FAI Cup: Derry City 1 Drogheda Utd 1
DROGHEDA UNITED goalkeeper Stephen McGuinness produced a man-of-the-match display to frustrate Derry City and earn his side a FAI Cup replay at the Brandywell on Friday night.
The young netminder made a host of top drawer saves and also kept out Rory Patterson’s second half penalty, before a controversial decision by Paul Tuite resulted in Derry finally scoring from the spot. Although City dominated things and in truth should have won the tie, they now face a tricky encounter at United Park on Tuesday evening.
United had the first effort at goal on three minutes but Aaron Ashe’s effort from the left hand side was well saved by Gerard Doherty. City’s first test came on 19 minutes but Rory Patterson’s close range effort, while on the slide was parried around the post by United keeper Stephen McGuinness.
A minute Joshua Daniels should have broken the deadlock when he picked up a loose ball some 20 yards from goal before racing into the box, but his 12-yard drive was saved by McGuinness’s legs. McGuinness made a stunning save on 26 minutes when he got down low to his left hand corner and managed to tip Conor McCormack’s close range strike around the post.
A defensive mistake on 33 minutes by City skipper Ryan McBride resulted in the opening goal for the visitors. The captain’s back-pass was well short and O’Connor latched onto it, although his first shot was saved by Doherty, his follow-up effort from close range found the net. Derry were inches away from levelling things virtually straight away, but Aaron Barry’s header from Keith Ward’s corner, which was goal-bound, was headed off the line by Kenneth Costello.
Right at the start of the second-half, the woodwork came to United’s rescue as Aaron McEneff’s piledriver from 25 yards, which had McGuinness well beaten, came crashing back down off the underside of the bar, before Stephen Dunne cleared the loose ball.
Derry were awarded a penalty on 57 minutes after Daniels was brought down inside the box by Jake Hyland, but McGuinness did well diving to his right to keep out Patterson’s resulting penalty. The Brandywell men were frustrated moments later when another long range strike from McEneff, which looked to be touched by McGuinness, rattled the bar.
Boss Kenny Shiels made a change on 60 minutes as Austrian new signing Lukas Schubert, who finally received his clearance, came off the bench to replace Keith Ward. On 73 minutes, the home side were awarded a controversial second penalty as new signing Schubert raced clear of the United defence before falling under the challenge of McGuinness, amazingly referee Paul Tuite pointed to the spot, much to the frustration of the keeper.
After the dust finally settled, McEneff took over the penalty duties and made no mistake from 12 yards planting the ball low into the bottom left hand corner.
