Derry City 0 St Patrick’s Athletic 0
Derry City surrendered the leadership of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division having failed to overcome a determined St Patrick’s Athletic at a packed Brandywell Stadium on Monday night.
Having suffered a thumping 4-0 defeat by the Candystripes the previous Monday night at Richmond Park, the Dublin ‘Saints’ will view this share of the spoils as a decent response to that defeat.
Having weathered storm after storm on Foyleside, the visitors produced a tenacious performance with goalkeeper Joseph Anang keeping a clean-sheet to ensure not only a valuable point, but another excellent on the road performance after their demolition of Drogheda on Friday night.
Making two changes from the team which shared the spoils with Bohemians on Friday night, Joe Thomson and Danny Lafferty, Derry boss Ruaidhrí Higgins opted to rest Patrick McEleney with Cameron McJannet on the injury list.
And that move may well have backfired with McEleney limping off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem.
The home side, roared on by another full house, settled first with Jamie McGonigle getting crowded out in front of goal after receiving Mattie Smith’s pass after he had waltzed his way through his former club’s defence.
Smith then directed a tame effort on goal, Anang gathering before Brandon Kavanagh burst though one minute later but he ballooned his shot high over the crossbar.
In the 35th minute Ronan Boyce's shot was parried wide by Anang and from the resultant corner Derry skipper Eoin Toal headed Will Patching's delivery straight at the Pat's goalkeeper from 10 yards.
However, Derry's dominance of the ball throughout the opening period failed to reap dividends, although St Pat's, while failing to extend Derry custodian Brian Maher, entered the interval in a happy frame of mind.
McGonigle gifted another save to Anang in the 54th minute, the striker’s glancing header from a Shane McEleney cross failing to find the net.
Derry went so close to breaking the deadlock on the hour when a thunderous Cameron Dummigan shot crashed off the body of a defender, deflecting the ball over the crossbar.
Having continued to own the ball the home side were so unfortunate not to move into the driving seat in the 72nd minute, substitute Patrick McEleney crashing a shot from 25 yards off the butt of the upright.
But it really could have gone badly wrong for Derry in the 77th minute when Chris Forrester drilled his low shot agonisingly wide of the post as St Pat's attempted to hit on the break.
Anang continued to earn his wages one minute later when the goalkeeper managed to cut out a threatening cross from Lafferty after Patrick McEleney had put him through.
With 10 minutes remaining Derry struck on the counterattack, Kavanagh feeding the ball to McGonigle but his first time shot was saved by Anang and the visitors breathed a sigh of relief.
As the game moved into four minutes of added time, Pat's sub Kyle Robinson broke free but he failed to find the net from an acute angle.
DERRY CITY: Maher; Boyce, S McEleney, Toal, Lafferty; Dummigan, Thomson (P McEleney 66 mins; E McLaughlin 85 mins); Kavanagh, Patching, Smith (Akintunde, 66) McGonigle.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Anang; Curtis, Redmond, Grivosti, Breslin; McClelland (Burns, 59 mins); O'Reilly, Forrester, King, M Doyle (Robinson, 64 mins); E Doyle.
Referee: Rob Hennessy (Clare).
