Galway United FC v Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division Round 28, Eamonn Deacy Park, Friday 22nd August 2025, kick-off 7.45pm
The summer of 2025 has gone from bad to worse for Derry
City, who were knocked out of the FAI Cup by holders Drogheda United on
penalties last Saturday. Now without cup action and out of the title race,
Tiernan Lynch has a job on his hands to keep the City faithful on side in his
team's fight for a top three finish. Up next for Derry is a trip to face a
Galway United side who are desperate to maintain a healthy distance from the
relegation zone.
Derry City:
Saturday’s 8pm kick-off, on a sunny day that saw many make
the journey to Croke Park for the Oasis gig, factored into a reduced attendance
in the Brandywell. Hoping for a response from the previous week’s dismal draw
with Cork City, the Derry fans saw their side get off to the worst possible
start – conceding to a well worked set piece routine after less than two
minutes. Andrew Quinn, who scored the opener in last year’s final, slid the
ball past Maher after Josh Thomas peeled away from his marker.
The early goal for Drogheda United gave them the upper hand
from the start, as Derry struggled to get into the game and seemed to play with
the same lack of urgency as displayed against Cork a week prior. The home side
were lucky to stay just one behind when Josh Thomas went 1v1 with Brian Maher
and fired narrowly wide early in the first half. City were denied a penalty
when Brandon Fleming went to ground in the box after nineteen minutes, but it was a tough
45 minutes to watch as the Candystripes were met with boos as the referee blew
the whistle for half time.
It may have taken almost an hour of football, but Derry
kicked into gear with the introductions of Liam Boyce, Ronan Boyce, Danny
Mullen and Ben Doherty . Those four subs changed the game,
giving the home side more energy and creativity going forward. As the momentum
grew, the Brandywell support began to get behind their team and you could feel
that a goal would come out of somewhere.
With 73 minutes on the clock, that goal did come. Just five
minutes earlier, Brian Maher had kept City in the game with a phenomenal
reaction save, but it was Michael Duffy who’d give City hope. After receiving
the ball from Danny Mullen, City’s talisman jinked past the Drogheda defender
before firing a peach into the top corner with his left foot. It was a
brilliant goal for the home side, and lifted the roof off the Brandywell.
It was a nervy end to the game, which would go to extra-time
after five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half. Derry, who had
controlled the second half, took that momentum into extra time. Substitute Liam
Boyce, who looked lively off the bench, was taken off injured and replaced by
Sam Todd, who should have been in from the start. Drogheda’s
keeper Luke Dennison made a phenomenal save to deny Ronan Boyce from close
range just before half time in ET.
With just six minutes to go in, it looked like
City had found the winner. A Ben Doherty corner was nodded into the net by
Mark Connolly, who wheeled away in celebration. With the Brandywell
celebrating, the referee pulled it back and gave a freekick to Drogheda for an
apparent foul on the goalkeeper. After watching multiple replays back, it
became clear that Dennison was blocked by his own defender, adding even more
frustration to a disappointing night for the Candystripes.
That disappointment was compounded right at the death, when
Michael Duffy was booked for diving in the box when trying to wriggle between
two defenders. City were denied a second penalty in the game and, to make it
worse, substitute Ben Doherty was shown a straight red card in the aftermath. Referee Rob Harvey had taken centre stage.
The penalty shootout couldn’t have gone much worse. After
losing the coin toss and seeing the kicks taken at the net closest to the away
fans, City missed all three of their penalties. In a shootout that last less
than five minutes, Jamie Stott and Danny Mullen saw their pens saved while Adam Frizzell blasted his over the crossbar. City out of the cup with a whimper,
despite hearty second half and extra time performances. Attention for Derry now
turns entirely to gaining European qualification through a top three finish
with nine games to go.
Conceding so early was an indicator of how the game on
Saturday would go. Derry City couldn’t grow into the first half at all and were
lucky to go into the break just one goal down. Despite being denied a
penalty when Fleming went down in the box, we didn’t look like scoring until
the subs were made in the second half. Ronan Boyce linked up well down the
right flank, while Danny Mullen and Liam Boyce offered something different up
front. With more quick thinking, Dipo Akinyemi could have converted two big
chances in the second period. Sam Todd looked a calm presence in extra-time
after coming off the bench too, but the injury to Liam Boyce and dismissal of
Ben Doherty could prove costly.
As per usual, Michael Duffy was the beating heart of the
team as we grew into the game in the second period. Given license to drift
inside, Duffy worked his socks off and dropped deep to get the ball and make
things happen. Unfortunately, we only have one Michael Duffy. His wondergoal
was his nineteenth direct goal involvement in 2025 and it’s a shame for him
that his brilliant season will go largely underappreciated thanks to City’s
lack of success at the business end.
Being out of the title race and the FAI Cup by mid-August
has seen Derry’s season stutter to a stall going into the last round of
fixtures. That become especially prevalent when you consider the run of form we
were in around six weeks ago. Since that 7-2 win over Waterford six games ago,
City’s only win has come against Treaty United in the second round of the FAI
Cup. In the league, we’ve scored just once in those four games since, conceding
five.
