Drogheda United v Derry City: Match Preview (27th September 2024)

 

Drogheda United v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Drogheda United FC v. Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 31, Weaver’s Park, Friday 27^th September 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

Derry City’s hard earned draw against Shamrock Rovers last Friday keeps the Candystripes hot on the tails of league leaders Shelbourne, who’s loss away to Galway United narrows Derry’s gap to top to just three points. After going behind in the first half, a stoppage time Pat Hoban penalty shared the spoils in one of the biggest moments in the title race so far. City travel to face a Drogheda United side, who look destined for a relegation play-off bout at the end of the season.

Last time out – Derry City 1-1 Shamrock Rovers:

A massive clash at the top of the Premier Division table, a win for Derry City would’ve seen them close the gap to Shelbourne to just one point if Duff’s side lost in Galway. On the flip side, a Shamrock Rovers win would have placed them just one point behind Derry in third place as they continued their recent good form. Eventually, the points were shared – just about. It’s a point which suits the Candystripes more than the Hoops, who sat four points behind Derry until beating Bohemians on Monday. The Candystripes do, however, have the luxury of a game in hand over Rovers. There was a good bit of tension around the Brandywell pre-match, knowing the stakes on the line. The game was a sell-out, with the terraces either side of the Mark Farren Stand packed to the gills – spreading the atmosphere across the stadium.

The home side started the game the better of the two teams, setting out on the front foot and taking the game to the Champions. Left-back Ciarán Coll’s strike from range on the 24^th minute, which stung the hands of German goalkeeper Leon Pöhls, marked the Candystripe’s best opportunity of the opening exchanges. From that moment, Rovers began to grow into the game, eventually opening the deadlock less than two minutes later. Adam O’Reilly, pressured by Daniel Mandriou, ceded possession to Lee Grace who clipped the ball forward to top-scorer Johnny Kenny. Kenny’s left-footed pass across the area found Dylan Watts on the edge of the box, who took two touches to set himself and placed it into the bottom corner with his third. It was against the run of play, but it was a goal which could have been huge in the title race. Rovers took hold of the game after that point, controlling the ball and frustrating the Derry press. It wasn’t until the last seconds of the half when City came close again, as Michael Duffy’s low driven shot narrowly missed the post. Close but no cigar for Derry City, who trailed at the break.

Fifteen minutes past the restart and Derry City had the ball in the net via the forehead of Mark Connolly, ruled out by the flag of the linesman. I still have no idea if it was for an offside or a foul, because the Rovers man dropped at the slightest contact, and it seemed like Connolly was onside when Paul McMullan’s ball was played in. A close call for Damien MacGraith and his officials. Two minutes later and the Candystripes should have been awarded a penalty. Lee Grace lost possession to Danny Mullen, who drove down the left hand side before crossing low into the box. The cross struck the forearm of the sliding Grace - a ball that was heading for Paul McMullan who had space in the middle of the box. Huge calls from the Brandywell faithful, which were waived away by the referee. Rovers came close in the next twenty minutes, with Graham Burke smashing one off the side netting from distance, a strike which I thought had gone in. A minute from the ninety mark and City finally had a bit of luck. Collie Whelan’s flick into the box was closed down by both Patrick McEleney and Josh Honohan. McEleney, seemingly expecting a challenge from the Rovers full-back, went to ground – Damien MacGraith took one look and pointed to the spot. I’m not going to lie, it was a soft penalty, but I don’t think there was contact and it evened out the handball decision which wasn’t given. After a wait of more than three minutes, Pat Hoban smashed past Pöhls to level the tie – much to the delight of the Brandywell faithful. An absolutely inch perfect penalty. The atmosphere was electric for the next few minutes before the final whistle as Derry’s talisman bagged a huge goal in the title race. Six games to go and three points behind, it’s heating up.

Derry City:

After his goal in the game against Shelbourne two weeks ago, Danny Mullen was preferred to Pat Hoban to lead the line. Mullen’s game intelligence and link-up play make him one of the best supporting strikers in the league, and after bagging his tenth in all competitions against Shels, his inclusion from the start was more than warranted. The Scotsman was unlucky not to win a penalty following his cross which struck the hand of Lee Grace. Pat Hoban, who came on in the second half, fired his penalty home with conviction to put himself back on top of the Premier Division goalscoring with his 13^th of the season. I think Sadou Diallo played one of his best games in a red and white shirt before being replaced by Patrick McEleney on the 66^th minute. He looked comfortable in possession and played some quality passes forward. Adam O’Reilly showed his class in the middle once again, proving once again that he’s one of the best midfielders in the league.

