Derry City 0

Cork City 0

Michael Wilson reports from the Ryan McBride Brandywell 

DERRY CITY’S hopes of securing European football for next season suffered a major blow as bottom-of-the-table Cork City grabbed a deserved point on a frustrating night at Brandywell Stadium on Friday.

With home fans expecting a backlash after the defeat to Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght, Derry fell flat in a match that had little to cheer for their support.

The Leesiders were good value for the draw, Ger Nash’s men producing a superb defensive display, which limited Tiernan Lynch’s team to only a handful of half chances on a night that could prove costly for Derry.

You had to go back to November 2024, when Shelbourne’s 1-0 victory secured the Premier Division title, for the last time Derry failed to score in a league match at the Brandywell.

Indeed, the Candystripes had beaten Cork in their last eight meetings between the teams, but there was little sign of that superiority this time.

Boos from the home support at the full-time whistle summed up the mood after a result that means Derry have taken only two points from the last 12, a run which has put a league challenge out of sight and left the Candystripes looking over their shoulder anxiously in the race for Europe.

The Candystripes made two changes from the side who lost out to Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght, Gavin White and Hayden Cann coming in for recently signed Dip Akinyemi and the suspended Alex Bannon.

Ger Nash meanwhile made one alteration to the Cork City side who defeated Galway to claim a massive three points last time out, Freddie Anderson named in place of Rio Shipston.

Derry’s previous home fixture against Bohemians was marred by trouble off the field, but the issues this time were on the pitch as they struggled to create a chance of note.

The home team saw plenty of the ball, but neither keeper was stretched in a first half of little goalmouth action.

Sean Maguire sent a shot well over with one of Cork’s few forays into the home half, while Sadou Diallo and Michael Duffy were similarly wayward for Derry.

The hosts did have half-hearted penalty appeals waved away 20 minutes in when Adam O’Reilly went down as he tried to go past Cork’s Matthew Kiernan.

A Liam Boyce header and Duffy’s low shot did eventually bring Conor Brann into action, but few inside Brandywell were surprised when the half-time sounded with both clean sheets still intact.

A delightful piece of Duffy skill out under the Southend Park stand briefly roused the home support upon the restart, but there was no immediate second-half improvement from either side, though Cork’s threat on the break was growing.

Lynch’s response was the 54th-minute introduction of summer signing Dip Akinyemi, with Danny Mullen and Ben Doherty, making only his 11th appearance of an injury-ravaged season, following from the bench soon after, but little changed in terms of the home side’s frustrations.

Doherty fired one effort over the bar, but if anything, Cork, with only three league wins to their credit all season before kick-off, were looking the more likely on the counter.

More than six minutes of injury time offered brief hope, but the home fans’ reaction on the whistle told you everything about a match that won’t live long in the memory

Derry City: Brian Maher, Adam O’Reilly, Hayden Cann, Mark Connolly, Jamie Stott, Brandon Fleming (Ben Doherty, 62mins); Sadou Diallo (Ronan Boyce, 72mins), Carl Winchester, Michael Duffy, Gavin Whyte (Danny Mullen, 62mins); Liam Boyce (Dipo Akinyemi, 54mins).

Cork City: Conor Brann, Harry Nevin, Evan McLaughlin, Alex Nolan, Kitt Nelson (Kaedayn Kamara, 72mins), Darragh Crowley, Josh Fitzpatrick, Matthew Kiernan, Freddie Anderson, Seani Maguire (Charlie Lutz, 80mins), Rory Feely.

Referee: Declan Toland (Athlone).