St Patrick's Athletic were left frustrated after a 1-0 defeat at Derry City on Monday night. Kenny's side dominated the match statistically but were undone by a single second-half goal.
Kévin Santos scored the winner for Derry in the 62nd minute, finishing an assist from Darragh Burns. That moment punished the Saints for their profligacy in front of goal. They finished the game with 29 attempts, ten corners, and 53 percent of the ball. Only five of those shots were on target, however, and Derry goalkeeper Brian Maher made five saves to preserve his clean sheet.
Kenny set his team up in a 3-1-4-2 formation, with Anang in goal behind a back three of Redmond, Hoare and Luke Turner. The visitors controlled the tempo from the start but could not find a breakthrough. Anthony Olusanya received a yellow card for a foul ten minutes before the interval.
Manager makes changes
Looking for a spark, Kenny made a double substitution just before the hour mark, sending on Ryan Edmondson and Jason McClelland for Aidan Keena and Anto Breslin. The changes came just before the decisive goal. After Santos struck, Kenny responded by introducing Christopher Forrester and Ryan Sheridan. Forrester was later booked for a handball. Romal Palmer also entered the fray for the final quarter of an hour.
The loss is St Patrick's second in a row, following a 2-1 home defeat to Shelbourne last week, where Jamie Lennon scored their goal from a Barry Baggley assist. It leaves them third in the Premier Division with 59 points from 33 games, a record of 17 wins, eight draws and eight losses. They have scored 53 goals and conceded 27 this season. They now sit six points behind leaders Shamrock Rovers. Their recent form across the last five games shows three wins and two losses, but they have lost their last two matches. Their next chance to respond comes quickly with a trip to face Galway United on Friday 23 October. Galway are seventh in the standings. The Saints won the last meeting between the sides 3-0 in July. The squad will be looking to top scorer Mark Melia, who has 13 goals this season, to help rediscover their scoring touch at Eamonn Deacy Park.
Derry City interim manager Mark Connolly praised stand-in captain Patrick McClean for his leadership in the 1-0 win over St Patrick's Athletic on 19 October. "I seen when he put on that armband tonight, he grew a few inches taller," Connolly said. The manager revealed he had considered whether the extra responsibility, amid media scrutiny of McClean's brother James, would add pressure. St Patrick's, who have lost their last two matches, are third in the Premier Division with 59 points from 34 games.
Derry City manager Mark Connolly said Monday's 1-0 win over St Patrick's Athletic was a vital response after a defeat. "A win is huge for momentum. Our priority tonight was to put in a good performance and a reaction to Friday night," Connolly said on 21 October. He confirmed key players Michael Duffy and Adam O'Reilly are injured, giving others a chance to stake a claim for the FAI Cup final.
