City back to winning ways with victory at UCD

John-Paul Fahy reports
@jp_fahy 

Declan Devine very much got the response he demanded from his players after they came away from the Belfield Bowl with all three points; Devine was angry with his players after the showing against Drogheda on Monday night and read them the riot act during the week which very much paid off. Two goals from Rory Patterson and a second half strike from Michael Duffy was enough to give the candystripes a 3-1 victory after Samir Belhout had halved City’s half-time lead.

It was a quick opening to the game with Rory Patterson having two good early chances to fire the visitors in front but he failed with both attempts while Cillian Morrison struck wide for the home side. However it was the Candystripes that would control the early stages and Ruaidhri Higgins who had the games next chance when he headed a Paddy Kavanagh corner over the bar from 15 yards whilst McDaid who’s already got three goals since his return had a chance to add to that tally but also failed to test McGinley.

Shortly after the half hour mark Derry would really take control of the game as the league’s top marksman struck twice in two minutes to give the visitor’s a 2-0 lead; Michael Duffy’s through ball opened up the UCD defence, Patterson latched on to it before slotting past McGinley in the UCD goal. Patterson wasn’t long finished celebrating his first until he was celebrating his second, good work from Paddy Kavanagh down the right saw the Dubliner pull it back to the near post where Patterson was on hand to make it 2-0 and claim his 16^th league goal of the season.

However Derry had Gerard Doherty to thank for going in two goals to the good, on the stroke of half-time a free-kick was whipped into the Derry box Michael Leahy got on to the end of it and only for great reactions from Doherty then it would’ve been 2-1. Doherty showing that he’s still got it after taking a lot of stick recently.

H/T – UCD 0-2 Derry City (Patterson, 34,36)

Martin Russell brought Samir Belhout on at half-time and the strikers impact was there to be seen as nine minutes into the second half he got the students back into the game; after some nifty footwork and a mistake from Eoghan Osborne he managed to find a yard of space before drilling past Doherty to make it 2-1. This was the instigator for UCD as they pushed forward with intent in levelling the game at 2-2, moments later Craig Walsh was bursting through only to see his effort pushed round the post by Doherty.

On the hour mark Derry restored their two goal lead through Michael Duffy; a superb pass from Higgins found Simon Madden free on the right hand side, whose first time cross found Duffy at the back post who swept the ball home.

This wasn’t to dishearten UCD who continued to push forward in search of more goals but the Derry defence stood strong to see out the result and keep themselves in touch with the leaders in what was a much needed victory for the Candystripes.

F/T - (Belhout 54) UCD 1-3 Derry City (Patterson 34,36; Duffy 60)

UCD: Mark McGinley; Hugh Douglas (Tomas Boyle 66), Michael Leahy, David O'Connor, Gareth Matthews; Cillian Morrison, Robbie Creevy (Barry McCabe 69), Craig Walsh, Michael Kelly (Samir Belhout h/t), Sean Russell; Dean Clarke.

Subs: Ger Barron, Ayman Ben Mohamed, Gary Burke, Thomas O’Halloran.

Booked: Douglas.

Derry City: Ger Doherty; Simon Madden, Shane McEleney, Ryan McBride, Eoghan Osborne; Paddy Kavanagh, Ruaidhri Higgins, Patrick McEleney, Michael Duffy (Barry McNamee 89); David McDaid (Sean Houston 74), Rory Patterson.

Subs: Eugene Ferry, Barry Molloy, Mark Griffin, Thomas Crawley, Ryan Curran.

Booked: Shane McEleney, Sean Houston.

Referee: Neil Doyle.