FC Bruno’s Magpies
v Derry City: Match Preview
FC Bruno’s Magpies v Derry City FC, UEFA Conference
League Qualifying Round 1 First-Leg, Europa Point Stadium (Gibraltar), Thursday
11th July 2024, kick-off 6pm local time (5pm Irish)
It’s that time of the year again. Derry City aim to get
their European campaign for 2024 off to a positive start as they encounter
opposition from Gibraltar for the first time. The Candsytripes face FC Bruno’s
Magpies, a team formed in 2013 who have never progressed past the first round
of qualifying – and have only ever travelled to Ireland on their European
trips. Boyed on by last year’s successes, when Derry City were a penalty kick
away from reaching the Group Stage Play-offs, Ruaidhrí Higgins men will be
hoping to progress past Magpies knowing that two legs against Danish giants FC
Copenhagen lie in wait for the victor.
Last time out – Sligo Rovers 2-1 Derry City:
Derry City’s run of four wins on the bounce came to an
abrupt end in the Sligo Showgrounds last Thursday, as English midfielder Ellis
Chapman netted twice to see the home side come from 1-0 down to maintain their three
year unbeaten home record against Derry City. The Candystripes kept most of the
possession in the first half but failed to capitalise on a couple of golden
opportunities, namely when Dan Kelly’s ball across the face of the box was
missed by the oncoming Paul McMullan and Pat Hoban’s overhead kick crept past
the post on the half-time mark.
Those three linked up again ten minutes into the second
half, when Kelly’s ball into the box was dummied by Pat Hoban and fell to the
feet of McMullan. The Scottish winger had time and space to curl the ball delicately into Ed McGinty’s top corner. It was
advantage Derry City early in the second half.
The away team then seemed to lose their grasp on the game as
Sligo Rovers mounted pressure on the City defence. Just five minutes after the
deadlock was broken, former City midfielder Will Fitzgerald burst into the
Derry box before Sadou Diallo’s mistimed tackle brought him to the ground. It
was a stonewall penalty, and one which Ellis Chapman calmly slotted past Brian
Maher.
City couldn’t find another decisive goal, and when Chapman
picked the ball up inside his own half and had acres of space to run into it
seemed like City were in trouble. The 23 year old Englishman left Shane
McEleney for dead before evading the challenge of Mark Connolly to poke past
Brian Maher with just 90 seconds remaining. Despite going down
to ten men when JR Wilson was sent off for arguing with the referee, Sligo
Rovers clung on and had Ed McGinty to thank for denying Pat Hoban inside the
box in injury time. It was a tough way to lose, but no-one could fault Sligo
Rovers’ efforts in turning the game round in the second half.
Derry City:
Derry City’s defensive frailties in the absence of Cameron
McJannet came to light against Sligo. City conceded just 24 goals during the
entirety of the 2023 Premier Division campaign, but have conceded 22 already
this year, with 11 games remaining. Ruaidhrí Higgins will surely have defensive
signings high on his wish-list before the window closes. There always seems to
be a bit of noise surrounding potential transfers in the League of Ireland, but
Derry’s surprise signing of Jacob Davenport last month hints that Higgins may
be keeping his cards close to his chest this time round. In that sense, it
wouldn’t surprise me if a centre back was signed pretty much out of the blue in
the next week or so. Rob Slevin, who I mentioned would be a good McJannet
replacement two weeks ago, found himself on the scoresheet for Galway United last
weekend as he scored the equaliser against Bohemians – something which may add
a few Euro onto his price tag.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though. Thursday’s performance
wasn’t terrible by any stretch of the imagination and we played well going
forward in the first half. In saying that, the defensive issues this season are
a slight concern – especially considering how solid we have been under Higgins over
the past few years. We can count ourselves lucky that nine man Shelbourne
couldn’t get the better of Drogheda though, as the Louth side held the league
leaders to a 1-1 draw. Shels do have the luxury of a game in hand, so
realistically it’s their league to lose. Derry City don’t play another league
game until early August and, of course, it’s away to Shelbourne. Win that and
we go top on goal difference, lost that and Shels go six clear with a game in
hand. It could be a title decider that tests the resolve of the Derry players,
who may very well play four European games and an FAI Cup match against St
Pat’s between now and then. I don’t know about you, but I’ll probably be hiding behind the TV for most of that Shelbourne match.
Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men haven’t been hit with any more injury
blows going into the Magpies game. Jordan McEneff and Patrick McEleney will be
out for a good while longer, whilst Jacob Davenport wasn’t included in the
squad to face Sligo Rovers – likely due to fitness issues as he’s just come off
the back of a League Two season where he made 26 appearances. The former
England U18 international could be a welcomed addition to the midfield in the
next few weeks. Colm Whelan got another ten minutes or so in the tank against
Sligo last week, whilst Michael Duffy and Danny Mullen were both introduced in
the 74th minute. Glenn McCourt was brought into the senior squad for
the first time as a substitute in Sligo.
City in Europe:
I’ll take any excuse I can get to talk about Derry City’s
European escapades and, seeing that my preview of the KuPS game last year was
my first preview, this feels like a full circle sort of moment. Last year’s
European journey was the joint furthest we’ve progressed in European
qualification. Back in 2006, the Candystripes toppled IFK Göteborg home and
away before overcoming Scottish side Gretna 7-3 on aggregate to face Paris
Saint-Germain in the First Round of the UEFA Cup. After a draw in the
Brandywell, Les Parisiens beat City 2-0 in the French capital to progress to
the group stages proper. After finishing second in their group, then of five
teams, PSG beat AEK Athens 4-0 in the Round of 32 before losing to Benfica in
the Round of 16 – not bad company.
2006 and 2023 are the only two times that Derry City have won two stages of European qualification, the next closest we
went was in 2009, when we began in the Second Round of Europa League
qualifying. After beating Skonto Riga 2-1, the Candystripes lost to CSKA Sofia
in the Third Round. Following a 1-0 victory over HB Tórshavn in the UEFA Europa
Conference League First Round last year, City came from behind to beat Kuopion
Palloseura 2-1 in the Brandywell before drawing 3-3 out in Finland – coming
home with a 4-3 aggregate win. Kazakhstani side Tobol Kostanay, whose General Director
Andrei Kanchelskis applied for the Derry City manager’s job in 2015 (alongside
playing for Manchester United and Everton), lay in wait. Kanchelskis thought
Dublin was in Britain too but we’ll say nothing about that. Tobol had beaten
Swiss giants Basel in the Second Round and had substantial financial backing, but had never
qualified for the group stage. After a 1-0 loss in Kazakhstan, Will Patching
drew City level on aggregate with a penalty in the second leg. Despite coming
desperately close through Cian Kavanagh late on, Tobol won on penalties to
progress to the Play-off stage before being beaten 5-1 by Viktoria Plzeň.
Unlucky lads.
Derry City have never faced Gibraltarian opposition in
European qualifying, meaning Bruno’s Magpies will represent the 22nd
different nation the Candystripes have faced in Europe. From Aberystwyth to Riga,
and Minsk to Lisbon, City have done their fair share of travelling across the
years. Our European adventures began back in 1964-65 when Steaua Bucharest beat
the Candystripes 5-0 across two legs. An 8-6 win over Lyn Olso a year later was
Derry City’s first European victory. Some ties have brought goals – and lots of
them. City beat Aberystwyth Town 9-0 in 2014, with Michael Duffy and Patrick
McEleney both scoring. I can’t mention goals and not mention the 10-2 aggregate loss to
Midtjylland in 2017, the 9-0 loss to Anderlecht in 1965 and the 6-1 loss to
Benfica in 1989, though.
