Derry City v Cork City: Match Preview (4th April 2025)
Derry City FC v. Cork City FC., League of Ireland
Premier Division Round 8, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 4th
April 2025, kick-off 7.45pm
It’s a battle of the Cities for the first time in 2025 as
Cork City brave the long journey north to face Derry City on Friday. Both sides
will be gunning for victory to maintain space between them and the relegation
zone, whilst looking to extend unbeaten records. Derry are coming off the back
of a hard-fought draw away to Shamrock Rovers, whilst Cork City have lost just
one game all season.
Derry City:
I have to start this preview by apologising. At the end of
last week’s preview ahead of the Shamrock Rovers match, I went on record saying
that “There are always goals in this tie and… I suspect Friday night will be no
different”. What we got was the first 0-0 between Derry City and Shamrock
Rovers in almost three years – whoops. In honesty though, with City winning
just once in Tallaght in the league since 2017, a point away to Rovers isn’t a
bad result at all.
The first glimmer of an opportunity for either side came
seven minutes in when Michael Duffy whipped a ball towards the back post. An
easy enough ball for Ed McGinty in the Rovers goal, but the flight of the ball
caught the former Sligo Rovers keeper out. He spilled it and was lucky that
Danny Mullen wasn’t more alert to prod home. The first of two flashpoints in
the game came 23 minutes in when Paul McMullan fed an inch-perfect pass into
the path of Danny Mullen. McGinty mistimed his approach to gather the ball and
was stuck between a rock and a hard place – either handle the ball outside of
the box or take down Danny Mullen. The keeper went for the earlier option, a
choice which saw him receive a straight red card, leaving his side with ten men
for the remaining seventy minutes or so.
Derry’s man advantage didn’t last for long, only seventeen
minutes or so. Scottish striker Danny Mullen, booked earlier in the half, was adjudged
by referee Paul McLaughlin to have clipped a Rovers midfielder and stopped a
counter attack. Contact was minimal if any at all and the City forward clearly
tried to back out of the challenge. McLaughlin flashed another yellow at the 30
year old before pulling the red card out of his back-pocket. A dubious decision
to say the least, which saw Rovers and City level with ten men each on the
field going into the second half.
Tiernan Lynch rolled the dice at half time, introducing Liam
Boyce and Sean Patton in an attempt to clinch a goal in the second period.
Michael Duffy’s looping free kick from range proved to be City’s best
opportunity of the game and forced a good save from substitute keeper Leon Pöhls.
Ronan Boyce came closest for City ten minutes later when he sliced a volley
marginally wide from inside the box - the right back looked promising when
adding an extra body to the City attack.
Roberto Lopes had the home side’s best opportunity of the
evening on the 72nd minute when Dan Cleary’s knock-down from a Jack
Byrne corner fell kindly for the Cape Verde international at the back post.
Brian Maher found himself positioned well to smother the ball despite Lopes’
proximity within the six yard box. Even though Stephen Bradley introduced Rory
Gaffney and starlets Michael Noonan and Victor Ozhianvuna late on in the half,
they failed to threaten Brian Maher’s goal as the sides settled to share the
spoils come the final whistle on the 95th minute.
Aside from the controversy surrounding Danny Mullen’s
sending off, which may leave City light on centre forward options on Friday
given the exclusion of Pat Hoban against Shamrock Rovers, more positives came
out of Tallaght than negatives for Derry City. The scoreless draw meant that
City have now kept back-to-back clean sheets for the first time since August
2024, after getting their first against Sligo Rovers in the game prior. City’s
away records against both the Rovers in the past few years have been poor. The
recent win in Sligo was our first there since 2021 and we’ve won once in eight
years in Tallaght. Looking at it from the bigger picture then, four points and
two clean sheets from those two ties are a good return. We’re still seventh but
are just five points off the top of the table given the competitive nature of
the early stages of the 2025 season.
On the topic of clean sheets, City’s defence was the biggest
concern six weeks ago when the season began. We conceded seven in our first
four games but have conceded just once in the three following. It’s clear that
defensive structure is a key focus of Lynch and co’s training sessions, with
three centre halves fielded in each of those last three games. It’s obvious,
therefore, that the extra man in defence has been key to our newfound solidity.
Hayden Cann was the standout against Shamrock Rovers on Friday. Arriving from a
relegated Dundalk last term, the Englishman looked assured and played a key
role in those successive clean sheets. He’s not afraid to put his body on the
lin or go flying into tackles or headers. With the experience of Kevin Holt and
Mark Connolly in the back-line, alongside the balance that Sam Todd provides,
it seems City’s defensive woes may a thing of the past.
