Shelbourne 0 Derry City 1
Patrick McEleney’s second half goal was the difference at Tolka Park on Friday night as Derry City moved to the summit of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table with a slender victory over Shelbourne.
Following scoreless draws for both sides in the top-flight on Monday evening, it looked set to be another stalemate for long stretches of a largely forgettable contest. Yet when the ball broke into McEleney’s path with 17 minutes remaining, he made no mistake to consign Damien Duff’s Metropolitans to a second successive home defeat.
Clear-cut opportunities were few and far between during the opening quarter, though Jamie McGonigle did find space close to the Shels goal on 21 minutes only for Lewis Webb to comfortably hold his tame effort.
Sean Boyd headed well over from a Conor Kane cross at the opposite end and while Jack Moylan was catching the eye with some surging runs forward, the former Bohemians prodigy was subsequently withdrawn through injury.
The Dubliners had grown into the game, but a diligent Derry defence ensured the deadlock remained unbroken at the interval.
The tempo of play lifted significantly on the resumption with both sets of players recognising that the three points were there for the taking. Derry full-back Daniel Lafferty had a header from a corner blocked before it could reach the target and Shels centre-forward Boyd had a firm strike off a sharp turn deflected just over the Candystripe crossbar.
The visitors looked the more threatening as the action wore on, however, and they were able to call upon Matty Smith off the bench just past the hour mark.
An FAI Cup winner with St Patrick’s Athletic in 2021, Smith played his part as Derry finally opened the scoring in the 73rd minute. After a Ronan Boyce header off the Scottish winger’s enticing left-wing delivery was only parried by Webb, McEleney was on hand to bundle the ball home from close range for his first goal since rejoining the club from Dundalk.
This threw down the gauntlet to Shels but, even though they applied considerable pressure in the dying moments of the proceedings, Derry held firm to take pole position in the Premier Division.
Shelbourne: Webb; O’Driscoll, Byrne, Ledwidge; Wilson, Coyle (Anaebonam, 61 mins), Dervin, Kane; Moylan (McEneff, 44 mins); McManus, Boyd (Farrell, 76 mins).
Derry City: Maher; Boyce (S McEleney 86 mins), Toal, McJannet, Lafferty; Dummigan, Patching; Kavanagh, Thomson (Smith 61 mins), P McEleney (Akintunde 76 mins); McGonigle.
Referee: R Matthews (Westmeath).