All Rover for Derry
Airtricity Premier Division: Shamrock Rovers 1 Derry City 0
By Daire Walsh
Derry City’s hopes of being crowned Airtricity Premier Division champions suffered a major set-back in the Tallaght Stadium last night, as a 50th minute Rohan Ricketts goal gave Michael O’Neill’s side all three points from a pulsating encounter.
Speaking after the game Derry boss Stephen Kenny revealed that central defender Stuart Greacen was disappointed with the part that he had played in Ricketts’ winner, but the former Bohemians manager had plenty of words of comfort for Greacen for the way he has played this season.
“It was just a ball over the top. To be fair to Stuart Greacen, I think that’s his first mistake this season. He’s disappointed with himself over the goal,” said Kenny.
“He’ll be disappointed, but over the season he has been very good. He just obviously hasn’t seen Ricketts, and Ricketts has nipped in the blind side and
knocked it over Gerard (Doherty).”
Doherty had been pressed into action after just three minutes of last night’s contest he was alert to top over a superbly delivered corner by Ricketts.
Derry clawed their way back into the match and even though the lively Gareth McGlynn had to be replaced by a scrum cap-clad Mark Farren 35 minutes in, they were continuing to cause the Rovers back-four plenty of difficulty.
Eamon Zayed was desperately unlucky to see his header from a Daniel Lafferty delivery coming back off the post with eight first-half minutes remaining.
“Eamon Zayed’s effort, I must admit, I though it was a goal,” said Kenny afterwards.
“I don’t know how it stayed out. It was a great move and it was unfortunate. Very, very unlucky
that was. I think we did well. Up to half-time we were doing well. Obviously Gareth McGlynn’s injury hurt us. He pulled up with his calf. We don’t really have an orthodox right-sided player. We don’t really have another one. We had to change it slightly.”
Luck certainly wasn’t going Derry’s way, and the champions took full advantage five minutes after the re-start, as former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ricketts took advantage of some hesitancy in the Derry rearguard, following a long punt up field from Brush, to chip past the advancing Doherty from all of 20 yards.
It was Ricketts’ second goal since joining the club, and he almost turned provider four minutes later when his free-kick was flicked on by Gary Twigg, but Doherty did brilliantly to deny Craig Sives from close-in.
But Rovers held on, despite an inevitable late Derry onslaught, for the crucial three points.
The Dubliners are now eight points clear of Derry and Kenny was quick to turn his attention to securing European qualification for next season, starting with the visit of Galway on Sunday.
“It looks like it is gone, being realistic. We’ve got to qualify for Europe, we haven’t done that yet. We’re ready for Galway on Sunday,” said Kenny.
MATCH STATS
Shamrock Rovers: Brush; Sullivan, Sives, Murray, Paterson; Finn, Turner, Rice, Ricketts (McCabe ’74); Twigg, Sheppard (Dennehy ’84). Subs not used: Kilduff, Thompson, McCormack, Oman, O’Donnell.
Derry City: Doherty; S McEleney, Greacen, McBride (Higgins ’76), Lafferty; McGlynn (Farren ’35 (Harkin ’76)), Deery, Molloy, McLaughlin; Zayed, P McEleney. Subs not used: Ferry, Friars, McDaid, McGonigle.