The 7-3 win over Gretna is another particular highlight,
whilst we’ve faced some of Europe’s elite in the past 60 years. Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain,
Vitesse Arnhem, Anderlecht, Trabzonspor and Midtjylland spring to mind, whilst
the felling of IFK Göteborg was a giant-killing for the books. Should Derry
City beat Bruno’s Magpies over the next eight days, we can add FC Copenhagen to
that list – a side who beat Manchester United and Galatasaray, and drew with
Bayern Munich, on their way to facing Manchester City in the Round of 16 of the
Champions League last season. Glamorous enough for the Conference League Second
Round anyway…
FC Bruno’s Magpies:
Formed in 2013 by Englishman Louis Perry who, with 500 quid,
decided to set up a football team from his grandparent’s bar and restaurant. By
2017, they were in the play-offs to get into the Gibraltar Premier Division
under the tutelage of former Gibraltar assistant manager Davie Wilson. By the
time May 2019 came round, Bruno’s Magpies had won the Second Division title
alongside the Second Division Cup. By 2021-22, Magpies had secured qualification
to UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying by finishing runners-up in the Rock
Cup.
First up for Magpies was a trip to Belfast to face Crusaders
in the First Round in July 2022. They almost made it past Crues too – going 2-0
up just after halftime and winning the first leg 2-1 at home before conceding
in the 93rd minute to lose 3-1 in Seaview. Former Derry City
midfielder Philip Lowry started both legs for Crusaders. Heartbreak for Nathan
Rooney’s men, but not a bad start to European life at all.
After finishing third in the league and winning the Rock Cup
in 2022-23, Bruno’s Magpies found themselves back in the First Round of the
Conference League. Back, again, to Ireland for the team in black and white.
They were met by another team wearing black and white – Dundalk FC, who were in
the Europa League group stages less than three years prior. Magpies held
Dundalk to a goalless draw in the Gibraltar heat, before falling to a 3-1 loss
in Oriel Park a week later. The League of Ireland Premier Division top scorer,
our very own Pat Hoban, opened the scoring that night, whilst Dan Kelly started
on the wing.
Bruno’s Magpies may only be eleven years old, but they’ve bagged
four pieces of silverware, all since 2019. It began with the Second Division
Cup in 2018-19, when Magpies went unbeaten to top their group by four points
before beating Olympique 13 2-1 in the final. Two years later, they added the
GFA Challenge Cup to their collection. Magpies finally got their hands on the
Rock Cup in 2022-23, beating Lincoln Red Imps on penalties in the final. They
also managed to bag the Pepe Reyes Cup that year, a one-off match contested by
the Rock Cup and League winners, when they again beat Lincoln Red Imps 1-0.
Who's who?:
32 time Gibraltar international goalkeeper Dayle Coleing has
recently joined Bruno’s Magpies after a second spell at Lincoln Red Imps. The
27 year old, who spent two years at Glentoran between 2020 and 2022 when they
triggered his £50,000 release clause, has won both the League and Rock Cup on
four occasions each – making him one of the most decorated players in the
Magpies squad. Welsh defender Ashton Taylor – who has made over 500 senior
appearances across League One, League Two and the Scottish Premiership has also
been announced as a new signing, adding yet another head in an experienced
defence. Centre back and captain Francisco Zúñiga could make his 100th
appearance at the club this season and spent time in the youth ranks at Mexican
giants Pachuca.
Midfielder Álex Carrascal is a summer signing from Racing
Cartagena in the Spanish fourth tier after coming through the youth systems of
Sevilla and Real Valladolid. Another former Sevilla youngster is
fellow new signing Cristian Orihuela, who signed from Europa FC. He played at
Xerez CD in the Spanish fifth tier for a year between 2020 and 2021 – a team who were
in LaLiga as recently as 2010.
