Derry City 2-1 Sligo Rovers
Title hopefuls Derry City started as they mean to go on with a remarkable late comeback to beat Sligo Rovers 2-1 in front of a buoyant Brandywell crowd.
It was the Connacht side who briefly upset the odds when they drew first blood on the half-hour mark. Jeannot Esua whipped a trademark cross into the box that Jad Hakiki, completely free in the middle, only had to divert past Brian Maher on his right foot.
Tiernan Lynch’s men responded well, barraging the Bit O’Red’s defence both sides of the interval. Josh Thomas and James Clarke both had efforts roll agonisingly wide of the goal mouth, and Carl Winchester saw an almost perfect long-range effort crash off the post.
Sligo weathered the storm until the 82nd minute, when the Candystripes’ persistence finally paid off. Alex Bannon found himself in an unconventional position, but his dummy gave him space to unleash one from outside the box. He did exactly that, his rocket dipping straight into the top corner to equalise.
Thomas struggled with injuries during his loan at Drogheda United last season, but it was his moment of pure magic that turned Derry’s night around. A quick sidestep in stoppage time sent his man the wrong way, and he caressed the ball beautifully into the bottom left from the edge of the box.
Derry City: B. Maher, B. Fleming, R. Slevin, P. McClean, A. Bannon, C. Winchester, J. McClean, J. Clarke, M. Duffy, D. Markey (A. O’Reilly 60′), J. Thomas
Sligo Rovers: S. Sargeant, W. Fitzgerald, G. McElroy, O. Denham, J. Esua, D. Patton (C. Harkin 80′), S. Quirk, J. Hakiki (K. McDonagh 80′), R. O’Kane (S. Stewart 66′), A. Nolan, C. Kavanagh (A. Meekison 60′)
Galway United 0-1 Drogheda United
Drogheda United claimed an opening day victory for the first time in five years, taking all three points from Galway United in dramatic fashion in the west.
Set pieces always prove crucial for away sides at Eamonn Deacy Park, and it was Brandon Kavanagh’s delivery that saw the first chance fall Drogheda’s way. Edwin Agbaje picked up the loose ball and spun before shooting inches over the crossbar on nine minutes.
Galway should have taken the lead just shy of the half hour mark. Killian Brouder’s low cross drew a panicked clearance from Conor Kane that landed on Facchineri’s head. A nod across gave Wasiri Williams a free header but he crashed the ball against the crossbar. Drogheda were let off again when Jimmy Keohane fizzed the rebound across the face of goal.
The Tribesmen squandered another golden chance to claim the lead after the hour mark, Andrew Quinn’s foul handing David Hurley a penalty kick. However, the midfielder, usually clinical from those positions, placed his effort wide despite sending Luke Dennison the wrong way.
The game had ticked into injury time when Kane’s long throw sailed into a crowded box. Ryan Brennan held off his man, placing the ball on a plate for debutant Jago Godden. Having signed for the club on Wednesday, he became the matchwinning hero on the Friday, drilling a low shot past the reach of Evan Watts and ensuing bedlam in the away end.
Galway United: E. Watts, G. Facchineri, K. Brouder, W. Williams, A. Parker, A. Bolger (C. McCormack 90′), D. Hurley, J. Keohane (M. Wolfe 71′), L. Devitt, F. Lomboto, S. Walsh (K. Twardek 86′)
Drogheda United: L. Dennison, C. Kane, A. Quinn, C. Keeley, L. Burney, E. Agbaje, E. O’Brien, S. Farrell (J. Godden 63′), B. Kavanagh (R. Brennan 67′), M. Doyle (W. Davis 67′), T. Oluwa
Waterford 1-1 Shelbourne
Jon Daly’s first league game in charge of Waterford saw them hold the title chasing Shelbourne to a 1-1 draw at the RSC.
Daniel Kelly’s cross caused havoc in the Blues box on twelve minutes and their defending was rushed, resulting in a flurry of head tennis. Mipo Odubeko’s bicycle kick was off target but the ball found its way to John Martin and the former Waterford striker guided it into the bottom left to open the scoring.
Kelly was pulling the strings and was unlucky not to see his side go 2-0 up before half time. He received the ball from Martin before driving another low cross into the area. Milan Mbeng rushed onto it at the back post but failed to connect, blazing it wide.
The second half saw more of the same Shels pressure, with the hosts pegged back for large spells. Their first major opportunity of the game came on 54 minutes when Conan Noonan whipped a beautiful free kick into the danger area. Tommy Lonergan made no mistake with an instinctive header that bounced off the crossbar before crossing the line to equalise.
Set pieces were an effective avenue for Waterford, Pádraig Amond watching his bullet header miss the target ever so slightly with 15 minutes to go after another free kick delivery from Noonan, this time on the opposite side
Waterford: S. McMullan, B. Couto, H. Cann, J. Mahon, L. Heeney, C. Barrett (S. Glenfield 52′), C. Noonan, E. McLaughlin (J. Voilas 53′), C. Carty (T. Coyle 53′), T. Lonergan, P. Amond
Shelbourne: W. Speel, D. Kelly (W. Jarvis 66′), K. Ledwidge, P. Barrett, O. Casey, M. Mbeng (S. Gannon 80′), J. Henry-Francis, K. McInroy, H. Wood (M. Lundgren 80′), J. Martin (R. Freitas 66′), M. Odubeko (S. Boyd 83′)
Bohemians 0-0 St. Patrick’s Athletic
The highly anticipated Aviva Stadium spectacle left a lot to be desired on the pitch as Dublin rivals Bohemians and St. Patrick’s Athletic opened their respective campaigns with a stalemate in front of 21,000 spectators.
Stephen Kenny’s side began by pressing Bohs high into their own half and drew Jordan Flores into an early mistake. He passed the ball straight to the feet of Barry Baggley. With space to shoot, he tried his luck from the edge of the box but it wouldn’t dip on time to find the top corner.
Bohs will still be ruing Connor Parsons’ golden opportunity on 52 minutes. Kacper Chorazka’s direct launch caused trouble for Tom Grivosti, and Parsons knocked it past him to go one on one with Joseph Anang. With all the time in the world to weigh up a finish, Anang stood still but made himself big enough to knock the effort away.
Parsons had the opportunity to redeem himself just minutes later, exposing Pats’ high defensive line. Dawson Devoy’s pinpoint through ball played him in behind once again, and this time Anang emerged quickly to close the angle for another crucial save.
Bohemians: K. Chorazka, J. Flores, S. Mullen (C. Whelan 58′), S. Todd, D. Power (N. Morahan 78′), J. McManus (A. McDonnell 64′), D. Devoy, H. Vaughan (D. Rooney 64′), C. Parsons (M. Strods 78′), R. Tierney, P. Hickey
St. Patrick’s Athletic: J. Anang, J. McClelland (A. Breslin 86′), L. Turner, T. Grivosti, J. Redmond, Z. Elbouzedi (R. Boyce 37′), J. Lennon, B. Baggley, K. Leavy (D. Nugent 86′), R. Edmondson (R. Palmer 69′), A. Keena (G. Nzingo 69′)
This week’s fixtures:
Derry City vs Dundalk (Friday)
Drogheda United vs Waterford (Friday)
St. Patrick’s Athletic vs Galway United (Friday)
Shelbourne vs Shamrock Rovers (Friday)
Sligo Rovers vs Bohemians (Saturday)
