Derry City move closer to top after long-awaited win over Shelbourne
Shelbourne 0
DERRY CITY MOVED to within two points of leaders St Patrick's Athletic who visit Brandywell on Monday night, after a first victory over champions Shelbourne since March 2022.
The Foylesiders issued a statement of their title intent with an impressive performance with first half goals from Michael Duffy and Liam Boyce sealing the win.
Damien Duff's side returned to the scene of their title celebrations last November but the Dubliners trudged off the pitch at the final whistle as their seven match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end.
Michael Duffy netted his sixth goal of the season and his second against Shelbourne when he fired home from Shane Ferguson's corner kick after 14 minutes.
That goal stunned the visitors who had dominated the ball up until that point but when Liam Boyce charged down Sam Bone's attempted clearance and slotted past Conor Kearns on 31 minutes – the Belfast man's second goal in two matches – it effectively ended Shelbourne's night.
Advertisement
Derry's Liam Boyce celebrates scoring a goal. Lorcan Doherty / INPHO Lorcan Doherty / INPHO / INPHO
It's three wins in four for Derry who leapfrogged the champions into fifth spot.
Tiernan Lynch made four changes from the team that lost in Waterford with the Belfast man opting for a back five.
Liam Boyce, Shane Ferguson, Adam O'Reilly and Hayden Cann were all recalled to the starting line-up as Lynch shuffled his pack for the first of two games in four days.
Shelbourne were returning to the scene of last November's title celebrations and Damien Duff made two changes to the team which drew with Shamrock Rovers last weekend. One of those was enforced as skipper Mark Coyle sat out through suspension but Harry Wood – who scored the winning goal to clinch the title on his last visit to Foyleside – started on the bench. In came Ali Coote and Sean Gannon for the champions.
Derry were chasing shadows during the opening stages as the visitors bossed the ball without creating anything of note.
Against the run of play it was the home side who opened the scoring on 14 minutes when Ferguson's inswinging corner was met by Duffy at the back post as the winger ran into the box unopposed before volleying into the net from close range.
Derry's Michael Duffy celebrates a goal. Lorcan Doherty / INPHO Lorcan Doherty / INPHO / INPHO
Ellis Chapman's long ball forward was headed out into the path of Evan Caffrey in space on the edge of the box four minutes later but he screwed his shot wide of the target.
Ronan Boyce volleyed narrowly wide of the far post with a terrific strike when Ferguson's cross from the left was headed into his path by a Shelbourne defender.
Derry doubled their lead on 31 minutes when Liam Boyce charged down Sam Bone's attempted clearance, controlled the ball on his chest, ran through on goal and fired clinically past Conor Kearns.
Just before the break Caffrey brought the ball down with a delicious touch but his arrowed strike towards the bottom corner was turned behind at full stretch by Brian Maher – the keeper's first save of the night.
There wasn't much goalmouth action in either half after the break with Derry doing well to contain the increasingly frustrated Dubliners.
Related Reads
Shelbourne's moment of a lifetime will live on in hearts and minds, and passed on in song
Late drama as Sligo Rovers rescue draw against 10-man Cork City
'You could say it's the impossible job' - Damien Duff on FAI search for new Chief Football Officer
Shelbourne boss Damien Duff. Lorcan Doherty / INPHO Lorcan Doherty / INPHO / INPHO
Derry kept Shelbourne striker Mipo Odubeko quiet until the 80th minute when he forced his way in at the back post but his deflected shot was gathered cleanly by Maher.
The Candystripes impressively saw the game out with a professional display to secure a fifth clean sheet of the season to set up a crunch clash against the new leaders on Monday night.
Derry City: B Maher: R Boyce, M Connolly, K Holt, H Cann, S Ferguson (S Todd 60); G Whyte (R Benson 60), C Winchester, A O'Reilly, M Duffy (P McMullan 67); L Boyce (D Mullen 67).
Shelbourne: C Kearns; E Caffrey (J O'Sullivan 71), S Gannon, S Bone (T Wilson 65), K Ledwidge, J Norris (R O'Kane 71); A Coote (H Wood 65), K Inroy (J Martin 46), JJ Lunney, E Chapman; M Odubeko.