Adding an extra man into defence does mean taking one away
from the midfield or forward line. Finding that sweet-spot will clearly be of
upmost importance for Tiernan Lynch and his management staff in the coming
days. Michael Duffy was once again key to everything good that City did going
forward on Friday night. He’s been phenomenal for us this year and has been
given real attacking freedom by the manager. The wait for a goal from open play
will now go on a week further though. City haven’t scored from open play since
the opening day of the season – February 14th. With the investment
in attacking areas in the off-season, it’ll be a worry for the City faithful
that some of our forwards have yet to get going. Gavin Whyte has been an unused
sub in the last two, whilst Pat Hoban has started just twice this year. Danny
Mullen was given his first start of the season in Tallaght but will have to
wait another week for his next after being sent off 40 minutes into the game
against Rovers. You can tell Liam Boyce has real class on the ball and is a
very technical player, but he is yet to score after his arrival from Hearts. Dom
Thomas, another arrival from Scotland, has contributed to just one goal all
season and was also unused against Rovers. Sean Patton, who scored five in
preseason, looked lively playing alongside Boyce up front in the second half on
Friday. Once those players click, and I’ve said this already this year, I can
see us blow a team away and really get going. For the City faithful, we’ll be
hoping that we see some goals in front of the new North Stand on Friday. With
the new stand opening at 50% capacity against Cork City, there’s a bumper
attendance in store at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
Cork City:
Two years on from their last stint in the topflight of Irish
football, Cork City are back in the big-time after winning last year’s First
Division by a twenty-two point margin. The second tier in 2024 was something of
a walk in the park for the Rebel Army, who began the campaign with a 17 game
unbeaten streak before wrapping up the title in early September. Irish
champions as recently as 2017, last season marked the club’s second promotion
to the Premier Division in three years. Relegated in 2020, Cork City won the
First Division in 2022. The following season, however, saw the Munster side struggle
back in the topflight, finishing second bottom; albeit 20 points above bottom
side UCD. The play-offs brought heartache for City, who lost to rivals
Waterford in extra-time, sealing their fate. With last year’s dominance
bringing a confidence and swagger to Tim Clancy’s side, their return to the
Premier Division has gotten off to a decent start.
After six games, Cork City have lost just one, drawing four
and beating Bohemians in the highlight of their year to date. They’re unbeaten
at home and have drawn with champions Shelbourne and FAI Cup victors Drogheda
United. 2025’s only loss for the Rebels came against rivals Waterford; a late
goal again claiming Munster glory for the Blues. With eight scored and eight
conceded, Cork’s likely aim this year will be to maintain their Premier
Division status - they haven’t began poorly by any means.
The coups of two former fan favourites in the summer of 2024
showed that City were serious about their ambitions. With the First Division
title all but wrapped up, eleven time Ireland international Sean Maguire was
signed from Carlisle United – warding off interest from Premier Division clubs.
He scored 38 goals in 50 games for Cork between 2016 and 2017 before leaving
for Preston North End after making himself a key cog in City’s title winning
side. Ruairí Keating, nominated for the PFAI Player of the Year after bagging
thirteen for Cork City in 2023, returned to the club just eight months after
leaving for St. Pat’s. He has scored seven eight his return, as has Maguire –
two strikers of real calibre in the Cork front-line. The latter, however has been out since early March with a hamstring injury.
City’s business wasn’t bad going into 2025 either. The most
impressive signing came in the form of winger Alex Nolan from St. Pat’s. The 22
year old chose Cork over Bohemians and scored in the 2023 FAI Cup final. Former
Oldham Athletic wing back Benny Couto signed from Ashton United and has become
a fan favourite. He’s been joined at the club by goalkeepers Conor Brann and Tein
Troost, on-loan from Swindon Town and NAC Breda respectively. Also joining the
Turner’s Cross side on loan are Rio Shipston from Sheffield Wednesday, Freddie
Anderson from Stoke City and Kitt Nelson from Preston North End. French
defender Milan Mbeng put pen-to-paper from Zébra Élites, too.
Strength in depth seems to be the way forward for Tim
Clancy. He has a big squad but managed to retain a number of his key players –
despite an exodus of five to neighbours Cobh Ramblers. Included in said exodus
to their Munster rivals were captain Cian Coleman and midfielders Barry Coffey
and Jack Doherty, who scored sixteen between them last year. Former Derry City
midfielder Evan McLaughlin signed for Cork City ahead of the 2024 campaign and
was deployed at left-back, ultimately earning himself a place in the First
Division Team of the Year after racking up twelve goal involvements in the
league. He hasn’t featured in 2025 following a pre-season injury, however.
Veteran midfielder Greg Bolger is still key to the midfield at 36 years of age,
whilst 20 year old Englishman Rio Shipston has impressed by making two assists
so far. Malik Dijksteel is a tricky winger and exciting to watch, whilst Cathal
O’Sullivan was the star of the show for City last year. He came off injured on
the opening day this year and only returned to the squad last week. The
seventeen year old scored seven goals in the league last season. Left-footed
and with the technique of a player a decade his senior, the winger isn’t short
on confidence and has attracted the attention of some of Europe’s elite. His
highlight reel already makes for some viewing.
Cork City haven’t won in the Brandywell since 2018 but will
be energetic and determined given the nature of their young squad. Their
quality in attacking areas and ability to grind out a result would make any
team in the league wary. With three draws from their last three, Tim Clancy
will be hoping that his side enact revenge on Derry City after defeat in the FAI
Cup meeting between the two last year.
Round-up:
It’s a first league meeting between these two in almost
eighteen months as both Derry City and Cork City look to climb the Premier
Division table with three points on Friday. The visitors have drawn each of
their last three games, whilst Derry are desperate for only a second home win
of the season. The Candystripes dumped Cork out of the FAI Cup via a Sam Todd
header on their way to the final in 2024 and will look to extend a twelve game
unbeaten streak against the Rebel Army, dating back to October 2018. Cork City
have scored just once against Derry in the last six meetings between the sides,
but have bagged three more than their hosts this season and have lost only one
game all year. With the opening of the new North Stand adding an extra factor
to Friday night’s game, the home side will be gunning for three points and
extension to their clean sheet record. It’s City against City for the first
time in 2025…
Pól O'Hare - 31st March 2025
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