Galway United massively boosted their prospects of European football next season and massively dented Derry City's title prospects with a gritty win by the Corrib.
A game with hardly any chances, in which United showed yet again that less is more against more flashy opposition, was decided by the gigantic American Patrick Hickey, who prodded home on 76 minutes.
United, generally expected to fight to avoid relegation at the start of the season, are now third, and just four points behind Derry if they win their match in hand. Not only that: Derry slipped three points below Shelbourne, who have a game in hand in first place.
What might be soporific for the neutral has been compelling for others when it comes to United this season. Scoring a paltry 24 goals in their 28 games, they have somehow managed to get themselves into third place, and their doughty style has proven desperately difficult for others to deal with.
For Derry, this was another night that summed up a season that has never really gotten going. Europe was a flop; their title challenge threatens the same.
After a first half an hour in which almost nothing happened, Derry did something that showed what they are, could be and are not: a lovely passing move saw Paul McMullan feed Adam O'Reilly whose delightful flick allowed McMullan space; he fed Will Patching, who should have scored but badly lacked pace in his shot which dribbled wide.
The goal was full of narratives. Recent United recruit Jimmy Keohane, who was so influential for John Caulfield at Cork City, left a free-kick for Corkonian David Hurley; his dink met Brian Maher's unconvincing punch and Hurley fell into Galwegian Patrick Hoban, who would later vainly look for a free.
None was forthcoming nor merited and Hickey, who has had two goals controversially disallowed allowing to his size and perceived infringements with the goalkeeper, tapped home to an empty net and general bedlam.
Derry rallied immediately. Paul McMullan caused havoc down the right and delivered in for Danny Mullan, whose close-range header was read by the wily Brendan Clarke.
Then Hurley, who has a genuinely gorgeous left foot, fizzed one over Maher's goal as United attempted to kill it off.
All of 32 players saw action, each team using the five substitutes allowed. If this were brawn over beauty, it was a game of an underdog doing enough to win, testament to a 2024 League of Ireland that continues to confound.
Galway United: Brendan Clarke; Jeannot Esua (Colm Horgan 89), Garry Buckley, Killian Brouder (Robert Slevin 52), Greg Cunningham; Jimmy Keohane, Conor McCormack (Maurice Nugent 63), Vincent Borden (David Hurley 63), Ed McCarthy (Bobby Burns 89); Patrick Hickey; Stephen Walsh.
Derry City: Brian Maher; Andre Wisdom (Ronan Boyce 82), Mark Connolly, Shane McEleney, Ciaran Coll (Ben Doherty 82); Adam O'Reilly (Colm Whelan 82), William Patching, Sadou Diallo (Patrick McEleney 74), Paul McMullan, Michael Duffy; Patrick Hoban (Danny Mullen 74).
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