Late Alex Bannon brace earns Derry City precious point against Euro rivals St Pat's

SUPER SUB Alex Bannon bagged a second half brace as Derry City battled back from a two goal deficit to earn a precious draw against Euro rivals St Patrick's Athletic at Brandywell.

The Saints were on a three match winning run in the league and looked well on course to close the gap on third placed Derry to a single point as they held a comfortable lead with 15 minutes to go.

Mason Melia fired the Dubliners ahead on 40 minutes after a sublime throughball from Chris Forrester split the Derry defence when Adam O’Reilly lost possession just inside his own half.

Both goals conceded were of Derry’s own making and the Spurs-bound striker returned the favour on 62 minutes as he set up St Pat's talisman Forrester who blasted into the roof of the net.

However, for a second successive match, Derry overturned a deficit as Burton Albion loanee Bannon curled a spectacular strike into the top corner to spark an unlikely comeback.

From a corner kick with five minutes remaining Bannon bundled the ball home to level the scores as Tiernan Lynch's side kept the Saints at arm's length as they remain four points adrift with seven games to go.

Derry held the upper hand on the Saints heading into this clash having won two of their previous three meetings by a solitary goal.

The Dubliners arrived on Foyleside in top form and on the back of a five match unbeaten run in the league since their last meeting with Derry at Brandywell on June 23 when a Liam Boyce goal sealed victory on that occasion.

Prior to kick-off there was a minute's applause in memory of the late League of Ireland stalwart Ollie Horgan who passed away this week following a short illness.

Derry made three changes from the team which earned a last gasp win over Galway with Carl Winchester and Jamie Stott sitting out through suspension. Tiernan Lynch handed a first start for Scotsman Adam Frizzell while Sam Todd and Adam O'Reilly both returned to the starting line-up.

Stephen Kenny made three changes with Carl Axel Sjoberg, Al-Amin Kazeem and Jamie Lennon returning.

Derry registered the first shot on target with four minutes on the clock following a well worked move started by Brandon Fleming in his own half. When O'Reilly flicked the ball into the path of Duffy on the edge of the penalty area, the winger curled towards goal with his left foot but it was comfortable for Joseph Anang.

From a corner kick moments later the ball was headed into a packed penalty area by Frizzell and Akinyemi's snapshot from 12 yards was saved by the alert Anang once again.

The visitors' first threat on goal arrived from a corner kick on 12 minutes taken by Kian Leavy but Luke Turner's glancing header went wide of the back post.

Ronan Boyce brought down Melia to put an end to a promising St Pat's counter attack on 14 minutes. Chris Forrester's 25 yard strike from the resultant free-kick was beaten away brilliantly by Maher at full stretch before Connolly cleared behind for a corner.

Sadou Diallo found the run of O'Reilly with a defence splitting pass but the Corkman's first time strike was saved well by the Saints keeper.

The Saints broke the deadlock five minutes before the break when Forrester carved open the Derry defence with a stunning pass through the middle. Melia beat Sam Todd in the chase for the ball before cutting back onto his right foot and he fired clinically into the bottom corner. That goal proved the difference between the sides as they headed into the interval.

Derry were knocking on the door at the start of the second half and from Duffy's inswinging corner Fleming's header was goalbound but it was blocked by Gavin Whyte.

At the other end St Pat's came so close to doubling their lead when Simon Power's strike inside the box was charged down by Todd. The rebound fell to Melia but his close range strike was beaten away by Maher.

The game was beginning to open up on the hour mark and Whyte's strike from 10 yards was blocked behind for a corner by Turner. From the set piece sub, Alex Bannon's header bounced the wrong side of the post.

When O'Reilly slipped inside his own half, Melia latched onto the ball, raced towards goal and unselfishly laid it into the path of the supporting Forrester who thumped the ball into the roof of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

St Pat's hadn't conceded a goal domestically in their last seven games and with 28 minutes left Derry faced an uphill task to get anything from the contest.

The Candystripes did manage to get back into the match on 75 minutes and did so in emphatic fashion as two substitutes combined. Danny Mullen created space for Bannon with a neat back-heel and the Burton Albion loanee curled his effort from the edge of the area into the top corner.

That set up a grandstand finish and from a corner kick Bannon bundled home at the back post with five minutes to go as Derry somehow clawed their way back into the match.

It was a frantic finale and Derry looked most likely to find a winner but both teams settled for a share of the spoils.

Derry City: Maher, Boyce, Connolly, Todd, Fleming; Diallo, O’Reilly (Benson 68), Frizzell [Bannon h-t]; Whyte (Mullen 68), Akinyemi, Duffy.

St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang, McLaughlin, Redmond, Sjoberg, Turner , Kazeem (McClelland 70); Lennon, Forrester (Robinson 93), Leavy; Power (Baggley 79), Melia (Carty 93).

Referee: Marc Lynch (Galway).