Bohemians 0-1 Derry City
Not for the first time this season, Rory Patterson proved Derry City’s match winner as they took three valuable points home from Dalymount Park.
Patterson’s early strike was enough to move Kenny Shiels’ Candystripes within three points of second in the table Cork City as they maintain their challenge for a European place next season.
Bohemians made five changes in the wake of their 3-1 derby defeat at Shamrock Rovers last week with goalkeeper Shane Supple and Ian Morris making starting debuts while Eoin Wearen, Paddy Kavanagh and Ayman Ben Mohamed came back into the side.
Lucas Schubert and Josh Daniels started for Derry in boss Shiels' only two changes from their 4-0 defeat of bottom side Longford Town last week.
A tame start to the game saw Bohs carve the first chance nine minutes in - only for Derry to take the lead seconds later.
Gypsies’ striker Ismahil Akinade’s strength and persistence got the better of Derry defender Niclas Vemmelund, though he just couldn’t lift the ball over keeper Ger Doherty who made the save.
Scarcely a minute later Derry had what would prove their winner with a delightfully worked goal.
Daniels linked with Aaron McEneff on the left to feed the ball into the area for the run of central midfield partner Conor Cormack. He squared it to Patterson to scoop the ball over Supple to the net for his ninth league strike of the season.
Bohs responded with a decent passage of possession culminating with Akinade heading well over the top from Jake Kelly’s corner.
Doherty was then worked for the first time on 28 minutes as the Candystripes' keeper tipped over Wearen’s crisp drive from distance as Bohs enjoyed their first dominant spell in the game.
From Kelly’s resulting corner, Dan Byrne sliced wide at the back post.
The threat on the counter-attack very much remained, though, and Derry might have doubled their lead on 42 minutes.
Schubert broke on the right to put over a terrific cross to find Patterson, but the striker couldn’t get any real power in his header which was comfortably dealt with by Supple.
Kelly thought he’d levelled for Bohs 11 minutes into the second half, but his effort from Paddy Kavanagh’s cross was ruled out for offside.
Substitute Mark Quigley flashed a header off target from another Kavangah delivery on 63 minutes as Bohs pressed for the equaliser.
And they really should have found it on 72 minutes. Quigley nipped in behind onto Vemmelund’s weak back header. Doherty got his central defender out of jail with a finger-tip save of Quigley’s attempted flick over him.
Derry wasted their only chance to nick a second six minutes later. Schubert and Barry McNamee combined to tee up McCormack who volleyed wide from a promising position.
Bohs then blew a late, late chance to level five minutes into stoppage time when Morris toed wide from substitute Kurtis Byrne’s pull-back.
Bohemians: Shane Supple; Derek Pender, Dan Byrne, Dave Mulcahy, Ian Morris; Eoin Wearen (Kurtis Byrne 74), Roberto Lopes; Paddy Kavanagh (Marco Chindea 90), Jake Kelly (Mark Quigley 57), Ayman Ben Mohamed; Ismahil Akinade.
Derry City: Ger Doherty; Conor McDermott, Niclas Vemmelund, Aaron Barry, Dean Jarvis; Aaron McEneff, Conor McCormack; Lucas Schubert (Harry Monaghan 81), Barry McNamee, Josh Daniels (Nathan Boyle 74); Rory Patterson (Jordan Allan 90+1).
Referee: Neil Doyle (Dublin).
