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The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Sam Todd and Ronan Boyce pop up with goals as Derry City hammer Drogheda Utd to take second place in Premier Division
DEFENDERS Sam Todd and Ronan Boyce struck a goal apiece as Derry City swatted Drogheda United aside to move into second place. Todd and Boyce — who both hail from 2 Derry City hammered Drogheda United Credit: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile 2 Danny Mullen of Derry City celebrates after scoring his side's third goal against Drogheda Credit: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile Carndonagh man Todd headed home the opener on 33 minutes from Michael Duffy's clipped cross. Ramelton lad Boyce then pounced to fire home a rebound after Andrew Quinn cleared Duffy's strike off the line. Substitute Danny Mullen added a third five minutes into stoppage time. Duffy was again involved as his strike at the near post was turned into the path of the Scotsman by Drogheda keeper Luke Dennison. Read More on Derry City It was a third win and clean sheet on the bounce for the Foylesiders who remain 11 points behind leaders They are now above Bohemians on goal difference. And Kevin Holt also came close to breaking the deadlock midway through the opening period when he met Duffy's inswinging free-kick. Most read in Football But his glancing header bounced just wide. Sadou Diallo then tried his luck from distance on the half hour but his effort sailed harmlessly off target . Electricity goes out during Shelbourne vs Derry City in League of Ireland opener Derry eventually broke Drogheda's resolve from a short corner. Duffy received the ball back from Whyte and clipped it into a crowded penalty area where Todd headed into the corner of the net. The hosts doubled their lead three minutes later when Duffy raced on to Liam Boyce's through ball and rounded the keeper but his strike was cleared off the line by Quinn. The clearance fell to Ronan Boyce who steered the ball into the net. Derry were well in control but Drogheda found a way in behind the City defence moments later. Thomas Oluwa got away from Mark Connolly and sent a strike towards goal but Brian Maher stood tall and saved at the front post. Carl Winchester had the ball in the net when he received the ball from a sublime defence-splitting pass from Whyte. But the Belfast man strayed offside and the goal was ruled out. Diallo then picked out the run of Duffy with a pass over the top. But the winger's effort on the volley dipped over the crossbar as Derry threatened to put the match to bed before the break. SECOND GEAR Derry continued to dominate at the start of the second half. And livewire Duffy was the next to threaten as his effort from the edge of the penalty area was just deflected behind by Conor Keeley's block. Keeley — scorer of a brace on Drogheda's last visit to the Brandywell — was then in the thick of the action at the other end. The former St Pat's defender chested down a cross inside the Derry box before volleying narrowly wide of the target on 63 minutes. Substitute Mullen put the icing on the cake in the fifth minute of stoppage time for the hosts. Duffy's strike was saved by the foot of Dennison — but it fell straight to the feet of the ex-Livingston ace who tapped in from four yards. SUN STAR MAN Michael Duffy (Derry) DERRY CITY : Maher 7; Cann 7, Connolly 7, Holt 7; R Boyce 8, Winchester 8 (McMullan 76, 6), Diallo 8 (O'Reilly 63, 6), Whyte 7 (Mullen 75, 7), Duffy 9, S Todd 8; L Boyce 7 (Benson 75, 6). DROGHEDA UNITED : Dennison 5, Kane 6 (Cruise 55, 5), Quinn 7, Harper-Bailey 6, James-Taylor 6 (Bosakani 87, 6), Farrell 5, Brennan 5 (Markey 55, 6), Heeney 6, Keeley 6, Lambe 6, Oluwa 5 (Kareem 60, 6). REFEREE : R Harvey (Dublin) 6.
