Ruaidhrí Higgins: Derry leaving Tallaght with a point against Shamrock Rovers a wee bit of a disaster

Derry City boss Ruaidhrí Higgins was disappointed his side conceded late on in their 2-2 with Shamrock Rovers, while frustration in not kicking on after opening the scoring was Hoops boss Stephen Bradley's main takeaway from the Tallaght Stadium encounter.

It was an eventful evening in Dublin 24, with a stoppage-time header from Markus Poom ensuring a share of the spoils for the champions. This after a Patrick Hoban penalty and a bundled effort from Danny Mullen had put the visitors in front. A positive response to Darragh Burns firing the Hoops in front on the hour.

Derry were seconds away from a third win on the trot. On what could have been for the Candystripes, their manager told reporters afterwards: "When you go a goal behind in Tallaght you would probably accept a point at that stage but when you get yourself 2-1 in front, with real bravery and courage in our play going into injury time, you're then extremely disappointed that we haven't left with the three points.

"We had two days to prepare for the game and we showed real guts and a response to going a goal behind. I'm just bitterly disappointed for the effort the players have put in that they didn't come away with the three points."

When asked to assess the game as a whole and whether a draw was probably a fair outcome, Higgins replied "possibly", though the feeling that two points were left behind still rankled somewhat.

"When you're 2-1 up going into injury time you want the three points. Over the course of the game we had our chances, they had chances. Normally if you leave Tallaght with a point it doesn't feel like a disaster but tonight leading so late it does a wee bit."

Derry were without Will Patching for Monday's encounter; the Scottish-born midfielder