Kearney happy despite Derry defeat

Coleraine made the trip to Maginn Park Buncrana to take on Kenny Shiels side, with Ronan Curtis’first half header the difference between the two teams.

Kearney rested several players with some big games looming for the Bannsiders, but he was happy with the workout against the League of Ireland outfit.

“We picked up no injuries and I’m delighted from that point of view and I was delighted with how the game went,” Kearney told Times Sport.

“Hopefully it was a good work out for Derry and it primes them up for the start of the season and it was a great experience for us as well.

“We have four or five that probably didn’t figure tonight, who have figured a lot this season, a couple of the young lads in particular who would have loved to be out there, but with us having a two week break at this stage of the season it was important that we didn’t get carried away.

“There were players out there tonight that needed minutes and players who maybe haven’t had as much football, but also players who have played a lot of football.

“It was nice just to get another game into them against different opposition, different surroundings, different everything.”

City went close to taking the lead on 15 minutes but Aaron McEneff’s long range drive, which had Coleraine keeper Chris Johns beaten, rattled the crossbar.

The deadlock was broken on 32 minutes as a quickly taken corner by Barry McNamee found Low and his right wing centre found Curtis at the back post, who showed great strength to plant his header past Johns.

Coleraine had a few half chances in the first half but they never tested City keeper Gerard Doherty.

However Doherty was called into action on 71 minutes as the Bannsiders were inches away from levelling things as City old-boy Darren McCauley, saw his close range header kept out by the Derry net-minder.

With their tails up Kearney’s men had another effort at goal, this time midfielder Neil McCafferty, saw his 25 yard drive parried away by Doherty.

A super passing move on 90 minutes by City ended with Dean Jarvis’ cut-back finding Ben Doherty on the edge of the box and the midfielder’s stinging drive was tipped around the post by a full stretched Johns.

Former Derry old boy Jordan Allan had a glorious chance to level things in the closing stages when he broke in behind Sam Todd, but the striker was denied by an out-rushing Doherty.

Then from McCafferty’s resulting corner ex-Stute centre back David Ogilby went close when with his weaker right foot his close range shot, which had Doherty beaten, was cleared off the line by Rory Holden.