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Clinical decision leaves Mayo in a familar state of flux
After a three-month review into the 2024 campaign, Mayo County Board eventually confirmed Kevin McStay as manager for the following season late last September. Ten days after that 2025 campaign concluded, by startling contrast, McStay is gone, and with him one of the best-stacked management teams in the country. Stephen Rochford took Mayo closer than anyone to a first All-Ireland since 1951 in his own time in charge. Donie Buckley is among the small band of football coaches with a national profile; Joe Canney is a highly regarded figure who has emerged through the celebrated Corofin culture; and there were figures in Mayo who insisted that another selector, Damien Mulligan, would one day manage the county. Kevin McStay has been axed by the Mayo County Board. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile All are out, relieved of their duties, to echo the sentiment in a county board statement that dropped shortly before 9.30pm on Wednesday, and which carried the cold and clinical message heretofore confined to Premier League dismissal notices. Perhaps the Mayo executive was trying to avoid the mistakes of last summer, when the months-long interregnum between the team's exit on penalties to Derry in the Championship and confirmation that McStay would be there for year three of his four-year term gave rise to rampant speculation. Much of this was aired from the floor of a county board meeting by delegates. Gossip about player unhappiness and unease was publicly uttered. Derry goalkeeper Odhran Lynch saves a penalty from Mayo's Ryan O'Donoghue during last year's shoot-out. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie Whether much or indeed any of it had a foundation in reality never became clear, but what the entire farrago meant was that the management team started the year at a significant disadvantage in public perception terms. A middling Allianz League campaign didn't assuage doubts, especially when it concluded with a thorough beating from Kerry in the final. The Connacht campaign hardly fired either, with stumbles against Sligo and Leitrim countered only by a rousing third quarter against Galway. Drearily familiar failings cost Mayo that day, when, after levelling the match, they didn't have the attacking edge to kick on. Aidan O'Shea at the final whistle against Donegal. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie It was eventually the same problem that did for them against Donegal in the group series game, which saw them leave the Championship almost a fortnight ago. Turning possession into points has been the besetting failure of Mayo teams for at least a generation, and while managers can't magic up the fabled 'marquee forward', the ongoing difficulties of squeezing more points out of the possession they did win was a major problem for McStay and his coaching team. The transformation in football this summer exacerbated Mayo's difficulties, given their inability to land two-pointers while all around them, the main contenders for Sam Maguire did so. There was an ominous early portent of this in the League when Galway devoured them in MacHale Park, winning by 10 points, their tally bloated by seven two-pointers across the 70 minutes. Kevin McStay. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile There was a grim symbolism in Mayo's last act of the Connacht final being a two-point attempt from Matthew Ruane drifting wide. But it wasn't the only area of the new game that Mayo struggled with at times, with their kick-out a point of weakness in the spring but which tightened up considerably as the summer progressed. Scoring was the issue, with Ryan O'Donoghue carrying an enormous burden. It wasn't the only problem, but it was more often than not a decisive one. It's not the only frustration McStay, a palpably decent man who considered managing his county a pinnacle achievement, should feel. Ryan O'Donoghue carried an enormous burden when it came to scoring. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile The way in which his departure was announced was shoddy, via a statement that was both unfeeling and clunky. It has only been a matter of weeks since he had to step aside following health concerns, with Rochford taking over for the group games against Tyrone and Donegal. The former brought a famous win in Omagh, the latter ended with dramatic late defeat. But neither of these games are the reason Mayo footballers will watch on this weekend as the Championship enters a thrilling turn. Stephen Rochford and Kevin McStay. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile Their dismal defeat at home to Cavan in the first round of the group series is what did for them, an outcome that was as abject as the performance that preceded it. And it was that tendency to fall apart that was crucial, too: Mayo's floor was always potentially alarmingly low, just as their ceiling sometimes felt promisingly high. And now the search begins for the next saviour, the next soul willing to take on the oppressive hopes of a people stone-mad for football. The way McStay's departure was announced was shoddy. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile There is a presumption that the county board has a man in mind, but that theory is mainly borne of the circumstances in which the last man was packed off: if they were that brutal in getting rid of McStay, goes this line of reasoning, then they surely must have someone they'd like to step up. It's a generous analysis, and if it doesn't come to pass, then local unhappiness will only grow. A significant number of Mayo supporters may have been demanding change, but more again will understand McStay's years of service to the cause, and the impact that Stephen Rochford has had, too. Debate is already underway, as it should be, about who gets the gig, about whether it should be an outsider or a native, about what went wrong and what must come next. The pursuit is endless — but events of the past 36 hours have seen the dream darken.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Dublin captain Aisling Maher reflects on 'whirlwind' skorts protest and vote
