It wasn't a vintage performance by Derry City, but Ruaidhrí Higgins’ added three more points to their title challenge by beating Waterford FC 2-0 at the RSC.
Two goals from Patrick Hoban were enough, to get the result to give the Candystripes their first away win of the campaign.
The win helps the Candystripes keep up with the pace at the summit, while Waterford will rue the missed opportunity to move away from the bottom two after results went their way in Weavers Park and Tolka Park.
That was the big carrot for Keith Long’s side before kick-off – building momentum and easing fears of a relegation battle later in the season. This showed with how the Blues played, as they pushed Derry deep into their own half by passing the ball around and looking for space.
Despite their aggression, Waterford struggled to create meaningful chances in the final third.
They eventually went long and Grant Horton tried to knock a pass from Rowan McDonald into the path of Darragh Leahy. Derry immediately closed down and Paul McMullan broke down the right wing with Hoban in support. They worked together to tee-up an unmarked Will Patching, and his shot went just over the intended target.
The next time Derry tried to counter-attack like that, Daniel Kelly was brought down by Robbie McCourt as he tried to collect a pass from Mullen at the near post. A penalty was given, but no red card to the Waterford defender, and Hoban made it 1-0 from the spot.
Connor Parsons tried to respond for Waterford within seconds of the restart, and his shot was put out for a corner that came to nothing.
The first half finished with Hoban finding the back of the net with a free-header, and the striker was flagged for offside.
The Blues came out from the break and McCormack won his side a corner, which led to McDonald firing inches wide.
The mood in the RSC remained subdued, and things got worse when Adam O’Reilly won the ball in midfield and played a quick pass to Kelly, who tried to curl the ball in after weaving through the Waterford defence.
Sam Sargeant stopped the shot, but parried the ball into the path of Hoban. He finished from right in front of the posts and doubled Derry’s lead.
Padraig Amond rattling the cross-bar in the 81st minute was the highlight of Waterford’s night, and their best chance.
Waterford FC: Sam Sargeant; Darragh Power, Grant Horton, Rowan McDonald, Ben McCormack (Christie Pattisson 76), Padraig Amond, Connor Parsons, Maleace Asamoah (Conor Evans 63), Darragh Leahy, Robbie McCourt (Kacper Radkowski 76), Harvey Mcadam (Dean McMenamy 88).
Derry City: Brian Maher; Ronan Boyce, Ciaran Coll, Mark Connolly, Patrick Hoban, Paul McMullan (Ciaron Harkin 90), Ben Doherty (Daniel Kelly 34), Cameron McJannett, Danny Mullen (Michael Duffy 76), Adam O’Reilly.
Referee: Alan Patchell
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
