Eoin Toal saved a point for Derry City when he headed in from the spot in the 94th minute, keeping the points for the Finn Harps at The Brandywell. Eoin Toal picked an excellent time to net his first goal of the season, saving energy for Derry City with a 94th-minute equaliser against Finn Harps. Will Patching scored another impressive goal from free-kick range on Friday evening as he put Derry City back in the points on equal terms with Finn Harps.
The last thing Derry City needed was to concede early, but that is what happened, with Finn Harps taking the lead just after the eight-minute mark. In the fifth minute, James Clarke put Finn Harps ahead, then Eric MacWoods and Yoyo Mahdi struck for the hosts. Elsewhere in the League of Ireland, Finn Harps drew 2-2 with Drogheda United, while Treaty United sealed a 2-0 victory over Division One opponents Athlone Town.
Derry City has the third-best home record in League of Ireland Premier Division this term, picking up 15 points from nine games, and faced a Finn Harps outfit who has picked up just five points from Finn Harps’s eight away fixtures this term. On Friday evening, Finn Harps helped to halt the Derry City title challenge when they held off the Candy Stripes in a 2-2 draw at Brandywell, relegating them to third place behind a resurgent Dundalk.
Patrick McEleney was left off in the goalless draw against St Pats at Brandywell on May 9. Since then, Derry City has lost three of their next four games, including a derby draw last game where they needed an Eoin Toal equaliser in the 94th minute to break this worrying run of defeats. Patrick McEleney’s absence has undoubtedly been a factor in Derry’s struggle to break teams who seem unwilling to give the Candy Stripes the runaround, most notably by putting St Pats and UCD to the sword at the end of last month.
In fact, Ruaidhri Higgins’s side has only picked up two points in their past five games for Derry City, losing each of their past three against Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk and Sligo Rovers. The pair will come into this match with a frustrating form, but Derry City possesses the superior quality all-round, with Sports Mole backing the home side to end their recent losing streak with an important win against Finn Harps. Derry Metropolitan dropped down to 3rd on the table within the Premier Division following their last-gasp 2-2 draw against derby rivals Finn Harps at The Brandywell. Derry City captain Eoin Toal rose highest to meet a cross from Will Patching and head in a superb header past Mark McGinley at just the moment when it looked as though Derry City were about to suffer their fourth straight defeat.