30 year old number 8 Carlos García made 5 caps for Spain’s
U20s and is certainly one to keep an eye on in the midfield. He was part of the
Real Betis side which won the Segunda Division in 2014-15 and made a
single appearance in LaLiga before leaving in 2016. García spent time at Juventud
Torremolinos before moving to Gibraltar last year. Attacking midfielder Anthony
Hernandez has 44 senior caps for Gibraltar and has scored more than 50 goals
from the centre of the park since leaving Cadiz to sign for Manchester 62 in
Gibraltar in 2014. Watch out for the pace of English winger Olatunde Bayode,
once of Burnley, on the flank.
English striker Jack Storer made senior appearances for
Birmingham City, Yeovil Town and Partick Thistle before signing for Bruno’s
Magpies in 2023. One of those Thistle appearances was a start in a 3-1 defeat against
Celtic in the Scottish League Cup in 2018, whilst he also scored the opener in
a win over Greenock Morton in the same competition that year. Veteran Brazilian
forward Edu Salles has had a journeyed career since leaving Brazilian side Atlético
Paranaense in 2009, which has seen him enjoy stints in Georgia, Lithuania,
Bolivia, England and Spain before joining Magpies this summer. The most intriguing of
those moves surely being a four month spell at Derby County’s U21s as a 24 year old in 2014, sandwiched between spells at Concórdia in Brazil and Sport Boys in Bolivia.
The More You Know:
Former English figure skater, and former chairman of Watford
alongside Elton John, Haig Oundijan has been the joint-chairman of Bruno’s
Magpies since 2019. Now 75, Oundijan won bronze in the 1971 European Figure
Skating Championships in Zürich and competed at the Winter Olympics in 1968 and
1972. During his time at Watford, the club reached the First Division (now
Premier League) in 1981-82, after winning the Fourth Division just four years
prior.
Former Derry City midfielder Aaron Splaine spent two years
playing in Gibraltar after leaving the Candystripes at the end of the 2018
season. He signed for Europa Point in August 2019 before signing for Bruno’s
Magpies ahead of the 2020 season, where he made 7 appearances. The Scotsman,
who was born in Malaga, won the EA Sports Cup at the Brandywell in 2018 as he
played 17 times and scored on his debut.
New goalkeeper Dale Coleing is Gibraltar’s number one
goalkeeper at the minute. The 27 year old was between the sticks when France
put 14 past his side in Nice last November. Midfielder Evan de Haro also
started in the centre of the park. Kylian Mbappé bagged a hat-trick, whilst
Kingsley Coman and Olivier Giroud both bagged braces. I wouldn’t have fancied
facing that attack anyway. A month prior, he started in Gibraltar’s 4-0 loss to
the Republic of Ireland. Bruno’s Magpies’ Anthony Hernandez was an unused sub against the boys in green, whilst Evan de Haro replaced Roy Alan Chipolina in the second half. Midfielder
Kevagn Ronco was on the bench against the French too. Coleing also started for
Lincoln Red Imps against Tobol Kostanay in the Second Round of Conference
League qualifying back in July 2022.
Round Up:
European matches always bring a buzz around the place and
Derry City fans will fancy their chances. The side from Gibraltar were knocked
out by Dundalk last year and Crusaders the year before that. They won just one
of their last five matches in the league, losing three and drawing the other
one 0-0. There’s always the aspect of the unknown going into a European game,
and it’s forecast to be 30C when the game kicks off at 6pm on Thursday. In that
heat, and with very little shelter, the travelling City players and fans alike
will need to bring the factor 50.
Preserving energy will be a necessity as Magpies play in
this heat week in, week out. Dundalk and Crusaders both seemed to struggle in
their legs in Gibraltar in the past few years, as Dundalk drew 0-0 and
Crusaders lost 2-1 in the away legs. The target for City will surely be to get
a good result away from home before being able to play with a bit more comfort
back at the Brandywell. It’s hard to believe that it’s been a year since the
win over HB Tórshavn, the scenes when we beat KuPS and the atmosphere we
brought to Tallaght to face Tobol Kostanay. Good times, hopefully, ahead on the
European front for City. PS: Please don’t lose as I’ve already booked flights
to Copenhagen…
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