SSE Airtricity League Premier Division
Cork City...(0) 0
Derry City...(0) 1
Boyce (75)
Derry City secured European football for next season following a deserved but hard fought win at lowly Cork City.
Ronan Boyce's stunning second half strike was enough for the Brandywell men to win the three points, in terrible wintery-like conditions.
The victory made it a clean-sweep for the Foylesiders over the Leesiders this season and Boyce's wonder goal was his second of the campaign at Turner's Cross.
Derry's success combined with Shamrock Rovers' victory at St Patrick's Athletic, which secured them their fourth league title in a row, meant the Candy Stripes moved back into second place.
The Foylesiders made three changes to their side which drew with Shelbourne; in came Boyce, Mark Connolly and Brandon Kavanagh for the suspended Sadou Diallo, while duo Shane McEleney and Daniel Mullen dropped to the bench.
Mullen being amongst the substitutes meant that Derry started the encounter with winger Michael Duffy playing through the middle as a central striker.
With a lot of rain falling in Cork over the last few weeks, the Turner's Cross surface was very heavy underfoot and cut-up badly early on and certainly didn't help either side.
The visitors went close on 29 minutes as Will Patching's curling 20 yard left wing free-kick was clipped over the wall, but Cork net-minder Tiernan Brooks dived to his right to parry the effort away.
The woodwork came to the Rebel Army's rescue early in the second half, as Paul McMullan's floated pass into Duffy's path down the left hand side of the box, ended with the former Celtic man's first time volley coming crashing back off the post and Adam O'Reilly was unable to turn home the rebound.
With their tails up the visitors continued to press for the opening goal and they went close again on 47 minutes as Cork native O'Reilly saw his 20 yard drive pushed away by a diving Brooks.
Both sides made changes in the second half, with Ruaidhri Higgins' substitutes certainly attack minded with trio Patrick McEleney, Jordan McEneff and Daniel Mullen replacing O'Reilly, Paul McMullan and Brandon Kavanagh.
Derry broke the deadlock in stunning fashion on 75 minutes as Boyce played a neat one-two with Cameron Dummigan, before the right-back made no mistake from some 25 yards, firing high into Brooks' top right-hand corner.
The points should have been wrapped up on 87 minutes as Dummigan's stunning through ball released Mullen, but after racing clear, the substitute's left-footed angled drive flashed just wide.
Right at the death, a brave last ditch block by Cameron McJannet denied Tunde Owolabi an equaliser before Derry keeper Brian Maher tipped over Jonas Häkkinen's looping header in the closing stages.
Cork City: Brooks, Čustović (Walker 70), Coleman (Owolabi 84), Häkkinen, Honohan; Kravchuk, Bolger, Coffey (Dijksteel 61); Bargary (Kabia 70), Keating, Worman (Murphy 70).
Derry City: Maher, Boyce, Connolly (Todd 77), McJannet, Doherty; Dummigan, O'Reilly (Mullen 72), Patching; McMullan (P McEleney 72), Duffy (Coll 92), B Kavanagh (McEneff 72).
Referee: Damien MacGraith (Castlebar)
