Derry City v Drogheda United: Match Preview

 

Derry City v Drogheda United: Match Preview

 

Derry City FC v Drogheda United FC, League of Ireland Premier Division Round 22, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 28^th June 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

With the summer break now over, and the season passed its midway point, Derry City find themselves second in the Premier Division, two points behind table-topping Shelbourne. After bidding farewell to English defender Cameron McJannet, City’s vice-captain and one of the longest serving players in the squad, the Candystripes announced the signing of former Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers midfielder Jacob Davenport from Morecambe. The transfer window officially opens on July 1^st, and with several Derry players now into the last six months of their contact, it’s building up to be a busy one for Ruaidhrí Higgins and his staff. After also learning their fate in European qualification, Higgins will want his men to continue their five game unbeaten streak.

Last time out:

The Candystripes faced a tricky Thursday night away trip to Dalymount Park two weeks ago where they faced a Bohemians side who had won just one of their previous seven. Despite the heavy rain in the north earlier in the day, blue skies met the City faithful as they arrived in Phibsborough. The home side began the game the brighter side, despite a headed attempt from Michael Duffy coming back off the post after seven minutes. Just before the fifteen minute mark, pressure on the City goal resulted in a penalty when Sadou Diallo fouled Dayle Rooney in the box. Jordan Flores’ spot kick was saved by Brian Maher – the goalkeeper’s third penalty save of the year – but Danny Grant was on hand to sweep in the rebound and give the home side an early advantage.

City responded immediately, as Diallo turned from villain to hero when he diverted Will Patching’s cross into the Bohemian net. The scores now level again after seventeen minutes. The away side were the better team from then on in, striking the woodwork four times in all during the 90. Cameron McJannet, Dan Kelly and Danny Mullen were introduced in the second half in an attempt to snatch all three points, and that’s exactly what happened. City had a few chances go begging late in the second half and as the clock turned over to 94, Brian Maher’s punt forward was knocked on to Danny Mullen by Cameron McJannet. The Scottish striker arrowed it into the bottom corner to bag his second stoppage time winner of the season, and meant that Cameron McJannet assisted the winner on his last Derry City appearance to send the travelling support home happy.

 

Derry City:

It’s only been two weeks since we’ve last seen City play but it feels like it could have been a month. Prior to the Bohemians game, there were rumblings that Grimsby Town were interested in Cameron McJannet and, after seeing the 25 year old’s celebrations following Danny Mullen’s winner, it all but confirmed that that could have been his last involvement as a Derry City player. About a week later, his transfer to the League Two side was confirmed. Assisting a 94^th minute winner wasn’t a bad parting gift from the centre back, who made 142 appearances in red and white, with his highlight at the club coming as he scored twice and won Man of the Match in the 2022 FAI Cup Final. McJannet, who was signed from Stoke City in the summer of 2020, became a mainstay on the left-side of defence almost instantly as he grew into one of the league’s best defenders. Captaining the Candsytripes on over 50 occasions, the Englishman seemed to really take to the club and to the city as he showed unquestionable passion for the badge across his four years at the Brandywell. His boots will be big ones to fill, especially considering the value that a good left-sided centre back brings to a squad.

I’d personally have Galway United’s Rob Slevin high up on the McJannet replacement list if I was Ruaidhrí Higgins. The former Finn Harps and Cork City defender has been integral to Galway’s defence, keeping nine clean sheets in eighteen appearances. The Tribesemen have the best defensive record in the league, conceding just thirteen goals in twenty games. Turning 26 in August, City would be getting a defender approaching his prime, but will likely need to spend big to secure his signature. Galway aren’t short of a few Euro and will want to keep one of their standout performers. Reputable stats website Transfermarkt values Slevin at €75k, but with a contract expiring at the end of the season, Galway may accept a discounted fee as to not lose the Cork native on a free come November.

It’s hard to value League of Ireland players, as most inter-club deals within Ireland are free transfers and foreign clubs seem to sign players from the Premier and First Divisions at significantly lower prices than what they would be worth in the likes of England, for example. Danny Mandriou’s move to Lincoln City from Shamrock Rovers for just €30k in 2022 is a prime example. At a time when Transfermarkt valued the midfielder at €375k, Lincoln triggered his massively reduced release clause when he was a standout performer in a Shamrock Rovers side who had just won the league for the second year on the bounce and were about to qualify for European group stages.

Just last week a similar instance occurred. Shelbourne’s Gavin Molloy, who has been a mainstay in Damien Duff’s side’s title push, joined Aberdeen after they triggered his release clause of around €80k, when the 22 year old’s value sits at €125k. I don’t think a young defender with bags of first team experience at a club pushing for a title in League One or the Scottish Championship, for example, would be sold for such a low fee. If City were to splash out on Slevin, the club would being doing well to be writing a cheque for less than about €30,000 – which is roughly what was spent on Pat Hoban six months ago.

There has been a new addition to the City squad in the past week, with midfielder Jacob Davenport joining from Morecambe. The 25 year old played as both a central midfielder and left back alongside Sadou Diallo, Will Patching, Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Brahim Díaz in the Manchester City youth setup. He made over 50 appearances in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers between 2018 and 2022, and also made 26 appearances in League Two with Morecambe last season. A deeper-operating midfielder with a wicked left foot, it seems like City may have secured another bargain from the Man City academy. Former Manchester United forward D’Mani Bughail-Mellor featured for Derry as a trialist against Crusaders last Saturday, as did released Southampton right-back Zuriel Otseh-Taiwo. The latter bagged the winner and Bughail-Mellor is said to have played well in the forward areas. Davenport won’t be available for the Drogheda game, as his contract at Morecambe doesn’t expire until the 30^th of June, but he – and any other new faces – will be welcomed additions as European and FAI Cup games fast approach.

