SEAN Toland’s brace gave Derry City glory in the Under-17 final at the 2015 Hughes Insurance Foyle Cup.
Kildrum Tigers 0 Derry City 2
Toland netted a goal in each half as Derry denied Kildrum Tigers (pictured above) a first Foyle Cup title in an entertaining final at Drumahoe’s Riverside Stadium.
After dominating the opening exchanges, during which Kildrum held firm, Derry took the lead three minutes before half-time when Toland broke through to fire past Jacob Henderson.
Toland’s second, sixteen minutes into the second half, was the dagger that finally pierced the gallant Tigers’ hearts as a curling effort deflected past Henderson and into the net.
A narrow 2-1 win over English side Hollingbury Hawks last night secured the Tigers’ passage into their first ever Foyle Cup final with Duncan Patterson and Thomas Cole on the mark for the St Johnston outfit.
They found Eddie Seydak’s team an entirely different proposition, however.
Derry went close in the tenth minute when, from a teasing free kick dispatched from the left flank, full-back Davy O’Brien had a sight of goal, but the over-worked Kildrum ‘keeper, Henderson, got down well to save.
O’Brien was closer still in the 18th minute when an enterprising hit from the left-hand side of the box clipped Henderson’s crossbar on the way over.
Letterkenny lad Adrian Delap was causing Kildrum no end of trouble on the right flank and it was from his cross that Cathal Farren could and should have opened the scoring, but he somehow headed wide from a glorious position at the far post.
From another set play, Enda McCormick saw a snap shot blocked by Caolan Murray while Henderson denied Dean Power.
As Derry turned the screw, Declan Sharkey – who played his trade with Kildrum before being snapped up by Derry – was next up to try his luck, but he headed wide after ghosting in around the back.
Just when it seemed as if Kildrum’s resitence would remain intact, Toland broke the deadlock with the interval in sight.
Kildrum weren’t exactly obliging opponents and did make Derry work every inch of their way for the win, but the well-drilled Candystripes had a little too much refinement.
Lee McCarron might have added a third with a little more composure, but he was thwarted at point-blank range by Henderson only for Toland’s deflected shot to seal the deal.
Kildrum Tigers: Jacob Henderson; Shane Meehan, Jamie McKinney, Ross McCormick, Shaun Crossan; Caolin O’Donnell, Caolan Murray; Thomas Cole, Duncan Patterson, Oran Higgins; Stephen Gallagher. Subs: Lewis Cole for Crossan (26 mins), Ciaran Deeney for Murray (half-time), Adam Salhi for O’Donnell (51 mins), Damien Keys for Meehan (65 mins), Dillon Doherty for Gallagher (68 mins).
Derry City: Mark McElhinney; Davy O’Brien, Enda McCormick, Sam Todd, Lee McCarron; Anthony Delap, Dean Power, Declan Sharkey, Sean Toland; Ronan Wilson; Cathal Farren. Subs used: Calvin Gallagher, Aiden Friel, Paul Doherty, Matthew Doherty, Stephen Duffy.
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