Mark Connolly was solid alongside Andre Wisdom at centre back, two men who have been in great form since developing a partnership at the back. Meanwhile, Ronan Boyce made his first start since the 2-2 draw against Sligo Rovers in late May. The 23 year old didn’t look like he hadn’t played much football recently as he showed his quality, particularly in the first half - nearly assisting Michael Duffy right at the end of the half. Speaking of Duffy, both he and Paul McMullan troubled Rovers’ fullbacks, whilst Will Patching had a good game playing in the number 10 role. Jacob Davenport slotted in well at left-back from the bench, whilst Sean Robertson saw his first minutes since his debut away to Waterford. Colm Whelan was a handful after replacing Danny Mullen and played the pass which won City the late penalty. The transfers late in the window are proving crucial in Derry’s squad depth towards the end of the season, with centre back Duncan Idehen still waiting for his debut.

Derry City are in a good place going into the final six games. With just 18 points to play for, City’s current standing in second, three points behind Shelbourne, mean that the league could very well come down to the last game of the season. That is, of course, a top-two clash in the Brandywell on the 1^st of November. The team are in good form and seem hungry – the pressing and energy against Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers recently have kicked City into a higher gear. Aside from the injuries to Daniel Kelly and Ben Doherty, we have a mostly fit squad, and next Friday’s tie away to Drogheda United could put City top if Shelbourne lose to Sligo Rovers. It’s the first time in a very long time that we’ve been this close to the top going into the final month or so of the season - everyone needs to rally together and back the team for the next six weeks. We’ve only lost once in the league since July, so it’s important to keep tight at the back and clinical at the other end of the pitch. In less than two months’ time, we may very well be domestic double winners – but we have to keep the good form up to keep that going.

Drogheda United:

There was a stage when it looked like Drogheda United were certain for the drop, but after the very public demise of their Louth neighbours Dundalk, coupled with a mid-season revival, Drogs seem safe from automatic relegation. They currently sit in 9^th place, five points clear of Dundalk and four points behind Bohemians in 8^th. Whilst not an ideal standing for the men from Weavers Park, they’d fancy their chances in a promotion/relegation play-off tie. Starting with just three win from their first twenty four league games, Drogheda have only lost once in their last seven. Impressively, with 38 goals scored, they’re the league’s fourth highest goal-scorers despite finding themselves embroiled in a relegation battle. Only Shamrock Rovers (44), Derry City (43) and Waterford (39) have scored more.

One big contributor to that trigger-happiness in front of goal is English striker Douglas James-Taylor. The 22 year old Walsall loanee signed on a year long loan in July, which encompasses the first half of next season too. In just nine league appearances he’s netted six goals. On top of that, he bagged a 21 minute hattrick in the FAI Cup against Wilton United, and scored a brace in Drogheda’s next cup game – a 4-1 win over Athlone Town. That’s a return of eleven goals in twelve games in Louth, a sensational start to life for the man who made 26 appearances in League Two last season – what a coup for Kevin Doherty.

After scoring fifteen goals in three FAI Cup games to reach the semi-finals, where they will face Wexford in a massive opportunity to reach their first FAI Cup final since 2013, Drogheda now have scored a massive 53 goals in 34 games. That’s a mad statistic for a team who are in the relegation zone. I can’t look at Drogheda United without mentioning their demolition of Europe-hunting Sligo Rovers too. Doherty’s men hammered the west-coast side 7-0, a demolition of the highest order. Giving all the plaudits to Douglas James-Taylor would be doing another striker, Frantz Pierrot, a huge disservice. The Haitian striker caught the eye at Athlone Town in the First Division in 2023, when he scored 24 and assisted a further 5 in 38 league games (including play-off ties). He’s a handful for opposition defenders and was sent off against Derry in the Brandywell back in June. Pierrot has been in some form recently, bagging four goals and an assist in his last six games to take his tally for the season up to 8 in the league – making him Drogheda’s top scorer. There is a bit of a reliance on the two big men up top for Drogheda though – left-back Evan Weir is tied with former Finn Harps striker Adam Foley on four goals in third place on Drogs’ scoring charts. Weir has since left to sign for Walsall, where he has made a handful of appearances. I always say this, but I think midfielder Darragh Markey is one of the most underrated in the league, whilst Gary Deegan is an experienced player in the centre of the park. Shane Farrell is an impressive signing from Shelbourne, whilst the arrival of full-back Elicha Ahui, who spent half of the 2023 season at Drogheda, is another astute signing. With five league games and a cup semi-final left, Kevin Doherty will be hoping for a big end to the season. Despite sitting second bottom, you can never write off Drogheda United.

