Cork City hold frustrated Derry City to scoreless draw
BATTLE: Derry’s Gavin Whyte and Cork’s Freddie Anderson battle for the ball. Pic: ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty.
Derry City's recent Premier League shortcomings were laid bare at Brandywell Stadium on Friday evening as the Candy Stripes laboured to a point against relegation threatened Cork City.
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 which could cost Derry in the race for European football.
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 Candy Stripes 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 which 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 Candy Stripes looking over their shoulder anxiously in the race for Europe.
The Candy Stripes made two changes from the side who lost out to Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght, Gavin White and Hayden Cann coming in for recently signing 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 their hosts' trouble this was time on the pitch as they struggled to create a chance of note against the bottom of the table Leesiders.
The home side saw plenty of the ball but neither keeper was stretched in a first half of little goalmouth action. Seani Maguire sent a shot well over with one of Cork's few foray's into the home half while Sadou Diallo and Michael Duffy were similarly wayward for Europe chasing Derry.
Derry 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, while a Liam Boyce header and Duffy's low shot did eventually bring Conor Brann in action but few inside Brandywell were surprised when the half-time whistle sounded with both clean sheets still intact.
A delightful piece of Duffy skill out under the Southend Park stand did briefly rouse 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 prior to kick-off, were looking the more likely on the counter as Derry struggled to make any inroads against a well organised, disciplined visiting rearguard.
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.
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).
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.
Declan Toland (Athlone).
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