Allianz Football League Division Three round six
Derry 0-14 Clare 0-4
DERRY waltzed back to Division One for the first time since 2015 with Rory Gallagher’s men easily overcoming Clare despite pulling up in the second half.
The home side had eight different scorers, with Clare not lifting a flag until a 42nd-minute point from Pearse Lillis. By that stage, Derry were 11 points clear and never looked in any danger.
The win makes next Sunday’s visit to Páirc Uí Chaoimh a dead-rubber, with Rory Gallagher giving his side a week off ahead of the League final and the Championship preparations around the corner.
Clare won the toss and elected to play against the wind, but it was Derry who stamped their authority on the game early on thanks to the pace of their counter-attack with Conor McCluskey and Ethan Doherty at its centre.
Both teams flooded men back, but Derry’s greater cutting edge on the front foot tore Clare asunder.
Of Derry’s first nine attacks, they got a shot off on eight occasions, registering seven points, with Paul Cassidy’s dropped shot the only blot on their copybook.
By contrast, Clare didn’t attack with the same power and Derry easily closed the door on them.
It took 28 minutes before Emmet McMahon hit their first shot. That dropped short with Dermot Coughlan registering a first wide in stoppage time.
The first nine minutes yielded only an early Niall Loughlin score, with both teams keeping ball for sustained periods.
An excellent rob on Cathal O’Connor by Ethan Doherty was one of the many turnovers in the first half, with McCluskey gliding effortlessly upfield as Derry poured everyone forward.
McGuigan, Glass and Doherty added points as Derry went four ahead by the 15th minute, etching the writing on the wall for what was to follow.
Derry were 0-9 to 0-0 ahead by half-time and added two further scores before Lillis opened the Clare account.
Emmet McMahon and Dermot Coughlan added Banner scores, but they never looked like causing Derry any serious bother.
The only flashpoint came in the 40th minute. Keelan Sexton left too much on Chrissy McKaigue and Conor Glass, with late tackles in quick succession.
It sparked a brief bout of wrestling, with little danger of anything spilling over, leading to bookings for Sexton and McKaigue.
Podge Collins was dismissed on a black card with 10 minutes to go, but Derry never really pushed on. They didn’t need to. Conor Glass, who was everywhere in the Derry cause, somehow spurned an easy goal chance. It might have mattered on another day, but not yesterday.
It was all about getting the job done to allow a week of breathing space. As it turned out, Louth were turning Cork over in Ardee at the same time.
It takes Derry’s unbeaten run to 10 games since their All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway.
There was still the grit between the teeth to keep another clean sheet in the last meaningful play.
Derry coughed up cheap possession, but McKaigue’s footwork and desire combined to deny Sexton a certain goal from close-range and in front of an empty net.
Derry O Lynch, C McKaigue, C McCluskey; E McEvoy; G McKinless (0-1); C Doherty (0-1) , P McGrogan; C Glass (0-1), B Rogers, Paul Cassidy (0-1); S McGuigan (0-5, 1m, 1f), E Doherty (0-3); N Toner; B Heron (0-1), N Loughlin (0-1)
Subs Padraig Cassidy for E McEvoy (40), S Downey for C Doherty (56), M Downey for N Loughlin (64), C McGuckian for B Heron (64), N O’Donnell for B Rogers (67)
Yellow card C McKaigue (40)
Clare S Ryan; M Doherty, C Brennan, R Lanigan; P Lillis (0-1); C Russell, J Malone, A Sweeney; C O’Connor, D Bohannon; D Coughlan (0-1), Ugweru, E McMahon (0-2); K Sexton, E Cleary
Subs P Collins for I Ugweru (HT), C Rouine for A Sweeney (HT), G Cooney for C Russell (43), M Garry for R Lanigan (55), B Rouine for M Doherty (64)
Black card P Collins (50)
Yellow cards C Russell (40), K Sexton (48)
Referee P Faloon (Down)