Round-up:

In what could very well be a cup final tie in less than two months’ time, Derry City v Drogheda United is a game that could have repercussions at both sides of the table. City are unbeaten in their last six games against Drogheda, going back to a 1-0 loss in the Brandywell in April 2023. The last meeting between the two saw Derry’s best goal haul of the season, a 5-1 victory for the Candystripes. City had five different goalscorers that night, and this tie has only been scoreless once since the penultimate scoreless draw back in May 2017. In saying that, four of the last five in Weaver’s Park have been draws and Doherty’s men held fourth placed Galway United to a draw on Monday. They’re are a tough side to break down, but their league-high goals conceded column of 54 will make good viewing for City’s in-form forward line. The stakes are high and getting higher, Friday could be another big night at both ends of the table.

Derry City v Shamrock Rovers: Match Preview (20th September 2024)

 

Match Preview: Derry City v Shamrock Rovers

 

Derry City FC v. Shamrock Rovers FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 30, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 20^th September 2024, kick-of 7.45pm

After a fantastic 2-0 win over league leaders Shelbourne in the FAI Cup quarter-final last Saturday, City welcome the reigning champions to the Brandywell in a mammoth tie at the business end of the Premier Division table. Shamrock Rovers are coming off the back of a 4-0 drubbing of Sligo Rovers and a late win away to Galway United as they gear up to begin their journey in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League next week. Derry City, on the other hand, played their title rivals off the park last weekend and will be confident going into Friday’s tie.

Last time out – Derry City 2-0 Shelbourne:

Billed as a cup tie for the ages, Derry City’s quarter-final bout with fellow double hopefuls Shelbourne provided the Candystripes faithful with their finest performance of the campaign to date. The two hadn’t faced in cup action since City’s record breaking 4-0 final win two years ago, with five of the following six meetings yielding draws. You had to look back to March 2023 to find the last game between Derry and Shels where the spoils weren’t shared, that was a 1-0 win in Tolka Park courtesy of a Ryan Graydon winner for Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men.

Knowing that three of the four other quarter-finals had already been contested, producing a whopping 14 goals, it seemed that the RTÉ cameras had come up North for the right game. The consistent rain throughout the day left the pitch slick, and there was action pretty much from the get-go. Within 70 seconds, Derry set the tone for the evening as Paul McMullan’s pressure won possession from Kameron Ledwidge in the Shelbourne half. McMullan fed it through to Will Patching who fired the first opportunity of the game over the crossbar. Five minutes later and Patching’s midfield partner Sadou Diallo came painfully close for the second time in as many games as he watched a low driven effort fly low and past the post. It wasn’t long past the twenty minute mark before the deadlock was broken and I’m not going to beat around the bush, I absolutely love this goal. Adam O’Reilly’s relentless energy in the midfield saw him win possession from Harry Wood in the centre circle, before a deft feint to the left took the onrushing Matt Smith out of the equation. O’Reilly’s driven ball into the middle of the pitch was expertly dummied by Danny Mullen, taking Mark Coyle and Shane Griffin out of the game. Will Patching found space to collect the O’Reilly pass before laying the ball off for Michael Duffy. The winger jinked into the box, feigning to cut in on his right before shaping up to hit it on his left – leaving Tyreke Wilson helpless. Duffy’s low shot nestled past Kearns to give City a well deserved 1-0 lead with a genuine goal of the season contender. Beautiful football, cheers Derry City.

