City advanced the quarter finals of the 2013 EA Sports Cup but it was a nervy night for the Candystripes before the visitors emerged victorious from the penalty shootout.

Declan Devine made five changes from Friday’s victory over Drogheda, with suspensions forcing him into a number of changes.  This allowed the likes of  Ryan Curran and Michael Duffy an opportunity, whilst Stewart Greacen staked a claim for a first team spot.  Peter Hutton on the other hand made eight changes to his last league game as Harps looked for their first victory against Derry in over a decade.

The home side started brightly and were the better of the two sides before City took the lead just before the quarter of an hour mark.  Harps failed to deal with a cross into the box and it was only half cleared, before being returned into the box.  Rory Patterson latched onto it and fashioned the opener with a combination swivel/overhead kick to fire it past Gallagher.  Having hit the front, City enjoyed their best spell of the game with Madden and Patterson both having further opportunities to increase the lead.  Madden nearly latched onto an underhit backpass whilst Patterson had a volley deflected wide off Cowan.

Harps, deploying McVeigh as a lone striker, were able to crowd the midfield and were enjoying plenty of possession.  McVeigh led the line impressively and caused Greacen all sorts of problems, with the big Scot picking up a yellow in the first half and may consider himself lucky not to have seen red after a series of challenges in the second half.  The home side picked up the tempo close to the half time whistle and Harkin fired just wide of Doherty’s goal.  However they were not to be denied for long as a minute before the break Bonner flighted a terrific ball into the box and O’Hagan got a head to it for the equaliser.

City nearly retook the lead in the early moments of the second half, when a terrific ball into the box by McNamee was met by the head of Shane McEleney.  He saw his header crash off off the post and into the hands of Gallagher in the home goal.  The game was the normal, fiercely contested encounter that generally ensures when these sides meet, however it was clear that Harps are a significantly improved outfit from the team that City knocked out of both cup competitions last season.

As both sides tried to grab the lead, Bonner forced Doherty into a low save, whilst Greacen headed just over from a corner.  City’s tasks was made harder when they were reduced to ten following the sending off of Patterson who picked up a second yellow after an altercation with Coll.  The game headed for extra time and despite being down to ten men, the visitors looked the stronger side with Griffin and Madden both having chances.  Indeed Harps nearly gifted City a goal when Bonner and Gallagher were involved in a mix up for Harps.  However Keith Cowan saved their blushes when he cleared off the line.

The game headed for penalties and both sides missed their opening kicks, before scoring the next four “regulation” penalties.  As we headed into sudden death,McCaffrey and McGowan converted before Madden missed his spot kick for City but McVeigh missed for Harps.  However with Raymond Foy scoring for City the pressure was on Bonner who skied his kicked to send City into the next round.

City travel to Ballybofey this evening for the EA Sports Cup tie against Finn Harps looking to build on Friday night’s victory over Drogheda.  However Declan Devine will have to use the full depth of his squad as a combination of injuries and suspension combine to deny him the services of many front line players.

City will be without Barry Molloy and Ryan McBride through suspension, with both players ruled out having picked up four yellow cards so far this season.  Devine is also without Thomas Crawley, Patrick Kavanagh, Michael Rafter and Patrick McEleney.  Crawley and Kavanagh continue their come back, whilst Rafter and McEleney both picked up knocks in the last week.  McEleney picked up his injury whilst training with the Northern Ireland U-21s and speaking before the Drogheda game, the midfielder was unsure how long he may be absent for.

On a positive note, Dermot McCaffrey is available after his suspension, whilst Stewart Greacen is also available to slot into defence to replace McBride.  In the midfield, Kevin Deery made his long awaited comeback on Friday and suffered no ill effects before being substituted late in the game whilst his midfield partner Higgins also made his return without any issues.

Michael Duffy has become a regular substitute for the Candystripes and may feature more prominently in the game this evening, whilst the likes of Ryan Curran will also be looking for game time against Peter Hutton’s men.

City travel to Louth tomorrow in the hope of putting two successive losses behind them and to re-establish the form which saw them rise to the upper elechons of the league table.  However it won’t be easy against a Drogheda side still smarting from last week’s defeat in the Setanta Sports Cup final, 7-1 at the hands of Shamrock Rovers.

City of course are on a two game losing streak, shipping seven goals against Sligo and U.C.D as the Candystripes early season form deserted them.  The Drogs already have one over City when a late Ryan Brennan strike dumped City out of the Setanta Sports Cup at the the same venue.  Mick Cooke’s side were also one of the few sides to take points off City so far this season, when a Gabriel Sava inspired performance in the Brandywell saw them leave with a share of the spoils.

Indeed in the last ten meetings between the teams, City have won three, draw three and lost four so the side are more than aware of the challenge posed by the Boynesiders.  Speaking to Cityweb ahead of the game, Declan Devine was are of the threat posed

“I was in Limerickon Tuesday evening to see Drogheda and I thought they were very good indeed, Obviously after their loss to Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Sports Cup final Mick Cooke made a lot of changes to their side and they seemed to work as they played very well. As far as recent records are concerned they go out the window as soon as the take to the pitch and we will as always prepare to try and win what we have no doubt will be a very physical battle on Friday evening.”

