City of Derry score fifth successive league victory as CIYMS defeated again

City of Derry 29, CIYMS 19

City of Derry are up to third in Ulster Championship One as the 'new Green and Black kids on the block' shone once more in a second bonus point victory over CIYMS in a week.

After last Saturday's 11-28 victory in Belfast, this win was closer than it should have been after two late CI tries made it an uncomfortable last 10 minutes for Richard McCarter's men, but Derry were comfortably the better side and had the bonus point in the only five minutes into the second half. And central to every Derry attack was Killene Thornton.

Doing his best Simon Logue impression, there’s never been much doubt around Thornton's talent but 2023 has seen the young full-back take his game to another level and CI felt the full force of it as he scored one try and set two others up for David Lapsley and Jack Beattie. And he wasn't alone either!

This was a Derry team missing the skill and experience of Logue, Sam Duffy and Jamie Millar yet you'd never have known it. As well as Thornton’s display, scrum-half Eoin Coyle made the step up from the Seconds for his first start since the opening day victory in Banbridge and never put a foot wrong. Always on the look-out for an opportunity to prosper around the edges, and more than efficient with his distribution, Coyle's performance will have Millar looking nervously over his shoulder for that No. 9 shirt.

And then there was Jake McDevitt and Fearghus Canning, both of whom had serious tackle counts and got through a mountain of work at the break down, ably supported by the excellent Tiarnan Dillon who is really growing into a Derry shirt after his close season arrival.

It all made for an good afternoon's work, and with third placed Cooke slipping up against Portadown, Derry leapfrogged their top four rivals by a single point ahead of next week's trip to Milltown Road.

Not that it was all plain sailing from the first whistle. After last week's reversal CI travelled with a point to prove and they had made it inside the opening five minutes, during which time Derry never touched the ball. And worse still, the visitors used their possession well to engineer an early try though Scott Finlay which Max Shannon converted for a fifth minute 7-0 lead.

Yet by the next time CI troubled the scoreboard, Derry had already the five points in the bag.

Key to it was the response to that early CIYMS try. Within two minutes Alex McDonnelll was firing over a penalty that kick-started 17 points in a six minute spell. Winning the restart after McDonnell's penalty, Derry moved the ball beautifully through the hands, racking up phases in a passage of play that swung left and right before David Lapsley eventually found himself the extra man to run in and around under the posts. With McDonnell converting, Derry led 10-7.

Better still, two minutes later, and with the restart again secured, Thornton spotted a gap and made a superb break into the visitors half. He cleverly drew the cover before looking to his left shoulder where the ever reliable Lapsley was again lurking to take the perfectly timed pass and gallop in for his second and a 17-7 advantage.

With play becoming a little loose, it took Derry until six minutes before the break to add a third and this time it was all Thornton's own work. Indeed there looked little on when he picked up possession just inside the CI half but at first using superb footwork, then sheer strength he took on four defenders and forced his way over to extend the lead to 22-7 at the break.

It looked 'when' not 'if' the bonus would arrive and Derry didn't have long to wait after half-time. Five minutes into the second period a great Gerard Doherty break took Derry well inside enemy territory and after a couple of false dawns, Thornton came into the line at just the right moment to again draw the cover and this time release Jack Beattie out wide to score with McDonnell converting for 29-7.

It was more or less game over, especially when CI lost Peter Raine to a 51st minute yellow card, but credit to the visitors, the minute Derry took their collective foot off the pedal, the Belfast men pounced to make it an uncomfortable closing quarter.

First second row Adam McKenna forced his way over the whitewash with 13 minutes left which and when winger Thomas Kane then added a third of the days for CI it suddenly looked more than a little uncomfortable for Derry at 29-15 with around eight minutes plus injury time still to go.

Adding to to scenario was Davy Graham being forced off and Derry missed his defensive nous at time but the home side gathered themselves to defend well for the closing minutes, denying CIYMS even the consolation of a losing bonus point.

The victory means a fifth successive league victory for a Derry team growing with every game. Now up into third, they face another huge test away at Cooke next Saturday but this now looks a team relishing the challenge.

City of Derry: Fearghus Canning, Cathal Cregan, Adam Marley, Tiarnan Dillon, Gerard Doherty, Tiarnan Thornton, Jake McDevitt, Stephen Corr, Eoin Coyle, Alex McDonnell, Jack Beattie, David Lapsley, David Graham, Ross McLaughlin, Killene Thornton. (Replacements) Tom Cameron, Cein McColgan, Colm Cregan.

CIYMS: Charlie Shannon, Scott McNarry, Tim Acheson, Damon Kitchen, Patrick Aitken, Adam McKenna, Scott Finlay, Scott Dowle, Nathan Biggerstaff, James Heyburn, Thomas Kane, Max Shannon, Jason Gilliland, Andy Hodgen, Peter Raine. (Replacements) Alex Elmore, Mark McConkey, Kane Hagen.

Referee: Chris Elliott