Shelbourne just about kept the scoreline at 1-0 five minutes before the break, when another sumptuous Derry move saw a Paul McMullen ball take everyone by surprise when Danny Mullen latched onto it before rounding Conor Kearns in the Shels goal. From a tight angle, the Scotsman saw his effort blocked right on the goal-line by Shane Griffin. So close to a dream first half for the Candystripes. Just minutes after the hour-mark, and Derry had that dream goal. After Mark Coyle nipped the ball away from Will Patching, he was stopped in his tracks by the ever-present Adam O’Reilly. The Corkman found Patching, who spun round his marker before playing a one-two with Paul McMullan. The former Man City man drove into the box and squared it across the six yard box to find Danny Mullen, who slotted in for his tenth of the season. Two assists for Patching, and a brilliant two goal lead for Derry City. The connection between the forward line and midfield proving a joy to watch once again. After winning the ball back high-up the pitch once again ten minutes later, Paul McMullan’s driven cross was flicked by the heel of substitute Pat Hoban – the veteran forward’s effort leaving Kearns stranded and narrowly missing the far post. For the following twenty minutes, Shelbourne never really threatened and the home side took complete control. The absolute best performance of the season for Ruaidhrí Higgins and his men to progress to the last four of the FAI Cup.

Derry City:

Saturday’s performance was exactly what we want to see from this Derry City team. Everyone to a man was phenomenal and we played the league leaders off the park. The forward players were fantastic, Patching was a joy to watch given that much freedom in the midfield and O’Reilly covered every single blade of (plastic) grass. Mark Connolly dominated everything coming his way, whilst Andre Wisdom moved seamlessly from right back to centre back. Brian Maher, making his 52^nd consecutive appearance in the starting eleven, faced very little threat from the Shels forwards. The energy and high press throughout the game was brilliant and I’d love to see it every week. Sometimes City tend to sit a bit more compact when the opposition have possession, but with the energy in forward lines, Shelbourne weren’t allowed a minute’s peace throughout the ninety.

The only negative from Saturday’s performance was the injury suffered by Ben Doherty. The Premier Division’s highest assister last term struggled in the first half after seemingly over-stretching and was replaced by Ronan Boyce. That meant that Ciaran Coll moved to left back and Wisdom partnered Connolly for the second half. It was good to see Patrick McEleney come back into the team, and he looked really up for it. His efforts from outside the box, and free kick driven keeper’s side, hint that the captain is confident and coming back to his best. I have to say too, that long sleeve jersey he was wearing was cracker. Jacob Davenport played his first minutes since early August, whilst Pat Hoban came on for the last half hour – twelve years to the day since scoring for Mervue United against Derry in the Brandywell.

It's an away trip to Bohemians on the 4^th of October in the semi-finals, probably the toughest draw City could’ve got. After needing penalties to beat Kerry FC, Bohs hammered UCD 4-0 in the quarters to set up a mouthwatering battle for the final in Dalymount. There’s a lot of football to be played before then though, with City due to host Shamrock Rovers and travel to Drogheda United. There’s also a game against Sligo Rovers which will be postponed until a later date. Derry were phenomenal against Shelbourne and, with a maximum of nine matches to go until the end of the campaign, we need performances like that nearly every week between now and November. Big, big six weeks ahead.

Shamrock Rovers:

Four-in-a-row champions Shamrock Rovers have reignited a glimmer of a title hope to push for their fifth league glory since 2020 after winning their two games in hand. The Hoops find themselves in 3rd place, eight points behind Shelbourne at the top of the table and four points behind Derry in second. They’re now as close to us as we are to Shelbourne. Stephen Bradley’s men have shown a clinical side in the past few years and, despite their anti-climactic domestic campaign in 2024, Derry City know all too well the quality possessed in the Rovers squad. A 3-1 win in the Brandywell and a 1-0 win in Tallaght earlier in the campaign show that the Tallaght side know how to get the job done over the Candystripes.

