City of Derry defeated by Grosvenor as Cooke double header looms

City of Derry Head Coach Richard McCarter who has been appointed Assistant Coach of the Ulster Juniors Team for the upcoming 2024 Interpros. Photo: George Sweeney

Tries in the opening 10 minutes from Killene Thornton and Davy Graham had the 'Green and Black' in early control before a handling error on the second restart handed the hosts a lifeline. Derry still led 14-12 at the break, a lead they extended to five points thanks to Alex McDonnell's second half penalty, but that proved Derry's solitary score for almost 70 minutes as Grosvenor turned the tables to run out 22-17 winners.

With Cooke and Ballymoney also losing, the result may not prove as critical as the new additions to the Judges Road casualty list and McCarter admitted his team had been second best on the day.

"Our warm-up was a bit flat and myself and Coops (Chris Cooper) were concerned we didn't look hungry but we started so well," explained the Derry coach, " Two good tries, 14 points up and had we caught the restart and booted it down the pitch then Grosvenor heads might’ve started to drop as the game wore on.

"We did the opposite. We gave them possession straight back, they scored and suddenly momentum changes. They had a big crowd in too and the longer the game went on we were running out of ideas.

"Had we kept it 14-0 for another 10 minutes, or tagged on another penalty, I think it could have been one of those games where we did enough but we gave them something to cling on to and, to be fair, they deserved it. They were hungrier than us."

Derry now face successive meetings with Cooke after being paired against the Belfast club in the Junior Cup semi-final, scheduled for March 2nd at Judges Road. But before that, Derry must travel to Shawsbridge for a league meeting with Cooke only one point behind them in fourth in the table.

"A win this weekend would be big because it’s third versus fourth and we have only two league matches after that, " added McCarter, "A league win would pretty much guarantee top four but it's also about trying to get through without picking up any more injuries.

"Any team in the Cup was going to be tough but we wanted a home draw. Cooke, like ourselves, are struggling a bit for form so the league game will be interesting because neither team will want to show their hand too much.

"Look, we have to win it (the cup tie). We were disappointed last year when we fell in a home semi-final so it can't happen this time round. If we got to a cup final it would make what's been a disappointing 2024 so far worth it."