SUPER SUB Alex Bannon bagged a late brace as Derry City battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a precious draw against Euro rivals St Patrick’s Athletic at the Brandywell.
The Saints were on a three-match winning run in the league and looked well on course to close the gap on third-placed Derry to a single point as they held a comfortable lead with 15 minutes to go.
Mason Melia fired the Dubliners ahead after a sublime throughball from Chris Forrester.
And the Spurs-bound striker returned the favour as he set up St Pat’s talisman Forrester, who blasted into the roof of the net.
For a second successive match, Derry overturned a deficit as Burton Albion loanee Bannon curled a spectacular strike into the top corner to begin an unlikely comeback.
From a corner kick with five minutes remaining, Bannon bundled the ball home to level the scores as Tiernan Lynch’s side kept the Saints at arm’s length as they remain four points adrift.
Derry held the upper hand on the Saints heading into this clash, having won two of their previous three meetings by a solitary goal.
The Dubliners arrived on Foyleside in top form and on the back of a five-match unbeaten run in the league since their last meeting with Derry at Brandywell on 23 June, when a Liam Boyce goal sealed victory on that occasion.
Before kick-off, there was a minute’s applause in memory of the late League of Ireland stalwart Ollie Horgan, who passed away this week following a short illness.
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Derry made three changes from the team which earned a last-gasp win over Galway, with Carl Winchester and Jamie Stott sitting out through suspension.
Lynch handed a first start for Scotsman Adam Frizzell while Sam Todd and Adam O’Reilly both returned to the starting line-up.
Stephen Kenny made three changes with Carl Axel Sjoberg, Al-Amin Kazeem and Jamie Lennon returning.
Derry registered the first shot on target with four minutes on the clock, following a well-worked move started by Brandon Fleming in his own half. When O’Reilly flicked the ball into the path of Duffy on the edge of the penalty area, the winger curled towards goal with his left foot, but it was comfortable for Joseph Anang.
From a corner kick, moments later, the ball was headed into a packed penalty area by Frizzell and Akinyemi’s snapshot from 12 yards was saved by the alert Anang once again.
The visitors’ first threat on goal arrived from a corner kick taken by Kian Leavy, but Luke Turner’s glancing header went wide of the back post.
Ronan Boyce brought down Melia to put an end to a promising St Pat’s counterattack. Chris Forrester’s 25-yard strike from the resultant free-kick was beaten away brilliantly by Maher at full stretch before Connolly cleared behind for a corner.
Sadou Diallo found the run of O’Reilly with a defence-splitting pass, but the Corkman’s first-time strike was saved well by the Saints keeper.
The Saints broke the deadlock five minutes before the break when Forrester carved open the Derry defence with a stunning pass through the middle.
Melia beat Sam Todd in the chase for the ball before cutting back onto his right foot, and he fired clinically into the bottom corner.
Derry were knocking on the door at the start of the second half, and from Duffy’s inswinging corner Fleming’s header was goalbound, but it was blocked by Gavin Whyte.
At the other end, St Pat’s came so close to doubling their lead when Simon Power’s strike inside the box was charged down by Todd. The rebound fell to Melia, but his close-range strike was beaten away by Maher.
The game was beginning to open up on the hour mark, and Whyte’s strike from 10 yards was blocked behind for a corner by Turner. From the set piece, Bannon’s header bounced the wrong side of the post.
When O’Reilly slipped inside his own half, Melia latched onto the ball, raced towards goal and unselfishly laid it into the path of the supporting Forrester, who thumped the ball into the roof of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
St Pat’s hadn’t conceded a goal domestically in their last seven games, and Derry faced an uphill task to get anything from the contest.
The Candystripes did manage to get back into the match in emphatic fashion as two substitutes combined. Danny Mullen created space for Bannon with a neat back-heel, and the Burton Albion loanee curled his effort from the edge of the area into the top corner.
That set up a grandstand finish, and from a corner kick, Bannon bundled home at the back post with five minutes to go as Derry somehow clawed their way back into the match.
It was a frantic finale, and the hosts looked most likely to find a winner, but both teams settled for a share of the spoils.
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Impressive Burton loanee rescues Derry against Pat's
Derry City 2
St Patrick’s Athletic 2
Simon Collins reports from The Brandywell
SUPER SUB Alex Bannon bagged a late brace as Derry City battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a precious draw against Euro rivals St Patrick’s Athletic at the Brandywell.
