7th February
So the Cup dream ends again. It has to be said deservedly so. Ok so we conceded an own goal and although I don't think the second was offside it came from a Dundalk error anyway but apart from a short spell in the second half we did not create chances to trouble David Platt in the Derry goal.
It all went wrong from the start, Capper failed a fitness test and Thew, passed his but was injured in the warm up. John Sharkey came in for Fortune with Soupy moving into the middle. Dunne came in for the injured Brennan but the back four was unchanged and rightly so. They'd done well but if I knew what was going to happen I would obviously have picked Brady but you cannot prepare for these things, Gollogly earned his place on merit after two good displays in Shelbourne and UCD. Hindsight makes us all look smarter.
The first 30 minutes were like a continuation of the last 30 in the League game at the Brandywell two months ago. Derry were putting Dundalk under fierce pressure. The Dundalk defence had a thankless task. Everytime they cleared the ball there was no-one there to put their foot on it and steady the play. Instead the ball was whacked upfield and came straight back at the Dundalk defence. That's why I think Thew was a massive loss. McNulty was committed, yes, but his chasing the ball left gaps that Soupy did not fill and that Thew or the cup tied Fortune would. Derry had a chance as early in the first minute when a Hargan cross was shot over by the offside McHugh but while Derry pressure was relentless Steve Williams was not overworked. I personally thought that if Dundalk could weather the storm for the first 40 minutes then Derry would lose their shape and it looked like Dundalk were holding on until a moment of madness from Padraig Gollogly. A Derry cross from the right was travelling into the box towards Gollogly but with no Derry player putting him under the pressure he tried to put it behind but instead belted it past Williams into the top corner. First of all, I would have been furious if he put it behind for a corner because there was no-one in sight but to score it's just plain ridiculous. The second came 5 minutes later when a long ball forward from Derry was headed unchallenged to McHugh by Mr G. The afore mentioned Mr G then played Coyle onside when McHugh put him through and Liam Coyle does not miss those. That was it as far as Derry chances were concerned.
In the second half Dundalk played better once substitutions were made. The ineffective Sharkey replaced by Brady who slotted in beside Mr G with Melvin into midfield. Dunne who had a good game had a chance soon after when he volleyed wide and was then replaced by Harte who made a big difference when he came on, linking up well with David Crawley. After a 1-2 down the left Harte put a low cross in which was scrambled away. Dundalk had the majority of the possession in the second period but it did not pay off. Byrne replaced the outbattled Martin who along with Ward got no change out of the physical Curran and Hutton. Dundalk played their best football when Harte came on with the emphasis more on playing the ball along the ground instead of pelting the ball up to the League's smallest strikforce. Brady had a very good game when he came on while Tom McNulty tried. I thought Noel Melvin was our most consistent player and he made no mistakes on the day. Reddish and Crawley made some mistakes in the Dundalk half while Campbell who played on the left, right and in the middle of midfield throughout the match had no joy today either. Mr G did well in the second half but unfortunately it was a case of too little too late. He can go two ways now, he can feel sorry for himself and let his play slip or it can give him a kick up the backside to what's expected. For his and my hearts sake I hope he chooses the second.
I don't feel like picking a winner. Melvin, McNulty or Dunne for me. In the second half, Kevin Brady