Maybe unsurprisingly, a fiery affair played out between two sides who have been struggling for form lately. Both teams had failed to win in their last three games and were badly in need of a boost in morale. That boost went the way of the visitors a
Maybe unsurprisingly, a fiery affair played out between two sides who have been struggling for form lately.
Both teams had failed to win in their last three games and were badly in need of a boost in morale. That boost went the way of the visitors as they enjoyed the better of the first half and took the lead 22 minutes in when Aaron McEneff played an excellent ball through the middle of the Bohs defence and Rory McHale ran through unopposed to slot past the onrushing Shane Supple - bagging his first goal for the club in the process.
Hale was involved again when the visitors doubled their lead just three minutes later. Bohs managed to head clear a corner into the box but it fell into the path of Hale, whose shot ricocheted around the area before Rory Patterson reacted first to fire low into the bottom corner.
Bohs improved in the first half but, in truth, they couldn't get much worse. Effort was there in abundance but the final ball let them down time after time.
Substitute JJ Lunney's fine finish from the edge of the box flew past the despairing dive of Gerard Doherty and nestled into the bottom corner on 86 minutes to give Bohs some hope of getting something from the game.
However, Derry managed to hold out during a tense finale, with a melee between players from both sides taking place as they walked back towards the tunnel.
