SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
Waterford 0 Derry City 2
WILL Patching and Pat Hoban scored as Derry City won successive games for the first time this season with victory over Waterford at the RSC.
Off the pitch, the club has been in the news for the wrong reasons this week, but on the pitch Ruaidhri Higgins’ players have answered their critics, with two big wins to keep them right in the hunt at the top of the Premier Division.
After Monday’s win over St Patrick’s Athletic at the Brandywell, City went to Waterford confident, and they were well deserving of a win against a poor opponent.
Derry City had a real chance to take the lead on 20 minutes when Hoban’s cross into the area picked out Paul McMullan, who flicked it back into the path of the in-form Danny Mullen, but the striker miscued, side-footing his volley well off target.
The visitors took the lead 10 minutes before half-time when they caught Waterford out with a swift counter-attack with Hoban aiming the ball towards substitute Daniel Kelly, who shaped to put the ball into the net until he was bundled over from behind by Robbie McCourt. Referee Alan Patchell pointed to the penalty spot and Patching stepped up to score his third goal of the season.
It was so nearly 2-0 within minutes when City won a free kick 30 yards from goal and Patching’s delivery was headed into the net by Hoban, but he was denied his ninth goal of the season by an offside flag.
Kelly should have doubled City’s lead early in the second half, but he could only direct his close-range header at Sam Sargeant when it seemed easier to score.
As the half went on with no sign of Derry adding to their lead, Waterford grew in confidence, and they had a chance to equalise when McCormack’s corner was headed outside the area to Rowan McDonald, but he shot wildly over.
The second goal eventually arrived on 74 minutes when Kelly did brilliantly to break onto the area, and beat two mean before his shot was parried by Sargeant, but only into the path of Hoban, who smashed the rebound into the roof of the net for his ninth goal of the season.
Waterford should have pulled a goal back as the game entered the final 10 minutes when the ball broke to Padraig Amond at the back post, but his shot crashed back off the underside of the crossbar when it seemed certain he would score.
A goal then would have set up an interesting finale, but it wasn’t to be for a Waterford side who are sliding into trouble towards the foot of the table.
Derry, meanwhile, move second on 22 points, three behind Shelbourne, who beat St Patrick’s Athletic 1-0.
Shamrock Rovers needed an 84th-minute equaliser to salvage a draw at home to Galway and drop to third, two points behind Derry.
Drogheda came from behind to beat Sligo Rovers 3-1, while Dundalk finally got their first win of the campaign, a 2-0 win over Bohemians giving Noel King a winning start as manager.
Waterford Sargeant, Power, Horton, McDonald, McCormack (Pattison 75′), Amond, Parsons, Asamoah (Evans 63′), Leahy, McCourt (Radkowvski 6′), MacAdam (McMenamy 88′).
Derry City Maher, Boyce, Coll, Connolly, McJannet, Doherty (Kelly 35′), Patching, McMullan (Harkin 90′), O’Reilly, Mullen (Duffy 75′), Hoban.
Referee Alan Patchell