City will have to reshuffle the defence significantly, with Dermot McCaffrey suspended as a result of his red card last week.  Thomas Crawley, the other specialist full back is out through injury.  City will also have to plan without Higgins and Kavanagh who are still out injury and therefore unavailable.

The game will be live on Drive 105 for those not travelling.

An action packed second half for those in attendance at Brandywell with six goals in the forty five minutes, but four of them were for the visitors.

The students hit the front after 60 minutes when a mazy dribble saw Doherty make a good first save, only for Benson to pounch on the rebound and increase the jitters around the Brandywell. However the Candystripes upped there game and after Rafter head an easy chance wide, Patterson struck a stunning equaliser on the turn from 20 yards out.

Minutes later Derry were back in the driving seat when McNamee curled a beautiful effort into the top corner from a free. At this stage it was all City as the Candystripes had several chances to make the game safe, not least when Houston hit the bar. It was to be a chance they were rue as UCD staged a stunning “counter comeback”.

McBride slipped on the edge of the box and McCaffrey hauled down Benson and saw a straight red for his efforts. McMillan stepped up and equalised. As City looked to get back into the game, UCD won another penalty which drew the ire of the home crowd. Once again McMillan slotted home to send the students in front at a stunned Brandywell.

City tried to get back into the game but down to ten men they were up against it and Clarke provided the nail in the coffin with a stunning finish in injury time to make it 4-2 and wrap up all three points. Having seen his side protect the best defensive record in the league, manager Devine has now seen his squad leak seven goals in five days and take no points from the last two games.

After seeing his side slump to a 3-0 defeat in Sligo on Monday, City boss Declan Devine is hoping that his side can pick themselves up at home to Martin Russell’s U.C.D tomorrow and claim all three points.  The manager can welcome back one of his long term injury victims, Stewart Greacen, who is likely to be pressed into immediate action in the back four.

Shane McEleney received a red card for a challenge leading to a penalty in Sligo in Monday and thus Greacen is likely to return straight to the action in the heart of the defence alongside Ryan McBride.  The Candystripes continued their disappointing run in Sligo and for the second Bank Holiday Monday in three season they were on the wrong side of a 3-0 scorelines.  The victory put an end to City’s brief stay at the top of the division and with results elsewhere, City are tied with St Pat’s in second place, three points behind the League leaders.

The Candystripes couldn’t have asked for better opponents than U.C.D, having put six past the Students earlier in the season, including a Patterson hat trick.  However the Belfield based side has seen a recent upturn in fortune with wins over Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians meaning that the students have their eye on taking something from the Brandywell and closing the gap to the middle pack in the division.

Speaking to Cityweb ahead of game, Devine noted “”After events last Monday, it’s great to be able to return to the field so quickly. We need to dust ourselves down and move onto the next big game and for us that’s against U.C.D. ”

“We know what to expect, and despite a great result earlier in the season I expect this game to be very close indeed. U.C.D will come here looking to get revenge for that result and will be full of confidence after great wins against Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians.”

“For us we need to get back to winning ways as soon as we can and the fact we are at the Brandywell will be a great advantage to us”

City should not be lulled into a false sense of security by a U.C.D side which plundered four points from the Brandywell last season

City fans leaving the Brandywell last night may have had broad smiles but many were shaking their heads as to how the Candystripes managed to grab a win.  Limerick held onto their lead for their guts of an hour but then in a space of five minutes saw their three points crumble away to nothing after later strikes by Griffin and Patterson.

Declan Devine had stressed all week that Limerick were not a side to be underestimated and it was the visitors who had the better of the first half.  Tracy clipped the outside of the post with a curling free after a quarter of the hour as the visitors began to get the upper hand in the middle of the park.  Shortly afterwards Limerick missed a glorious chance when he stabbed at a cross from Kelly and sent it wide with the Derry defence all at sea.

In the 28th minute the visitors got the reward for their effort.  A corner from Tracy was headed home by the centre half Folan as the Derry defence powerless to compete with the physical presence of the Limerick side.  The home side appeared to be unable to cope with the Limerick tactics of flooding the midfield.  City had one chance in the first half when a thunderbolt from Rafter was somehow kept out by Ryan in the Limerick goal.  The keeper got a hand to the shot and then clawed it back as it spun towards goal.

It was clear that strong words were issued in the City dressing room as the side started with a much higher tempo in the second half.  However Limerick appeared comfortable at containing the City pressure.  Patterson was sent clear on 51 minutes but his shot was saved by the legs of Ryan in the home goal.  With time running out drastic changes were called for and Declan Devine opted for them, with City taking off McBride and going to three at the back.  Houston and Patrick McEleney were introduced from the bench to try and provide a greater threat from midfield.

