Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic 1 (Keena 27 pen) Derry City 1 (Clarke 72)
James Clarke salvaged a big point for Derry City as they came from behind to frustrate St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park.
The home side enjoyed much of the ball for long periods of the game but failed to build on Aidan Keena’s first-half penalty.
Though he committed the foul for that spot kick, Brian Maher made several big saves as Derry rallied late on to score a fine 73rd-minute equaliser.
A third successive draw means St Pat’s once again failed to make up significant ground on leaders Shamrock Rovers, who remain seven points ahead of them.
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With just six wins from 26 games now, pre-season title pretenders Derry remain sixth and well off the European qualification places.
Following his social media comments after Thursday’s exit from Europe to Croatian side Rijeka, veteran winger James McClean was left out of the Derry squad and didn’t travel to Dublin.
Asked to comment on the situation after the game, head coach Tiernan Lynch was non-committal. “My job is to concentrate on what’s going on on the field,” said Lynch.
Pressed on whether he felt undermined by the comments, Lynch declined to say whether McClean had a future at the club or whether he would be disciplined.
“See this group of players, they’re a fantastic group of players in that dressingroom and that’s my concentration, that’s my commitment and that’s what I’m here to talk about,” he said.
“I am going to talk about the group that’s in there. Anybody who wants to talk about anything other than today’s game, I’ve not any interest in it.”
St Pat’s started positively, Darragh Nugent shooting wide after a Jay McClelland shot had been deflected to him.
That came after just 20 seconds. Less than a minute later, Kian Leavy went on a slaloming run, hurdling several challenges before his drive was blocked by the well-positioned Brooklyn Lyons-Foster.
Moments later, Derry defender Jamie Stott’s header from a Keena free-kick had to be tipped over the top by his own goalkeeper Maher, though referee Rob Harvey had already whistled for a foul by Luke Turner.
At the other end, Derry worked home goalkeeper Joseph Anang for the first time on eight minutes.
Ex-Saint Darragh Burns cheekily nutmegged Turner on the right to cross for Clarke whose header was tipped over for the game’s first corner.
In a lively opening, Maher soon saw action on the double at the Kilmainham end of the ground.
First, the Candystripes’ goalkeeper made a fine save to deny Leavy after a surging counterattack by Keena and Nugent.
Leavy then teed up Keena with a pullback on the right but the striker never got hold of his shot, which was comfortably saved.
Having rescued his side, Maher would contribute to St Pat’s taking a deserved lead on 27 minutes.
Keena’s free-kick into the area deflected into the path of Nugent. Though Maher was quickly off his line, he tripped the St Pat’s midfielder to concede a penalty and Keena blasted the spot-kick straight down the middle.
The Derry custodian was solid thereafter. He made a terrific save to deny Ryan Edmondson three minutes before half-time following Turner’s galloping run from deep, even if an offside flag had gone up anyway.
St Pat’s began the second half as they did the first. James Brown rifled into the side-netting when he should have doubled their lead after Maher parried McClelland’s shot into his path.
A loose clearance then gifted Jamie Lennon a sight of goal, but the midfield anchor’s shot flashed just past the post.
Keena then put Edmondson in behind, but Maher got down smartly to save.
The pressure on the visitors’ goal was relentless, but Maher again rescued his side with a diving stop from a Kenna free-kick. St Pat’s couldn’t believe they hadn’t added to their lead.
Having survived, Derry made a quadruple substitution just past the hour mark as they chased the game.
The personnel change worked as they were rewarded on 73 minutes, though St Pat’s felt there was a handball in the build-up.
Joe Redmond and Lennon couldn’t properly clear Lyons-Foster’s ball into the box. It dropped for Clarke on the edge of the area and the attacking midfielder took a touch before driving a rising shot past Anang and into the net.
Elsewhere, Waterford continued their solid rejuvenation under Graham Coughlan as they beat Shelbourne 1-0 at the RSC to stretch their unbeaten league run to five games and edge three points clear of bottom side Sligo Rovers.
Following a tight first-half, Waterford got the game’s only goal three minutes after the interval. Tommy Lonergan dived low to head home Padraig Amond’s right-wing cross for his 13th goal of the season – maintaining his superiority at the top of the Premier Division scoring charts.
The in-form forward was presented with a golden opportunity to add to his tally eight minutes later when Jack Henry-Francis pulled down Evan McLaughlin inside the area. Lonergan could only look on in disappointment, though, as his penalty came back off the crossbar.
And Sunday’s late fixture ended in a 1-1 draw between Bohemians and Galway United at Dalymount. Colm Whelan opened the scoring for the hosts from the penalty spot on 23 minutes, but Aaron Bolger pulled Galway back level before the break.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Anang; Redmond, Hoare, Turner; Brown (Breslin, 64), Lennon, Nugent (Sheridan, 82), McClelland; Leavy (Baggley, h-t); Keena (Olusanya, 73), Edmondson.
DERRY CITY: Maher; Lyons-Forster, Barr (Smith, 66), Stott, Fleming (Slevin, 90+1); Twisk, O’Reilly; Chapman (P McClean, 66); Burns (L Boyce, 66), Clarke (Olayinka, 80), Duffy (Cotter, 66).
Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin).