The Saints were on a three-match winning run in the league and looked well on course to close the gap on third-placed Derry to a single point as they held a comfortable lead with 15 minutes to go.
Mason Melia fired the Dubliners ahead after a sublime throughball from Chris Forrester.
And the Spurs-bound striker returned the favour as he set up St Pat’s talisman Forrester, who blasted into the roof of the net.
For a second successive match, Derry overturned a deficit as Burton Albion loanee Bannon curled a spectacular strike into the top corner to begin an unlikely comeback.
From a corner kick with five minutes remaining, Bannon bundled the ball home to level the scores as Tiernan Lynch’s side kept the Saints at arm’s length as they remain four points adrift.
Derry held the upper hand on the Saints heading into this clash, having won two of their previous three meetings by a solitary goal.
The Dubliners arrived on Foyleside in top form and on the back of a five-match unbeaten run in the league since their last meeting with Derry at Brandywell on 23 June, when a Liam Boyce goal sealed victory on that occasion.
Before kick-off, there was a minute’s applause in memory of the late League of Ireland stalwart Ollie Horgan, who passed away this week following a short illness.
Derry made three changes from the team which earned a last-gasp win over Galway, with Carl Winchester and Jamie Stott sitting out through suspension.
Lynch handed a first start for Scotsman Adam Frizzell while Sam Todd and Adam O’Reilly both returned to the starting line-up.
Stephen Kenny made three changes with Carl Axel Sjoberg, Al-Amin Kazeem and Jamie Lennon returning.
Derry registered the first shot on target with four minutes on the clock, following a well-worked move started by Brandon Fleming in his own half. When O’Reilly flicked the ball into the path of Duffy on the edge of the penalty area, the winger curled towards goal with his left foot, but it was comfortable for Joseph Anang.
From a corner kick, moments later, the ball was headed into a packed penalty area by Frizzell and Akinyemi’s snapshot from 12 yards was saved by the alert Anang once again.
The visitors’ first threat on goal arrived from a corner kick taken by Kian Leavy, but Luke Turner’s glancing header went wide of the back post.
Ronan Boyce brought down Melia to put an end to a promising St Pat’s counterattack. Chris Forrester’s 25-yard strike from the resultant free-kick was beaten away brilliantly by Maher at full stretch before Connolly cleared behind for a corner.
Sadou Diallo found the run of O’Reilly with a defence-splitting pass, but the Corkman’s first-time strike was saved well by the Saints keeper.
The Saints broke the deadlock five minutes before the break when Forrester carved open the Derry defence with a stunning pass through the middle.
Melia beat Sam Todd in the chase for the ball before cutting back onto his right foot, and he fired clinically into the bottom corner.
Derry were knocking on the door at the start of the second half, and from Duffy’s inswinging corner Fleming’s header was goalbound, but it was blocked by Gavin Whyte.
At the other end, St Pat’s came so close to doubling their lead when Simon Power’s strike inside the box was charged down by Todd. The rebound fell to Melia, but his close-range strike was beaten away by Maher.
The game was beginning to open up on the hour mark, and Whyte’s strike from 10 yards was blocked behind for a corner by Turner. From the set piece, Bannon’s header bounced the wrong side of the post.
When O’Reilly slipped inside his own half, Melia latched onto the ball, raced towards goal and unselfishly laid it into the path of the supporting Forrester, who thumped the ball into the roof of the net for his fifth goal of the season.
St Pat’s hadn’t conceded a goal domestically in their last seven games, and Derry faced an uphill task to get anything from the contest.
The Candystripes did manage to get back into the match in emphatic fashion as two substitutes combined. Danny Mullen created space for Bannon with a neat back-heel, and the Burton Albion loanee curled his effort from the edge of the area into the top corner.
That set up a grandstand finish, and from a corner kick, Bannon bundled home at the back post with five minutes to go as Derry somehow clawed their way back into the match.
It was a frantic finale, and the hosts looked most likely to find a winner, but both teams settled for a share of the spoils.
Derry City: Maher, Boyce, Connolly, Todd, Fleming; Diallo, O’Reilly (Benson 68), Frizzell [Bannon h-t]; Whyte (Mullen 68), Akinyemi, Duffy.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang, McLaughlin, Redmond, Sjoberg, Turner, Kazeem (McClelland 70); Lennon, Forrester (Robinson 93), Leavy; Power (Baggley 79), Melia (Carty 93).
Referee: Marc Lynch (Galway).
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