Indeed Houston was centrally involved in the equaliser as he made a nuisance of himself on a number of occasions during a scramble at the edge of the box.  The ball eventually fell to Griffin and whilst the player had struggled for periods, he showed no hesitation to fire it low beyond Ryan.  Anyone who witnessed assistant manager Paul Hegarty’s celebration could see the relief as the Brandywell crowd erupted.

Limerick looked rattled as City poured forward in the search of a winner.  A deep cross into the box fell to McNamee who lined up a shot.  The ball fell to Patterson and with Limerick appealing for offside the striker sent Ryan the wrong way to provoke absolute mayhem in the Brandywell.

A big three points at the Brandywell as City extended the unbeaten run to 9 games and with results elsewhere, find themselves on top after the first series of games.

City host Premier Division new boys Limerick tomorrow night as they look to finish the first series of games in the 2013 season on a high.  The Candystripes haven’t lost since the opening game of the season and their form has propelled them to second place in the table.

Stuart Taylor’s side have made a confident start to the season, and find themselves safely in mid table.  The Blues are on their own unbeaten run of five games and City players and fans would be well reminded that the only game they have lost on the road was away to Sligo Rovers.  The Munster side are looking to bridge the game to the top four sides and are averaging more than two goals a game on their travels.

The last time the clubs met was in the First Division back in 2010, when a Mark Farren goal gave City a one nil victory, but City fans may remember back to the League Cup Final in 2002 when Limerick won 3-2 on penalties in the Brandywell after the two legs.

Declan Devine had this to say ahead of the game,

“At this stage of the season games are coming quick and fast and it’s important that we focus on each game and perform to the best of our ability. I have been very impressed with the squad as a whole so far and bar the disappointment of the opening day defeat to Sligo Rovers I feel we have been very good.

Our main aim is to finish this series of games off with a win but we can be under no illusions when it comes to Limerick, Stuart Taylor has put together a great squad with real depth and great attacking options. They have already shown in the first 10 games that they are more than a match for any team and we will have to be at our best to come away with all three points”

On the team front, Devine had welcome news to report with Stewart Greacen back in full time training and may find a spot on the bench for tomorrow’s games.  Added to that, Sean Houston showed no reaction to injury to his return last week and is available for selection tomorrow night.  City continue to plan without Kevin Deery and Patrick Kavanagh but of whom will be out for a couple of weeks.

The Cup met in 2006 at the same stage in the competition, with City running out 3-1 winners at O’Shea Park on that occasions.  Goals from Mark Farren(2) and Ciaran Martyn saw City advance to the third round on that occasion.

Live Coverage on Drive 105 and BBC Radio Foyle

City travel to Richmond Park tomorrow night to meet another of the league’s in from sides, St Patrick’s Athletic.  The Saints have won their last four games in a row, including last week victory over league leaders, Sligo Rovers.

City of course are unbeaten since the opening day of the season and will be hoping to extend this run tomorrow night in Inchicore.

City of course defeated St Pats in last year’s FAI Cup Final and also defeated the Saints in the final league game of last season.  However Declan Devine’s team suffered a heavy three nil reverse at the venue in September last year and the manager is very alert to the danger that tomorrow’s opponents pose.

“I have been down to watch St Pats a number of times over the last couple of weeks and I feel that Liam has put together a great squad and the additions of both Killian Brennan and Conan Byrne have added to their attacking options.”

The manager has seen his side show impressive form since the opening day defeat to Sligo Rovers and spoke on this weeks RTÉ Monday Night Soccer about his pleasure at the progress of the side so far this season.  Ahead of tomorrow night’s game, the thoughts of the manager were very much in a similiar vein

“We are all really looking forward to this game as we know it will be a great test of our character and we will be able to judge how far we have come since the start of the season.

 I have no doubt that tomorrow’s game will be a very exciting and entertaining game of football and one that could go either way. Both teams will be full of confidence after recent results, but I know our lads will be up for it and hopefully we can keep our good run of form going.”

City will be missing the long term absentees of  Stewart Greacen, Kevin Deery and Sean Houston.  Paddy Kavanagh was forced out of the Rovers game and is expected to be missing for a couple of games, with Patrick McEleney likely to be restored to a spot on the winger.  The youngster started on the bench last week but replaced Kavanagh early in the game and provided a pin point cross for Barry McNamee for the opener last week.

Devine does welcome back Shane McEleney after his one match ban and his presence is a boost to a defence which has conceded only four goals all season, and only one away from home.

Up front, Devine will again look to Patterson and Rafter to provide the firepower, although neither were on the scoresheet last week against Shamrock Rovers.  Barry McNamee has three goals from three games and is will likely again start on the flank, drifting inside to provide support.

St Pats, who announced a new shirt sponsor today, will be keen to put on show for their home fans after last week’s televised victory over Sligo.  A win for the home side will cut the gap between City and Pats to a single point, with the Saints having a match in hand.  Both sides however will be striving to ensure that they don’t fall further behind Sligo at the top of the table.

Friday night is League of Ireland night, and tomorrow is shaping up to be quite the tussle.