At the Brandywell, Shamrock Rovers displayed a compelling performance, scorching Derry City with a three-goal offensive within a crushing 12-minute segment in the second half. Aaron Greene, standing as the sole forward, scored two exceptional goals, with Richie Towell clinching the match by finishing a brilliant pass sequence with a goal.
Rovers’ win has now propelled them above Derry to the second position, also with an unplayed match in their favour. They are scheduled to face top-ranked Shelbourne in their next competition on Monday.
Although Derry offered a value fight during the sensational first half, the tide turned against them unexpectedly after the interval. The local team had initially started on a high note with full attendance, with Michael Duffy and Paul McMullan pressurising Rovers with their intense play, although neither could convert their efforts into goals.
The match’s initial phase saw continuous attacking moves from both sides, with Derry actually scoring in the 12th minute through Danny Mullen due to a Ben Doherty assist. Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed by an attentive linesman.
Another chance for the Rovers to dominate arose in the 20th minute when Aaron Greene seized an opportunity from a lofted defensive clearance. However, he was denied by Maher’s defensive bravery. Furthermore, Doherty expertly denied Richie Towell’s rebound goal attempt, much to the Derry supporters’ joy.
Derry picked themselves up in the 32nd minute when Pohls executed a beautiful diving save, swerving Duffy’s curling shot wide. Before half-time, Derry’s Danny Mullen’s superb effort struck the post, leaving goalkeeper Pohls beaten and the spectators back on their feet.
After the half-time, Mullan almost scored for Derry in their first attempt, but was denied. Derry kept their spirit high in the second half, with Ronan Boyce getting a shot at goal after an assist from Adan O’Reilly. However, Pohls denied him with a stretched leg save.
Rovers took charge of the game after an error by Shane McEleney wasn’t utilised to its full extent. In the 56th minute of play, the Dublin team took the lead. Control of the ball was achieved in the middle of the pitch by Rovers’ goal scorer, Aaron Greene. After obtaining the ball from Daragh Burns, Greene successfully shot a low finish, much to the joy of the small group of fans who travelled to the match. Six minutes down the line, Rovers showed no mercy to Derry by hitting a second goal, with the same duo involved in the action, mirroring the first goal.
The host team was left stunned when Greene, having plenty of room, took another through ball from Burns. He stormed forward and beautifully lofted the ball over the charging Maher, then watched as the ball bounced into the net.
With the home team in shock and their fans struck silent, Rovers made another fast-paced move forward. The result of this smart play was Towell receiving a clear-cut pass which he slotted home with delight, bouncing in the third for his team. This essentially ended the match as a fair fight and commenced Rovers’ reign defending the Premier Division title for the fourth consecutive year.
Despite a late-show goal from Derry substitute Pat Hoban, it didn’t prove enough to shift the big picture.
The Derry team was made up of players: Maher, McEleney (substituted by Kelly in the 65th minute), Connolly, McJannet, Boyce, Patching, O’Reilly, Doherty, McMullan, Duffy (substituted by Hoban at the 65th minute), and Mullen.
The playing Shamrock Rovers: Pohls, Lopes, Cleary, Honohan, Burns (switched with Nugent in the 68th minute), O’Neill (switched with Clarke in the 60th minute), Watts, Burke (Kenny substituted in the 68th minute), Towell, Poom and Greene (Gaffney added in the 68th minute).
The game was overseen by referee P. McLaughlin of Donegal.