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McHugh stunner gives Derry three Cups in a row

Tuesday 9th October 2007, 10:38 pm

Derry City captain Peter Hutton holds aloft the League Cup for a third time in three years with team-mates at the Brandywell.

Photo by A. Baldiemann, Bohemian FC.

Kevin McHugh's amazing goal in extra-time settled tonight's League Cup Final at the Brandywell - giving the Candystripes their third consecutive League Cup win - something no other side has ever managed. The game itself had finished scoreless but McHugh struck midway through the first half of extra-time to settle the game.

Derry were out of the blocks quickly and a superb through ball from Ciaran Martyn sent Mark Farren in on the Bohs goal although Owen Heary got back superbly to tackle, taking a bang to the eye in the process. All of this came within the opening twenty seconds.

Derry kept the tempo high and Martyn saw his shot come back off Brian Murphy's legs before the Bohs keeper grabbed the ball. Kevin McHugh had been the architect of the move after getting the ball across following intense pressure on Liam Burns.

A speedy break from Farren - typical of his form of a few years ago - broke down the right wing and tore past Burns before firing in a shot which was comfortably saved by Murphy.

Derry continued their pressure as the tenth minute loomed. Eddie McCallion's pin-point cross into the box was cushioned down by the head of McHugh but landed just short of the on-rushing Martyn.

It was probably inevitable that the frantic early pace would drop and so it did until Bohs had the ball in the Derry net on 26 minutes.

Glen Crowe headed in from John-Paul Kelly's corner kick but before the ball had even hit Pat Jennings' net, referee Delcan Hanney's whistle had blown for an infringement seen by few - ruling out the goal.

Ciaran Martyn scooped the ball high and wide of Brian Murphy's goal as Derry broke dangerously and the Bohs keeper came out out to pressurize the attacker.

Bohs' Stephen O'Donnell and Darren Mansaram both found their way into Hanney's notebook before half-time and although both gave away free kicks, the yellow cards seemed as much for dissent as the fouls they had committed.

After the break, a great team move from Derry set up Killian Brennan but his low long range shot was easy for Murphy in the Bohs goal. Crowe got another chance for Bohs around the hour but poor control of a Dessie Byrne through ball saw McCallion mop up by booting clear from the edge of the Derry box.

Bohs boss Sean Connor made his first change of the night (and the only one in normal time) just after the hour as he introduced Stephen Rice for a disgruntled looking Kelly. The move almost paid dividends with Rice curling a shot past Jennings' upright within minutes of his arrival.

Heary went close with a header down and wide from a Dessie Byrne corner as extra-time appeared more and more likely. Although quiet for large parts of the game, Crowe showed he still has a magical touch around the box and forced Jennings to tip over a dangerous dipping shot from outside the area.

O'Donnell made a vital interception to flick away McHugh's header at goal from Brennan's corner in the final minute of normal time. Scoreless, extra-time arrived and the first noteworthy event saw Bohs' skipper Kevin Hunt brought into the game.

McHugh's wonder strike was the first real effort of extra-time as he broke from midfield after Barry Molloy dispossessed Ryan McCann. Directing his shot between the central defensive pairing of McGuinness and Burns, McHugh found the top corner of Murphy's net with an amazing finish to put Derry ahead and on course for an eighth League Cup win.

Crowe was well off target at the other end as Bohs struggled to create chances in response to falling behind. In truth the Gypsies didn't put Derry in any real danger in the thirty minutes of extra-time with the Candystriped home side producing the odd flicker of quality when breaking forward.

The final whistle signalled another victorious night for Derry City at the Brandywell, continued their dominance in the League Cup competition and provided some consolation from what has been a disappointing season to date. Derry now go into a play-off with the First Division champions to decide who qualifies for the 2008 edition of the Setanta Sports Cup.

Derry City : Jennings, McCallion, Hargan, Oman, Hutton, Brennan, Martyn, McCourt (Deery 107), Molloy, Farren, McHugh (Higgins 117).
subs not used: McGlynn, McCafferty, Ferry.
booked : Martyn 83, McCallion 115.

Bohemians : Murphy, O Heary, Powell, Burns, McGuinness, McCann, O'Donnell (Hunt 95), Byrne, Kelly (Rice 64), Mansaram (Fenn 103), Crowe.
subs not used: Singh, Blayney
booked : O'Donnell 39, Mansaram 44, McGuinness 85, Byrne 109, Heary 120.