Republic of Ireland: Shelbourne held by Derry

There were farcical scenes prior to the match between Derry City FC and Shelbourne FC on Thursday night as the game was delayed 35 minutes because of a dispute over the Dubliners' strip.

Biggest crowd
Derry's biggest crowd of the season, over 5,000 fans, packed into Brandywell stadium hoping to see a home win which would take the Derry side within two points of National League leaders Shamrock Rovers FC. But they were forced to wait in the cold for the action to start after a row over kit colours, and once the game kicked off there was little to entertain the crowd as the sides played out a 0-0 draw.

Placings unchanged
The result leaves Shelbourne, who eventually wore Derry's third strip after referee Hugh Byrne decreed that their regular away strip clashed with the home side's kit, three points adrift of Rovers. Derry, meanwhile, remain third, a further point behind Shelbourne. Both teams have played 18 matches, one more than the leaders who travel to University College Dublin FC on Sunday.