Derry had to come from behind to earn a draw and keep themselves in control of their title chase.
Not Shelbourne. Despite being top since March, bar a week or two, they have won just one of their last 10 league games. Yet their recent hesitancy in troubling the engravers have not encouraged their pursuers.
In contrast, Shamrock Rovers, the defending champions, have finally found their groove. They remain a point ahead of Derry, two adrift of leaders Shels, but the difference is they have history when it comes to sealing the deal.They seized the early initiative and then failed to make it count, surrendering their advantage by marking poorly when Bohs attacked down the left, Derry’s defence leaving Archie Meekison unmarked in the penalty area.
With all three chances coming inside the opening 20 minutes, it seemed only a matter of time before a goal would arrive.Except the scorer was a Bohs player rather than a Derry one as Meekison angled his diagonal run perfectly to get on the end of Dayle Rooney’s cross and sidefoot his subsequent shot beyond Brian Maher.The atmosphere, while not raucous, quietened significantly.
The answer ultimately was yes, Higgins deciding on 57 minutes to replace his injured left back, Ben Doherty with a striker, Danny Mullen. Still, they had work to do, a draw being of limited use to them, whereas a win would provide them not just with three points but also the springboard to launch into the final five games of their season with the intention of finishing 2024 with a league and cup double.
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