Shamrock Rovers usually have a knack of kicking on and beating everyone in their sight towards the end of the season, after taking a while to get going in the early stages. Rovers have won each of the last four seasons by at least seven points, with the biggest margin being a sixteen point gap of St. Pat’s in 2021. In 2024, they haven’t quite hit those heights. Bradley’s men won back to back league games for the first time since mid-April with recent wins over Galway and Sligo, but were knocked out of the FAI Cup at the first time of asking by rivals Bohemians. The highlight of their season has undoubtedly been their involvement in Europe, qualifying for the European competition proper for the third time. That’ll net them least €3m, whilst a draw will bag around €150,000 and a win €450,000, serious dough. Despite a 6-0 loss to PAOK of Greece in the Europa League play-offs, Rovers bagged wins in both the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers – showing just how important winning the league is in getting a shot at European groups. The Hoops don’t have the worst league phase ties either, with home ties coming against APOEL Nicosia, Welsh side The New Saints (home to Derry men Josh Daniels and Rory Holden) and FK Borac Banja Luka of Bosnia. Those are games that Rovers could pick up points from, with an away tie against NIFL winners Larne looking like another possible three points. A glamour tie against Chelsea in December, and a tough trip to Rapid Wien of Austria, might not be so fruitful.

The squad depth and quality in the Shamrock Rovers squad is frightening to be honest. Celtic loanee Johnny Kenny tops the goalscoring charts in the Hoops’ ranks with twelve goals, level with Pat Hoban and Pádraig Amond at the summit of the league goalscoring table. Aaron Greene is on eight, with two coming against Derry in May. Darragh Burns, the pacey forward on loan from MK Dons, has scored five and assisted another four as he has displayed his talent on the wing this term. Dylan Watts tops the assist charts with six as he’s filled the gap by the injured Jack Byrne. Former Ireland international Byrne has had a stop-start season, making just 14 appearances. The 28 year old bagged a hat-trick of assists in their win over Sligo Rovers at the weekend, having previously assisted just once all season. Daniel Mandroiu is a major coup after signing from Lincoln City in August, staving off interest from Steaua Bucharest of Romania to seal his signature. 21 year old Conan Noonan has made four assists in something of a breakthrough campaign for him, whilst Darragh Nugent’s energy has seen him made 23 league appearances. The experience of Pico Lopes, Dan Cleary, Sean Hoare (who bagged a brace against Sligo) and Lee Grace build a solid defence, whilst Josh Honohan is proving to be a bargain signing from Cork City.  German goalkeeper Leon Pöhls, entrusted with the number 1 shirt following Alan Mannus’ retirement, has kept 9 clean sheets in 28 league games, but his mistakes have been highlighted this term. They better stay away from Brian Maher though.

Round-up:

Rovers hammered Sligo Rovers last weekend, and needed a fluke of an own-goal to beat Galway United on Monday night. Galway now host Shelbourne on Friday, and could do Derry a favour if the Candystripes get one over Stephen Bradley’s men. History is, unfortunately, not on the side of the team in red and white though. It’s been 18 months since Derry City last beat Shamrock Rovers, but then again it was 18 months since they last beat Shelbourne before last Saturday too. Of the six games since that win in March 2023, Rovers have won four – including two of the previous three in 2024. The President’s Cup win in 2023 was City’s last home win over Rovers, and it was the FAI Cup quarter final in 2022 before that. This fixture earlier in the season saw Derry swept to the side by Bradley’s men, as an Aaron Greene put City to the sword in a 3-1 win for the Hoops. Greene’s two goals both came from beating Derry’s centre backs for pace with a long ball over the top – that was the best we’ve been beaten in a long time. A win could be huge on Friday and with that four point gap still giving Shelbourne control in the title race, a win is almost more of a need than a want. This game is never quiet though and there will be more twists and turns in the last seven games, but Ruaidhrí Higgins will hope that Derry City fans will be given something to remember on the twentieth night of September…

 

Pól O’Hare – 18^th September 2024

FAI Cup Quarter Final Match Preview: Derry City v Shelbourne (14th September 2024)

 

FAI Cup Quarter Final Match Preview: Derry City v Shelbourne

 

After a glorious seven day spell at the summit of the Premier Division, Derry City must overcome the disappointment of dropping back down to second, and allowing Shelbourne to reclaim a four point buffer at the top of the table, when they face their title rivals in a cup tie for the ages in the Brandywell on Saturday. It’s the top two in the league, and the two favourites to lift the cup, battling it out in an early-Autumn quarter-final under the Brandywell lights on a Saturday evening. The game’s likely to sell out, and with the added tension of knowing these two won’t meet again until the final day of the campaign, this is the type of game to define a season.

