Derry City 0

Dundalk 1

Simon Collins reports from The Ryan McBride Brandywell

DERRY CITY signed off their league campaign with a defeat to third-placed Dundalk but it was midfielder Sadou Diallo’s first-half sending-off that will have irked Ruaidhri Higgins most.

Ex-Derry midfielder Keith Ward scored the decisive goal for the Lilywhites with a superb ninth-minute strike but it wasn’t enough to snatch second spot from the Foylesiders.

When Robbie McCourt clashed with Diallo on 21 minutes, the City midfielder reacted furiously and both players saw red.

The sending-off rules Diallo out of Sunday’s FAI Cup Final as Derry go into the season’s showpiece in an alarming run of form after four winless matches, which saw them finish 13 points behind champions Shamrock Rovers.

Dundalk needed a 3-0 win to leapfrog Derry into second spot but didn’t do enough to trouble City keeper Brian Maher more than once.

Derry boss Higgins must now lift his team ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Shelbourne at the Aviva Stadium after a disappointing conclusion to the league campaign.

Higgins admitted during the week he had one eye on next Sunday’s final and made five changes from the team that lost 1-0 to Rovers last weekend.

And four of those five were ex-Dundalk players with skipper, Patrick McEleney, Will Patching and Mark Connolly all dropping to the bench while there was no place in the squad for Michael Duffy. Striker Jamie McGonigle also started on the bench for the final home fixture of the campaign.

In came Joe Thomson, James Akintunde, Danny Lafferty, Ryan Graydon and Brandon Kavanagh.

Dundalk also made sweeping changes with Brian Gartland, Peter Cherrie, John Martin, Keith Ward, Robbie McCourt and Joe Adams all handed starts.

Dundalk stunned the home support on nine minutes and it was a former Candystripe, Ward, who rifled in the opening goal of the evening.

Derry failed to clear from a corner kick and when Darragh Leahy clipped a cross towards the back post McJannet headed towards the edge of the box where Ward had time to pick his spot and volleyed beautifully into the bottom corner.

Thomson had an early chance to get Derry back on level terms after 20 minutes when Danny Lafferty delivered a superb cross from the left side, but the Scot miscued his header over the bar.

Moments later, both teams were reduced to 10 men after a flashpoint in the middle of the park. Diallo appeared to react to a robust tackle from McCourt and referee, Rob Hennessy went to his pocket and produced a straight red. Dundalk midfielder McCourt followed the Englishman down the tunnel seconds later.

Dundalk came close to doubling their advantage when Ward threaded a ball through to McMillan who beat the offside trap but Maher was off his line quickly and got a strong hand to the striker’s effort.

At the other end, Peter Cherrie made a big save from James Akintunde and when the ball was floated back into the danger area, Thomson’s downward header was headed over the bar by Leahy.

Thomson’s scuffed shot fell kindly to Kavanagh just inside the 18-yard box but his goalbound effort was blocked superbly by Gartland as Dundalk took a slender lead into the interval.

Ryan Graydon went down inside the Dundalk penalty area 10 minutes into the second half after a tackle from Runar Hauge but despite the protests from the home team, the referee waved play on.

After a jinking run by Akintunde, the striker played substitute Will Patching into space on the left side of the penalty area and his left-footed strike was tipped over the bar by Cherrie.

Graydon arrowed a strike narrowly over the crossbar on 78 minutes while the introduction of McGonigle and Patching from the bench gave Derry an added edge.

With seven minutes left on the clock, Dundalk sub, Andy Boyle, lost his footing on the edge of his own penalty area and when Thomson nipped in to take the ball, he slotted into the path of McGonigle who failed to test Cherrie and blasted over the bar.

It was a frustrating end to the 2022 league campaign for the Candystripes but they still have a first FAI Cup final since 2014 to look forward to.

Derry City: B. Maher: R. Boyce, S. McEleney, C. McJannet, D. Lafferty (C. Coll, 73); R. Graydon, C. Dummigan, S. Diallo, B. Kavanagh (W. Patching 57); J. Thomson (J. McEneff 84); J. Akintunde (J. McGonigle 72); Subs Not Used – J. Lemoignan, M. Connolly, P. McEleney, D. Glass, C. Kavanagh.

Dundalk: P. Cherrie; L. Macari, B. Gartland (A. Boyle 80), D. Leahy; A. Lewis, J. Martin (R. O’Kane 63), K. Ward (S. Bradley 71) R. McCourt, J. Adams, R. Hauge, D. McMillan (P. Hoban 71); Subs Not Used – N. Shepperd M. Byrne, E. Adegboyega, S. Mullan.

Referee - Rob Hennessy (Dublin).