UCD 1
Derry City 6
A MICHAEL DUFFY hat-trick helped Derry City bounce back from their disappointing European exit during the week as they ran out 6-1 winners over UCD at the Bowl.
Duffy opened the scoring after 20 minutes, before adding two further goals in two minutes early in the second half on the eve of his 20th birthday.
City made four changes to the side that started their Europa League qualifier on Thursday, with Nathan Boyle, Josh Tracey, Philip Lowry and Mark Timlin all coming in.
And it was the latter who supplied the assist for the opening goal after 20 minutes when his floated pass into the path of Duffy allowed the striker to direct his shot past the advancing Conor O’Donnell. Robbie Benson had been in behind the Derry City defence before that, but Gerrard Doherty, who was quick off his line to smother the ball, denied him.
Nathan Boyle had been lively for the visitors before the goal, and he and O’Donnell then began their own battle, with the goalkeeper denying him three times in quick succession.
O’Donnell was definitely the busier net-minder, and he had to be alert on more than one occasion as Derry pressed in behind.
Both Duffy and Patterson broke free of the UCD backline, but O’Donnell did enough to convince referee, Paul McLoughlin, that he had won the ball and not interfered with the player.
Conor Cannon engineered one of only two chances for the Students as the half wore on when he crossed for Benson, but the striker’s control let him down as he turned for goal.
And the visitors were two up with three minutes left in the first half when Nathan Boyle won the ball off James Kavanagh before feeding Patterson who smashed a left-footed shot past O’Donnell for his sixth league goal of the season.
Derry had really found their groove when the half-time whistle arrived, but the break did their rhythm no harm as they scored two goals in two minutes to put the tie to bed.
Five minutes into the second period, Boyle teed up Duffy, and he curled his low shot into the far corner, before he netted for a second time in as many minutes when Josh Tracey delivered from the right.
UCD did hit back soon after when Benson’s low free-kick proved too strong for Doherty, but the visitors remained comfortable in defence, and continued to press in attack.
The game was then halted for a period when Mark Langtry had to be tended to having suffered a suspected broken leg, but once the match got back underway Derry maintained their dominance.
Patterson was a constant threat, and substitute, Stephen Dooley impressed when he came on, eventually setting up Barry Molloy to make it 5-1, before Patterson netted a deserved second of the evening to make it 6-1.
UCD: O’Donnell, Langtry (Tobin 70), Coyne, Mathews, Kavanagh, Crowe, Benson, Molloy, Ben Mohamed (Burke 76), Cannon, Mulhall (Belhout 38). Substitutes: Corbet, Sloggett, Belhout, Burke, Simon, Tobin, Harney.
DERRY CITY: Doherty, Molloy, McBride, Ventre (B McNamee 57), Boyle (McEleney 64), Patterson, Tracey, Duffy (Dooley 78), Lowry, Timlin, Barry. Substitutes: T McNamee, Dooley, Curran, Gallagher, McEleney, B McNamee, Houston.
Ref: Paul McLoughlin.