Last time out - Galway United 1-0 Derry City:

Going into a league game as table toppers for the first time in almost six months, Derry City knew that a win could be a massive step towards clinching a first title since 1997. Travelling to a ground they haven’t won at since 2015, City started the game well against the second best defensive team in the league. Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men found joy down the flanks against Waterford the week before and went down the same route in Galway. Sixteen minutes in and the closest opportunity of the first half saw Sadou Diallo’s strike from range narrowly miss the post on Brendan Clarke’s right hand side. Six minutes later and it was a loose touch from the former Wolves and Man City midfielder which fielded possession the way of Galway United, forcing Brian Maher into a save following a right-footed Jimmy Keohane effort from outside of the box. City could have, and probably should have, opened the deadlock with less than ten minutes of the first half remaining when neat interplay between Adam O’Reilly and Paul McMullan saw the ball flashed across the box. Will Patching was on hand from fifteen yards out to sweep the ball low and past Clarke in the Galway goal, narrowly missing the same as post as Sadou Diallo twenty minutes earlier.

Thirteen minutes after the restart and Patching again came close, forcing Brendan Clarke into a fantastic save when he whipped a strike from the corner of the box towards the stanchion of the goal. A third great opportunity for City to open the scoring. It wasn’t long though before the home side found themselves a goal. A deep free kick was looped into the Derry box, and it seemed that Brian Maher had caught it, before coming down on top of substitute Danny Mullen and dropping the ball. American midfielder, and August Player of the Month, Patrick Hickey was on hand to stab into the net as the referee waived away claims for a foul from the City faithful. A rare error from Maher, but a massive goal for Galway in their hunt for Europe. Right from the restart and City had a golden opportunity to level it. Danny Mullen, involved for the wrong reasons in the other box just minutes earlier, met Paul McMullan’s inch-perfect ball into the box with his forehead. With the goal to aim at, the Scotsman saw himself denied by the ever-present Brendan Clarke in the United goal. A massive performance from the veteran keeper. City piled on the pressure in the last ten minutes but it wasn’t to be, as one of the league’s soundest defences kept another clean sheet. A poor result for the Candystripes, but the opportunities were there to be taken.

Derry City:

After the highs of topping the table a week prior, the loss to Galway has shown us how small the margins are in football. Derry played well in Eamonn Deacy Park for the most part, the attacking play was crisp and we came agonisingly close on three occasions. If Brendan Clarke wasn’t between the sticks for the Tribesmen, we would have won that game by a margin of a goal or two at least. Paul McMullan showed his skill and close-control down the wing, whilst Patching could have bagged himself a brace on another day. New signing Andre Wisdom was solid once again as he met fellow former Premier League full back Greg Cunningham on the left side of the Galway defence. On the other hand, Pat Hoban was kept quiet on his return to his hometown and Danny Mullen had a second-half cameo to forget. I would have liked to see Sean Robertson come on in the second half, his direct running and raw pace would have troubled a tiring Galwegian back-line. Jacob Davenport is another play I’d love to see more of, with Cameron Dummigan’s injury I think a midfield three of O’Reilly, Patching and Davenport would be a joy to watch. Signed in early July, Davenport’s only 45 minutes in red and white came over a month ago in the 1-1 draw with Dundalk. It was good to see Patrick McEleney back in the team against Galway after breaking his arm earlier in the summer. If he gets up to speed, he could provide that one flick or ball into the box that could win games between now and November. That international break will have been welcomed by the City players and staff alike, as they’ve been given time to regroup and get the defeat on the Atlantic coast out of the system.

Shelbourne:

Quarter-final opponents don’t come much bigger than this at the moment in Irish football. Shelbourne, who lost 4-0 in a record breaking cup final win against Derry City two years ago, travel to the Brandywell four points clear at the top of the Premier Division table. They say form goes out of the window in cup games, and that’s something both managers will want to believe on Saturday. For the top two teams in the country, neither side are really playing like it. Both City and Shelbourne have won just one of their last five league games and are fairly keeping each other occupied in the race for the title. Damien Duff’s Shels side needed extra-time and penalties to beat Galway United in the round of 16 after a 1-0 away win over Bray Wanderers in the second round of the cup. Their 1-0 win away to Dundalk is their only league win since the end of June, whilst a double-header against Swiss giants FC Zurich in the UEFA Conference League added an extra 180 minutes into July and August’s schedule.