Referee – Rob Hennessy (Dublin)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Joey O'Brien urges Shelbourne players to heal the hurt by progressing in Conference League
Joey O'Brien wants his Shelbourne players to channel their hurt from Europa League defeat into hunting for continental glory elsewhere this year. Shelbourne exited Uefa's second-tier competition on a 4-3 aggregate following a roller-coaster third qualifying round, second-leg clash with Croatian side Rijeka at a rocking Tolka Park on Tuesday night. Ahead following a rousing come-from-behind 2-1 first-leg win on the Adriatic coast last week, Shelbourne found themselves 2-0 down midway through the second half of the return leg to a couple of simply sublime strikes from Toni Fruk and Tiago Dantas. An 86th-minute Mipo Odubeko penalty, awarded after a lengthy VAR check, drew Shelbourne level in the tie before Ante Orec, who had fouled John Martin for the spot kick, won it with a goal right on 90 minutes. READ MORE While the better team emerged victorious, it was a heartbreaking way to lose in front of a raucous home crowd. 'We saw them celebrating [on the final whistle] and we want that in two weeks' time. We'll use this hurt and turn that into hunting,' said head coach O'Brien. 'We're bitterly disappointed but we're still in it [Europe] and we want to go through. Rijeka's Ante Orec (left) celebrates with Tiago Dantas after scoring his sides third goal against Shelbourne at Olka Park. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire 'When we scored the penalty, we had the momentum with us and we had a chance after it and we didn't take ours and they took theirs. 'I felt they had a lot of chances, but they didn't really trouble us too much. And then the [first] goal, it was a bit of quality. The second goal too was a bit of quality.' O'Brien will head to Belfast on Thursday night to get a first-hand view on Shelbourne's next opponents in the Conference League playoffs. That will be either Linfield, whom the Reds knocked out in the Champions League first qualifying round, or Vikingur of the Faroe Islands, with the Irish League champions trailing 2-1 ahead of their second leg at Windsor Park. The winners then enter a playoff for a place in the Conference League league phase and its guaranteed minimum prize fund of €3.8 million. Shelbourne will be at home in the first leg, with the club again hoping to be allowed to stage it at their Drumcondra home rather than moving to Tallaght Stadium. 'We looked fitter, looked stronger towards the end of it,' said O'Brien of his side's improved second-half display. 'The second goal they score, it's an unbelievable shot and an unbelievable goal. Shels' Kerr McInroy dejected after Rijeka scored their second goal at Tola Park. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'The lads stuck at it. I was immensely proud of them, how they kept going. We got the peno then late doors and, here, we were ready for a barnstorming finish. We had the chance [through Milan Mbeng] and we didn't take it. They went up and got a little bit of luck, I suppose, with a breaking ball. A good finish. It was a sickener. 'I thought our lads put in a monster effort and were right there at the death, but it wasn't good enough.' One of them was midfielder Kerr McInroy, who had a big chance saved by Rijeka goalkeeper Martin Zlomislic at 1-0 down. 'We're just disappointed with the result,' said the 24-year-old Scot. 'They are a top side and they showed that with the goals. 'We're disappointed to go out, but we are aware that we have another chance to get group stage football in the next couple of weeks. 'They were really good, the goals showed the level and quality they've got. But I thought we did well against them across the two legs. We stopped them playing, but the goals killed us. 'We've enjoyed these last few weeks and it's given us the hunger to go and get more over the next few months. We know we've now got a playoff game to give us the opportunity to do that. 'It's good for me and everyone else to challenge ourselves against different teams, different countries and different levels of players.'
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Aidan O'Brien ‘very sweet' on little-known horse who's halved in price for £500,000 Ebor at York
His last run was an eyecatcher LONDON CALLING Aidan O'Brien 'very sweet' on little-known horse who's halved in price for £500,000 Ebor at York AIDAN O'BRIEN is 'very sweet' on a little-known horse who's halved in price for the £500,000 Ebor at York. The blockbuster 1m6f handicap is the feature race of the Ebor meeting and will be run live on ITV1 on Saturday week. 1 London City, the grey in the blue and orange silks seen here finishing behind Group 1 winner Al Riffa, has halved in price for the Ebor and Aidan O'Brien is said to be 'very sweet' on the four-year-old's chances in the big York handicap worth £500,000 Credit: Inpho Willie Mullins currently has the 7-2 favourite in the shape of recent Galway winner Hipop De Loire. But as good as Mullins is at targeting Flat races with his dual purpose stars, no one can match O'Brien. That being said, it's the Group races he gobbles up. O'Brien has won the Ebor only once, when three-year-old Mediterranean held on under Mick Kinane to win at 16-1 24 years ago. He's drawn a blank since then, with Mullins winning it twice and fellow Irish jumps trainers Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead getting involved too. Mullins has a strong hand this year with Ethical Diamond also short in the betting. But one who is continually being clipped is O'Brien's London City, who has been slashed from 20-1 to as short as 10s. A son of Justify, the four-year-old colt is out of O'Brien's multiple Group 1-winning mare Winter. He already has a win at York to his name, winning a Class 3 handicap over 1m4f on the Knavesmire in May last year. A disappointing run at Listed level the following month came before a 372-day break. London City was again down the field in a big handicap at the Curragh in June but caught the eye at Group 2 level when last seen. In the rear throughout under Ronan Whelan, the 33-1 grey was miles out of it at the weights but gained some ground late on to finish sixth in a 1m6f race won by Group 1 winner Al Riffa. London City is set to carry 9st8lb in the Ebor - 2lb less than Hipop De Loire - and looks open to any amount of improvement. Indeed, a recent Sporting Life article said O'Brien was 'very sweet' on his chances during a recent yard visit. Sky Bet Ebor odds via Sky Bet 3-1 Hipop De Loire 8-1 French Master, Ethical Diamond 11-1 London City 14-1 Shadow Dance 20-1 French Duke, Aeronautic, Mr Percy, Dancing In Paris, Nurburgring 25-1 bar FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros one step closer to Champions League proper
Robbie Keane is one round away from leading Hungarian champions Ferencvaros back to the Champions League group/league phase for the first time since 2020. Keane's side dispatched Ludogorets 3-0 in last night's second leg in Budapest, a brace of goals from Barnabas Varga and a late strike from defender Gabor Szalai sending them through 3-0 on aggregate. Republic of Ireland international Callum O'Dowda, signed by Keane in the off-season, played the full 90 minutes on the left side of midfield. They now face off against Shelbourne's conquerors Qarabag in next week's play-off round, with the winners progressing to the league phase of the Champions League. It is the first time the Hungarian champions have progressed as far as the play-off round since the 2021-22 campaign, when they were beaten by Swiss outfit Young Boys. Their last appearance in the Champions League group phase was in the 2020-21 season, when they finished bottom of their group, having amassed just one point. Keane took over as Ferencvaros manager in the first week of January 2025, with the club second in the Hungarian championship. He subsequently guided the Budapest club to a seventh successive Hungarian title. It was a second successive league title for Keane as a manager, the Dubliner having led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the .
