A Will Patching brace at Oriel Park on Friday evening helped Derry City claim a big win over Dundalk.
Louth hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for The Candystripes in recent years, with just two wins from their previous ten visits to the Wee County and their neighbours Drogheda United.
However, two goals from Patching either side of another from Ben Doherty saw them make the trip home with the three points for just the second time in the last decade to keep the Ruaidhri Higgins’ side in the hunt for their third ever league title.
While they remain seven points adrift of table-toppers Shamrock Rovers, they can close that gap to four if they beat bottom of the table UCD in their game in hand on Wednesday night at the UCD Bowl in Dublin.
Derry had to ride their luck at times, however, to claim the win with Brian Maher making a number of top-class saves in either half to deny Stephen O’Donnell’s side, who also struck the woodwork on a couple of occasions.
The home side had more than double the amount of attempts of their opponents throughout but their defensive woes – this was the 19th time in 29 league games they have fallen behind – means their hopes of European football next season might solely rely on their progression in the FAI Cup.
The home side forced a number of fine saves from Maher throughout the half. The first came on 10 minutes when Archie Davies’ ball in from the right was stepped over by Daryl Horgan. This allowed full debutant Sam Durrant to come onto the ball but despite taking a touch to steady himself he could only fire straight at the keeper.
Four minutes later, Derry had their first opening as Paul McMullan fired agonisingly wide after getting in behind Hayden Muller from Danny Mullen’s flick on from Maher’s kick-out.
The Republic of Ireland U21 international was then called into action again on 23 minutes when he brilliantly pushed away Horgan’s thunderous half volley from the edge of the area.
Mullen then passed up a golden chance to break the deadlock on 31 minutes when he fired well over on the turn from McMullan’s cutback.
Dundalk then had a sustained spell of pressure, winning three corners in-a-row after Johannes Yli-Kokko’s shot had looped over off Shane McEleney.
From one of these Maher was called into action again to turn Muller’s header around the post with Hoban heading onto the roof of the net when picked out unmarked at the back post from the last of the three.
After so much Dundalk pressure, it was the visitors who hit the front on 42 minutes with their first effort on target.
Following the break from midfield, Patching collected the ball back from McMullan inside the box before swivelling to turn the ball into the bottom left hand corner.
The Candystripes should have made it 2-0 two minutes later when McMullan’s ball across the box picked out the inrushing Doherty but he blazed wide.
The former Glenavon man would make up for that miss within 71 seconds of the restart when he fired home the rebound for his fifth goal of the season after Patching had been denied by Nathan Shepperd.
Dundalk did go close to a reply on 52 minutes when Daniel Kelly’s cross from the right picked out Hoban, who looked destined to score only to see his header come back off the post.
Yli-Kokko then went close twice in quick succession around the hour mark, firstly having a header pushed away by Maher before cracking the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the box, with Hoban’s follow up blocked on the line.
After Doherty had fired over at the other end, Hoban had another header off the line with Shane McEleney back to deny him on 66 minutes.
After Maher had kept out a sliced clearance from McEleney, Patching made sure of the win on 77 minutes when he sent Shepperd the wrong way from the penalty spot having been fouled by Kelly moments earlier.
Maher kept up his heroics with another big save late on from Robbie McCourt but he was denied the clean sheet his efforts deserved when Hoban slotted home a 96th minute penalty after Kelly had been bundled over in the box.
Dundalk: Nathan Shepperd; Archie Davies, Darren Brownlie (Robbie McCourt 61), Darragh Leahy, Hayden Muller; Johannes Yli-Kokko (Alfie Lewis 70), Daryl Horgan, Connor Malley (Paul Doyle 61); Daniel Kelly, Patrick Hoban, Sam Durrant.
Derry City: Brian Maher; Ciaran Coll, Shane McEleney, Sam Todd (Jordan McEneff 74), Cameron McJannet; Adam O’Reilly, Patrick McEleney (Brandon Kavanagh 81); Paul McMullan, Will Patching, Ben Doherty, Danny Mullen (Jamie McGonigle 64).
Referee: Damien MacGraith (Mayo)
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