven up St Pat’s attack, chances remained at a premium.

A clever Conor Clifford ball found the run of Drennan down the inside right channel on 72 minutes.

His shot found the side-netting to just about sum up their night.

Harps might have snatched it in stoppage time, but Daniel O’Reilly’s powerful head from a Caolan McAleer corner was straight at Brendan Clarke in the home goal.

St Patrick's Athletic: B. Clarke; Webster, Toner, Desmond; Madden, McCabe (Forrester, 70), Clifford, Lennon, Kelly (Doona, 82); Shaw (Miele, 60), Drennan.

Finn Harps: Burke; Borg, Todd, Cowan, O'Reilly; Kavanagh, McGinley (McAleer, 79), Harkin, Coyle; Boyle (Cretaro, 67), Boyd (Place, 85).

Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).