Slowly at first, then all at once. Seven weeks on from the initial skorts protest ahead of the Dublin and Kilkenny Leinster semi-final, and a month after the momentous vote to allow players to wear shorts, Dublin captain Aisling Maher reflects on a whirlwind few weeks where the players were finally heard. Maher was one of the leading voices behind the calls for change and a big part of the initial protest that led to the Camogie Association putting together a rushed Special Congress as public outcry over the issue grew, and change became inevitable. After a motion at the 2024 Camogie Congress to allow shorts was voted down, the issue appeared dead until 2027, but when Maher led out the Dublin players in shorts before changing into skorts after being told the game would not be played, she could not have known that was the spark that finally ignited change. With the story becoming headline news both domestically and internationally, the Camogie Association were forced into calling a vote which passed unanimously. Speaking ahead of a crucial All-Ireland Championship clash with Derry this weekend, Maher admitted that the initial protest was "a last-minute decision" that was born of frustration. "It's a kind of a funny one to reflect on because in a way it's been going on forever as a camogie player, it's been going on forever," she said. "I can't tell you how many times and for how many years as players we've said, 'can we not get rid of them, we hate them and we don't want to wear them.' "It's kind of been a background thing for a long time from a player's perspective. "I guess in relation to the Leinster semi this year and the initial kind of protest that sparked everything, that was a quite a last-minute decision for most players. So that happened very quickly as a decision in itself. "Then obviously the reaction off the back of it happened extremely quickly and probably grew to the extent that I don't think any of us anticipated. "I guess as a result of how quickly it grew and of the impact that it had, there had to be fast action off it and there had to be fast change off the back of it. "From a player's perspective, it was fantastic and brilliant because an ideal scenario for us at that point was that we were going into championship, not talking about it, and not thinking about it, and wearing stuff that we're comfortable in and that we want to wear. "Ultimately that's the position we got to where the whole championship has been played with choice and with players having the ability to wear what they're comfortably comfortable wearing. "So it's a great outcome from that perspective, I guess that we got to that point." But while Maher and the Dubs were able to tog out in comfortable gear for the championship, the campaign on the pitch has not gone how she envisaged. With three defeats from three games in the group phase, last week's reversal to Waterford ended their hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals. This weekend, Dublin welcome Derry to Parnell Park in a game where the loser will be consigned to a relegation play-off. It's a far cry from last year where Dublin got the better of Kilkenny in the quarter-finals before eventually bowing out to Cork at the semi-final stage. Maher is clear that the campaign hasn't lived up to her hopes. Looking ahead to the Derry game, she admitted that it's been difficult to lift the team after last week's defeat to Waterford. She said: "It's always great to be playing what's effectively a knockout game, but it's knockout at the wrong end of the table, unfortunately for us. It's not the way we wanted to go into this game, we wanted to go into this game with a chance to get to the quarter-finals. "That's not the case, but in some ways it makes it a more important game for us because we're leaving ourselves in a bad position if we can't get a win out of this one. "It's not easy, I won't lie to you. It's challenging, you know, I'm part of the group that very firmly felt that we could and we should progress out of the group that we were in. " We don't train at the level that we do, we don't work at the level that we do to finish middle of the table and not progress. We do it because we believe we're good enough to get to knockout stages and we're good enough to be in the last few. "So when that doesn't happen and when you don't get the performances to back up those beliefs it's really difficult to pick yourself up and to go again and motivate yourself for more games when you know you can't progress. "It's certainly not easy, but it definitely is more meaningful when it's still an important game and when it's a game that, that's gonna have a huge impact on our season and on where we finish."
