Derry lose 2-0 to Finn Harps in North West Derby. PIX Courtesy of North West News Pix
THE Derry City losing streak shows no sign of letting up.
Three weeks after losing their ‘Captain Courageous’ Ryan McBride in a sudden death, the Candy Stripes have not won or got a point in their last three league games.
That last win was the night before their 27-year-old captain died when Derry City thumped Drogheda 4-0.
City boss Kenny Shiels, in his programme notes, wrote of his side being ‘fired up’ for tonight’s game, but that didn’t resonate on the pitch in front of a sell out crowd.
Banda scored Harps’ first goal and had a big hand in the second, scored by Michael Funston, as Ollie Horgan’s men claimed a precious, priceless win over their old foes.
Harps have had obvious difficulty in derby games ever since Derry toes were first dipped in the League of Ireland in 1985 and they entered this, the 63rd north-west derby, having never beaten Derry in an away League game.
This, though, was an away game with a difference as Harps’ ‘travels’ took them to Buncrana, Derry’s temporary home for the 2017 season – and Harps buried their hoodoo in style.
As the first-half clock went into added time, Banda saw his shot spin wickedly off a Derry defender and loop past Gerard Doherty.
Paddy McCourt, playing against Derry for the first time since his high-profile move to Celtic in 2008, made the goal with a precise pass to 18-year-old Banda, who fired in his first goal since that spellbinding play-off winner.
Banda was introduced for the injured Jonny Bonner in the 22nd minute and proved the difference.
On 81 minutes, Banda was denied by Doherty, but the in-rushing Funston, also on as a substitute, slotted home to the bottom corner.
Funston, indeed, was also on the mark in that play-off win 17 months ago, and the veteran midfielder’s finish was tidy, capitalising on the loose Derry rearguard.
Since the tragic death of their captain, Ryan McBride, last month, Derry have attempted to return to normality.
Since getting back to action, this is now a third loss for Derry, who have shipped eight goals in defeats to Bray, Cork and Harps.
After the break, Banda – energised by the goal on the stroke of half-time – carved an opening for himself on the edge of the box, but a crisp daisy cutter was saved by Doherty.
Twelve minutes from the end, the lively Banda wormed his way through, but saw a shot saved by Doherty when he might well have put the game beyond Derry’s reach.
A Mark Timlin attempt, that flew wide, was about as much as a limp Derry created in the second half.
Banda’s goal came against the run of play in what has been a so-far tepid encounter.
Derry should have hit the front on 15 minutes when Ronan Curtis found himself eye-balling Harps goalkeeper Ciaran Gallagher after Mikhail Kennedy’s long ball wrong-footed Ciaran Coll.
Curtis, with Gallagher narrowing his angles, fired into the side-netting.
Roles were reversed six minutes before the break. Curtis’ delicate pass slipped Kennedy in, but the on-loan Charlton Athletic attacker placed his shot onto almost the same square of the side of the Harps net as Curtis had done.
Derry smelled blood and Aaron McEneff saw a dipping shot superbly turned over the top by Gallagher.
Earlier, Curtis and Dean Jarvis popped tame efforts into Gallagher’s arms that were in keeping with a low-key derby that failed to hit the heights that might have been expected.
Until, that was, Banda opened the scoring and Harps were on their way to a memorable win.
Next up for Derry is an away trip to Sligo Rovers next Saturday night (kick off 7.45 pm).
There is a real hope among Derry City fans that this losing streak will soon end and Brandywell side can start picking up points again.
But the fans also understand that it must still be hard for the team to be playing without their leader and their ‘Captain Courageous’ Ryan McBride almost four weeks after his tragic death.
Derry City: Gerard Doherty; Conor McDermott, Scott Whiteside, Aaron Barry, Dean Jarvis; Lukas Schubert, Nicky Low, Aaron McEneff, Joshua Daniels; Mikhail Kennedy, Ronan Curtis. Subs: Nathan Boyle for Kennedy (54), Mark Timlin for Schubert (54), Ben Doherty for Daniels (78).
Finn Harps: Ciaran Gallagher; Damien McNulty, Kilian Cantwell, Ciaran Coll; Ethan Boyle, Jonny Bonner, Barry Molloy, Caolan McAleer, Gareth Harkin; Paddy McCourt; Sean Houston. Subs: BJ Banda for Bonner (22), Michael Funston for McCourt (57), Packie Mailey for Molloy (90).
Referee: Ray Matthews (Mullingar).
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