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Draw does Derry few favours

Wednesday 18th July 2007, 9:39 pm

Ciaran Martyn, Derry City.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Derry City did themselves no favours ahead of next week's Champions League 1st qualifying round 2nd leg in Armenia. Derry drew 0-0 with Pyunik at the Brandywell as the Candystripes failed to make anything of their superiority on the night.

Pat McCourt was an early threat for Derry and after winning a couple of free kicks, he cut inside the visiting defence and drove a shot which seemed destined for the top corner. However, goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov pulled off a stunning save to tip over.

Barry Molloy hit a bouncing shot which again forced the visiting keeper to work after 16 minutes. Derry's play saw them win twelve corners to Pyunik's none but a string of poor deliveries saw Derry struggle to create much with their crossing in general below par.

In just his second game back since returning from a loan spell in Norway, Ciaran Martyn looked like he was lacking match practice. He just failed to connect with a dangerous cross on the half hour and fired well wide of the target from a good position inside the Pyunik box just before half-time.

Pyunik were not exactly overrun and although they didn't do too much offensively, the Derry defence still had to be alert. Peter Hutton showed how valuable his experience is when he got back to pinch possession from substitute Felix Hzeina in the Derry box just after the break. Minutes later the same Pyunik player clattered into Hutton with an apparent elbow leaving the Derry skipper reeling although he was back in the thick of the action in no time.

Derry goalkeeper Pat Jennings was forced to flick clear with his feet as a low long range Pyunik free kick somehow found a way through a crowded area to his goal-mouth.

A typical McCourt run to the byline and lay off went unrewarded as no Derry player could connect with the dangerous ball across the box. The chance of the game arrived just before the hour as Martyn got in on the end of Gareth McGlynn's chipped cross into the box. Martyn's sidefoot volley was straight at the keeper though and would surely have found the net had it been aimed anywhere else.

Jennings had an easy save when he grabbed a low turning shot as the final twenty minutes of action arrived. Kevin McHugh dipped a shot over the bar just seconds after arriving on the pitch but Pyunik seemed more and more content to keep a clean-sheet.

Kasparov was worried on 71 minutes as Ken Oman's long range shot cannoned off the head of Molloy and spun wickedly just past the upright. Oman headed at goal in the final five minutes as well but he was too far out to trouble the visiting keeper.

After the game Derry boss John Robertson confirmed he was happy not to concede an away goal and is hoping his side can get a score draw or better next week to advance.

Derry City : Jennings, McCallion, Hargan, Hutton, Oman, Molloy, McGlynn (Deery 58), McCourt, Martyn, Morrow (McHugh 68), Farren (Hynes 86).
Pyunik : Kasparov, Tadevosyan, Hovsepyan, Dokhoyan, Arzumanyan (Hzeina 46), Yedigaryan, Ghazaryan (Mkhitaryan 73), A Mkrtchyan (Sahakyan 79), Pachajyan, Guevgeozian, Nazaryan.