Speaking of Europe, it seems like the City faithful have been keeping SkyScanner in business over the past ten days or so. It was announced last Tuesday that Derry would face FC Bruno’s Magpies of Gibraltar in the First Round of Europa Conference League qualifying, with the away leg in Gibraltar being played on July 11^th, just in time for a bank holiday weekend. It has been announced that, due to stadium renovations, the game will be played in the smaller Europa Point Stadium, meaning that only 200 tickets will be made available to City fans. There will certainly be a scramble for tickets once those come out.

It was going to be a big tie, as we love a European game, but when FC Copenhagen were announced as the Second Round opposition for the winner, an extra dimension was added to the First Round tie. UEFA really did us dirty with that one, as we’ll face a side who beat Manchester United and drew with Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season if we get past Magpies. It’s a glamour tie and no-one is expecting us to get into the Third Round like we did last year, but welcoming Denmark’s biggest team to the Brandywell a week before an away trip to Copenhagen is the stuff of Candystripe dreams. The Danes have got the likes of Jordan Larsson (son of Hendrik), Mohamed Elyounoussi (who Southampton paid £16m for and loaned to Celtic) and 74 time Sweden international Viktor Claesson in their squad. At this stage, we can only cross our fingers and hope we get past Magpies before focusing on what may come after.

 

Drogheda United:

Kevin Doherty has done an exceptional job on a shoestring budget since taking over as manager in late 2021, but his Drogheda United side haven’t quite clicked into gear this term. After an eighth placed finish in 2022 and a seventh placed finish in 2023, Doherty had moulded Drogheda into a team that were tough to break down and could grind out points. They’ve drawn or beaten Derry in six of the last ten games between the sides, alongside beating Shamrock Rovers and holding them to draws twice last season. This year, though, the Louth side have struggled for points after losing key players like Dayle Rooney and Conor Keeley in the off-season. With only three wins in twenty-one games, Drogheda find themselves bottom of the Premier Division, three points behind previously stricken rivals Dundalk. It seems like the Drogs haven’t coped with the increased quality of promoted sides as previously expected. UCD and Cork City got relegated last year, whom Drogheda finished ten and thirty points above respectively. The two clubs that got promoted, Galway United and Waterford, haven’t been overawed by a return to the Premier Division and find themselves fifth and fourth following highly successful campaigns in the First Division campaign last year.

Left back Evan Weir is joint with Haitian forward Frantz Pierrot at the top of Drogheda’s scoring charts, both on four. American winger Steve Zishim Bawa is next in line with three, meaning that only three players in United’s side have scored more than once this season. Weir’s two assists on top of his goal tally mean that he’s been the most creative player in the Drogheda side in 2024. Midfielder Darragh Markey has three assists and one goal so far this term and is, in my opinion, one of the league's most underrated players in the number 10 role.

Drogheda United’s twenty goals scored is the third lowest in the league but isn’t an awful return in honesty. A real worry for Kevin Doherty is the 37 goals his side has conceded, an average of 1.76 per game. At that rate they’re on course to concede another 26 goals or so in the last fifteen games of the campaign, which would see them conceding 63 by the end of the season – nine more than their tally last year. Another worry for Doherty is his side’s loan situation. The loan deal for Evan Weir from Walsall expires at the end of June, whilst Oisin Gallagher and Hayden Cann’s loans from Lincoln City have already come to an end – weakening the Louth side’s defence and midfield. The loss of Weir in particular, who has contributed to 30% of their goals this season, could be detrimental to their survival hopes. It has already been announced that forward Douglas James-Taylor will join the club in July, on-loan from Walsall. He scored twice in 26 League Two appearances last term and will be tasked with providing the goals to keep Drogheda United afloat come the end of the season.

 

Round Up:

The visitors on Friday have lost five of their last seven games and haven’t won since notching a 94^th minute winner against Dundalk on the 6^th of May. They’ve conceded fifteen in their last seven games and have scored just once in their last four. They’re desperate for a win, but a journey to Derry City, the form team in the league, isn’t what they will have wanted to see after the break. They welcome league leaders Shelbourne next week, so it doesn’t get any easier for Kevin Doherty’s men.

The Candystripes haven’t lost in over a month, winning three and drawing two of their last five games. A 2-0 friendly win over Crusaders on Saturday will see the City players fresh going into the match against Drogheda, whilst Shane McEleney and Colm Whelan both started in Derry’s U20 side’s recent 4-1 win over Dundalk U20s. Sean Patton, who has made five appearances for City’s senior side this season, bagged one of those four on Saturday too.

City are unbeaten against Drogheda United since April 2023, winning three and drawing two of the last five. The Candystripes have won two on the bounce against Drogheda in the Brandywell, going back to last August, and have lost just one in the last ten against the Louth side in Derry in all competitions. With the European ties, new signing and last minute winner against Bohs creating a positive buzz around the place during the summer break, you’d hope for a Derry City victory on Friday. A win could put Derry top of the table if Galway United defeat Shelbourne in Tolka Park, and with there being just one more league game after this until August, we’re fast approaching the business end of the season.

 

Pól O’Hare – 26 June 2024