A STEPHEN McPHAIL free-kick six minutes from time completed Shamrock Rovers’ comeback to earn them a deserved point at Derry City on Tuesday.
Derry got off to the perfect start thanks to Ronan Curtis’s brace, but goals from Gary McCabe and McPhail’s late strike meant it was as you were in terms of that all-important Europa League spot.
Derry boss Kenny Shiels kept faith with the side which lost at Dundalk last Friday night, while Rovers made three changes to their team which defeated Galway United as David O’Connor, Stephen McPhail and Gary Shaw all started the game.
City took the lead on 17 minutes as a poor clearance by David Webster fell invitingly to Curtis and he made no mistake, firing home from 20 yards. Derry, who were now on the front foot, added a second two minutes later following a well-worked corner routine. Lukas Schubert’s left-wing corner found Rory Patterson at the near post, he chested the ball down into Barry McNamee’s path and his cross was slammed home by an unmarked Curtis.
Rovers pulled a goal back on 39 minutes after some slack play by Aaron McEneff resulted in Rovers winning the ball off the City midfielder before playing in Gary McCabe and he blasted home from just inside the box.
Derry should have done better on 53 minutes after Dean Jarvis’s left wing cross found McNamee, but the midfielder’s poor header from 10 yards was well off target. Soon after, ex-Derry defender Simon Madden set-up a glorious chance for Shaw, but the big front-man failed to trouble Doherty and fired wide from close range.
On 65 minutes a few long balls down field ended up finding Conor McCormack on the edge of the area, but he blasted just over the bar. Doherty was called into action on 77 minutes when, at full stretch, he did well to keep out David Webster’s powerful header from Gary McCabe’s corner.
Rovers levelled things in somewhat fortunate circumstances on 84 minutes as Stephen McPhail’s in-swinging right wing free-kick wasn’t touched and the ball ended up going straight into the net.
In the closing minutes, Dean Jarvis saw his effort saved by Barry Murphy as Derry pushed forward for the winner, which just never came.