Defensively is where Shelbourne have shone this season. Just 19 goals conceded in 29 league games is some feat – Conor Kearns, Paddy Barrett and co. have kept a tight ship at the back for Shels. The addition of the Aiden O’Brien, the former Millwall and Ireland striker who has more than 200 EFL appearances, has hit the ground running since signing from Shrewsbury Town in August. The 30 year old has scored twice in four appearances for the Reds so far, adding to the already strong centre forward options of Sean Boyd and John Martin. Damien Duff will hope that O’Brien’s goal will be important in the run-in as his side have scored 32 in the league this term – ten fewer than Derry City and ranking them in seventh in the league in terms of goals scored. A prolific number nine could be the missing key to the Shelbourne puzzle.

Will Jarvis, who was recalled from his loan by Hull City after playing against Derry back in August, was Shelbourne’s main attacking threat this year. His combined goals and assists of 12 was the highest in their side, ahead of Sean Boyd on 9 and John Martin on 6. Only Jarvis and left back Tyreke Wilson have registered more than two assists this term for Shelbourne. Former Derry City man Matt Smith bagged last time out against Bohemians, a goal which put Shels in the driving seat in the title race – that was his first league goal of the campaign. Captain Mark Coyle is a tough midfielder in the middle of the park, whilst the energy of Evan Caffrey and talent of Harry Wood balance out a tidy midfield trio. Liam Burt, Ali Coote and Rayhaan Tulloch are all quality wingers and give Duff options off the bench. These two won’t face each other now until the last game of the season, a potential title-decider in the Brandywell on the 1^st of November. Things are getting serious.

Round-up:

Derry City have reached the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup for the second time in three years. That fixture in 2022 was one of the best games in the Brandywell all season. City played Shamrock Rovers off the park in the first half, before conceding in the second half and taking the game to extra-time, where goals from Danny Lafferty and Brandon Kavanagh sent City into the semis. Treaty United lay in wait back then and with half of the remaining teams in the Cup currently playing in the First Division, there’s a good chance of another First Division side meeting Saturday’s victor.

Seven of the last eight league ties between Derry City and Shelbourne have ended in draws, with Derry’s 1-0 win in Tolka in March 2023 the only time since August 2022 when the points haven’t been shared. Four of those previous eight have seen red cards whilst the rivalry between Higgins and Duff that we saw in Tolka last month could make a reappearance. In the three games played between Shelbourne and Derry City in 2024, two have been scoreless. Sean Boyd’s 89^th minute equaliser split the spoils in the Brandywell in May. The last quarter-final to be played between these two was the League Cup quarters back in 2018, when City came out 7-3 victors as Ronan Curtis bagged a first half hattrick.

Saturday will mark twelve years to the day since City beat Mervue United 7-1 in the FAI Cup quarter-finals back in 2012. Mark Farren bagged a hat-trick that day, equalling then surpassing Liam Coyle’s record goal tally for the Candystripes when he bagged on the 60^th and 61^st minutes. The solitary goalscorer for Mervue that night was none other than a 21 year old Patrick Hoban. A decade and a bit on, and the now 33 year old will lead the line for City at the same stage in the same competition. Another FAI Cup quarter-final highlight came back in 2014, when City drew 2-2 with eight man Drogheda United before hammering the Louth side 5-0 in the replay. Ryan McBride scored in the first game, whilst Patrick McEleney and Michael Duffy both netted – that was ten years ago on Monday. There have certainly been a few high scoring quarter finals in the Brandywell over the past few years, here’s hoping Saturday will bring similar fireworks.

With the other three quarter finals taking place on Friday night, it won’t be much of a wait before the winner in the Brandywell learns their next opponent. The semi-final draw will be held after full-time on Saturday evening, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see an upset or two heading into it. UCD, who beat Sligo Rovers 2-0 in the round of 16, welcome Bohemians to Belfield. Wexford host Treaty United in a tie which will guarantee a First Division side in the last four, whilst Drogheda United travel to Athlone Town in the other fixture. Possibly just 180 minutes away from an Aviva day out, the FAI Cup is really beginning to heat up.

 

Pól O’Hare – 12^th September 2024