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Aisling Maher warns Derry ‘will punish us' if Dublin ‘don't have our heads right' as they look to avoid All-Ireland drop
AISLING MAHER and her Dublin team-mates know they must keep a tight leash on Derry tomorrow after their male counterparts proved that every underdog has its day. Last weekend's defeat to Championship quarter-finals. Advertisement But the campaign is not yet over for the Sky Blues, who know that losing the basement battle against the Oak Leafers would condemn them to a relegation play-off against Maher admitted: 'Look, it's hard. Nobody ever wants to be playing Championship matches knowing that you can't progress and get to where you want to be. 'Ultimately that's the knockout stages and going on from there, so I guess it's a difficult one to keep the focus and to keep the mood right in the camp. 'But the reality is obviously we have a huge game ahead of us on Saturday and Advertisement Read More on Camogie 'They're in the same position we are — they need a win to keep themselves in a good position and to avoid going towards the bottom of the table and relegation and all the rest. 'We've no doubt that they're going to bring a stiff challenge. 'If we don't have our heads right and if we're not in the right space going into it, they'll punish us for it. 'You've no option to kind of sit down and lick your wounds. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling 'You have to stop feeling sorry for yourself and reset pretty quickly to just try and start righting some of the wrongs from last weekend.' While the hosts are strongly fancied to overcome Derry at Parnell Park, the seismic upset pulled off by the GAA legend TJ Reid's wife Niamh and daughter wear shorts in support of camogie stars Speaking as 'Anything can happen on any given day when you have 15 against 15. Advertisement 'Derry have a lot of good players as well. And I guess the Dublin hurlers getting that big win as underdogs does have us acutely aware of how quickly an upset can happen or how quickly any Championship team can be beaten if anybody's not fully prepared going into it on the day.' Having reached the 2024 All-Ireland semi-finals, Maher had high hopes for Dublin this season. However, their absence from the business end of the Championship demonstrates just how competitive things are at the top. The 2017 All-Star said: 'I think it's a great thing for camogie, even though it's not a great thing for Dublin camogie this year. Advertisement 'It probably shows just how little there is between a lot of those top and mid-table teams. There's not huge gaps between anyone. 'Obviously Waterford will play 'I think either of those two teams could also have not made quarter-finals in our group. 'It's really positive that there's so little between teams. Advertisement 'Obviously for ourselves in Dublin last year, getting to the semi-final was a huge step in the right direction. 'To build on that, we would have wanted to make sure that we got that far again, if not further. 'Unfortunately it hasn't happened that way but the path forward is rarely smooth. You'll have ups and downs along the way. 'What's probably more important for us is how we respond to this in the short term, hopefully getting a win at the weekend, and in the longer term trying to get ourselves back into the knockout stages next year.' Advertisement 1 Pictured pitch side in Croke Park at todays launch of Toyota Ireland as the new Official Car Partner to The Camogie Association is Dublin Camogie captain and Toyota ambassador Aisling Maher with the Toyota C-HR Hybrid Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Politicians respond after paedophile GP caught with child abuse images avoids jail
Northern Ireland's Health Minister has said he was content that due process was followed in the handling of a GP convicted of having indecent images of children. Alan Trevor Campbell (40), of Silverbrook Park in Newbuildings, Co Derry, pleaded guilty to 11 offences around possessing indecent images of children on dates between October 2014 and January 2022. Advertisement He was sentenced on Tuesday to 75 hours of community service and given a two-year probation order. The North's Public Prosecution Service said prosecutors are 'carefully considering the sentence to determine whether there is a legal basis to refer them to the Court of Appeal'. On Thursday, Stormont Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he was 'disappointed by what happened', adding: 'I would have liked something a bit stronger'. 'In terms of the regulations, I am content that we have followed due process and that nothing has been done that affects patients or indeed the other members of that practice,' he said. Advertisement In terms of the sentence, he added: 'I think we also need to think about the message that sends out to society in terms of those who might be thinking about viewing and collecting that sort of image.' Justice Minister Naomi Long said the type of images referenced in the case are taken very seriously. 'When it comes to sentencing, it is a matter for the independent judiciary to set those sentences,' she said. 'I understand the PPS has already indicated that they are now looking at that sentence with a view to finding out whether there are legal grounds on which to appeal it for undue leniency, and as a live case before the PPS and potentially the courts, it wouldn't be appropriate for me as justice minister to express an opinion on what I think of the sentence. Advertisement 'I will say this however, we take images of this nature very seriously. 'The fact that these are non contact offences does not mean that children have not been harmed in their making and their distribution, and it's important to recognise that every image that is used in this context is an image of child abuse, some of these were category A abuse images, and those are the most serious kind. 'We are absolutely united in wanting to safeguard children here, which is our primary responsibility, but also not to turn a blind eye to the abuse of children in other places in order to produce this material for use in Northern Ireland.' Ireland Paedophile sports coach (91) becomes one of the ol... Read More A PPS spokesperson said: 'While sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, the Director of Public Prosecutions does have the power to refer certain sentences to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that they may be unduly lenient. Advertisement 'An unduly lenient sentence is one that falls outside the range of sentences that a judge, taking into consideration all relevant factors and having regard to sentencing guidelines, could reasonably consider appropriate. 'The prosecution team, including Counsel, are carefully considering the sentences imposed in this case to determine whether there is a legal basis to refer them to the Court of Appeal.'