The upheaval in the squad and changes in the summer window
have upset City’s consistency. Since losing Kevin Holt, we’ve kept just one
clean sheet but what’s most surprising is that Sam Todd and Hayden Cann have
been dropped as soon as new defenders came in. Todd and Cann have been two of
City’s most consistent performers in 2025, but have seen their places in the
first eleven taken by Jamie Stott and Alex Bannon. Both new centre backs come
in with good pedigree, but neither had played since May when their seasons in
England and Scotland came to an end. They both went into a defence which was
becoming more and more of a unit every week.
The departures of Paul McMullan and Dom Thomas have left
gaps on the right wing too. Adam Frizzell played all of extra-time on Saturday
and looked up for it, but he’s more of a midfielder than a winger. Gavin Whyte
would be the natural solution to the right wing problem, but hasn’t completed a
full ninety since April when he incidentally scored the winner away to Galway
United. The transfer window for free agents is still open, but with plenty of
new faces already coming in and just nine games left, I can’t see more additions. To add to that, Sadou Diallo and Ben Doherty will both be suspended for the
trip to Galway, while the extent of Liam Boyce’s injury is yet to be seen. The
Candystripes look a disjointed team at the minute and I’m not sure if that will
change this year.
With just one win in the last six in all competitions, Derry
City need to respond and pick up as many of the 27 points available to them as
possible between now and the end of the season to get the fans back on side. We
played some brilliant stuff in June and early July, but that confidence seems
to have evaporated and we’re back on relying on Michael Duffy to provide the
magic. A couple of wins may be all that we need to pick up the pace, starting
with Friday night in Galway. With just nine points separating second and
seventh, it’s crucial that City get that winning feeling back.
Galway United:
Returning to the Premier Division in 2024 after walking the
First Division the year before, finishing
25 points ahead of second placed Waterford, Galway United quickly
established themselves as one of the toughest sides in Ireland to beat. A fifth
placed finish last year cemented that, as John Caulfield’s side kept the second
best defensive record in the league.
It had looked like The Tribesmen would carry that form into
2025 too. Galway were unbeaten until April, winning three and drawing four of
their first seven games. Three of those were 1-1 draws and they kept two clean
sheets, but the makings of a strong campaign were there to see. Unfortunately
for the Connacht side, the following four months haven’t been such easy
sailing.
Within a month of their seven game unbeaten streak ending,
Galway went on a run of four losses on the bounce in the first two weeks in
May. They’ve struggled for consistency since then, winning just twice more in
the league to date. With nine games to go, Galway sit just four points above
the relegation zone in eighth place. There’s certainly a cautious look over the
shoulder at rivals Sligo Rovers, who have hit form as they
look to climb from the play-off spot.
The sale of New Zealand forward Moses Dyer to Cambodian side
Phnom Penh Crown has played a big role in said recent inconsistencies. The 28
year old scored ten goals in twenty league appearances this season for the
Tribesmen, including braces against Bohemians, Shelbourne and Drogheda United.
He actually opened his account for Galway in the Brandywell back in March. Dyer
played his last game in the maroon of Galway on the 23rd of June,
and incidentally got sent off. Since that defeat in Sligo, United haven’t won in
the six following league games, scoring just three times and conceding ten.
Even though he left two months ago, Moses Dyer contributed to more than a third
of his team’s league goals – that’s a big void to fill. Derry City did also
trigger Dyer’s rumoured €60k release clause prior to his move to Asia.
Galway United were linked with Derry City’s Pat Hoban prior
to his move to Glentoran as they strove to replace Moses Dyer’s goals but, when
that move fell through, brought in four attackers. 30 year old Trinidad and
Tobago international Malcolm Shaw signed in early July after a stint in Canada,
he’s made four appearances but hasn’t yet scored. Former Derry City winger
Stephen Dooley was brought in from League Two side Harrogate Town to add
quality to the flanks. At 33, Dooley has won the Premier Division with Cork
City in 2017 and joins after spending seven years in England. He is yet to
appear for Galway competitively. Promising 21 year old
striker Dara McGuinness also joined United from Finn Harps, where he scored five
goals in league action this season. He also netted on his Galway debut in a 4-2
loss at home to Waterford, and in the 4-0 cup win against Salthill Devon last
week. Finally, the signing of former Middlesborough, Sutton United and Harrogate Town winger Jeremy Sivi was brought in. The 23 year old made his debut in their 4-0 cup win last week.
Midfielders Aaron Bolger and Axel Piesold joined from St
Pat’s and Cliftonville respectively, adding to a combative midfield of Conor
McCormack, Vincent Borden, Jimmy Keohane and David Hurley. Former Ireland
international Greg Cunningham and Cameroonian Jeannot Esua give width to a
solid defence consisting of Killian Brouder, Rob Slevin and Garry Buckley.
Derry City were pushing to bring in Slevin this window, but it’s believed that
he’ll join the Candystripes ahead of the 2026 campaign. Veteran keeper Brendan
Clarke and Wales U21 international Evan Watts have taken joint responsibility
in the goalkeeping department, making twelve and fifteen league appearances
respectively.
Galway United are a hard-working side, who are tough to
break down but have struggled in forward areas after losing marksman Moses
Dyer. They’ll hope that former Dundalk and St Pat’s boss Jon Daly joining the
backroom staff, replacing Ollie Horgan, can guide the Tribesmen to safety. They
have a squad which has the quality to stay in the division, but will need to
pick up some of their early season form if they’re to avoid sweaty palms come
the last few weeks of the season. Galway haven’t beaten Derry since August last
year, losing once and drawing twice already this season. As close to seventh as
they are ninth, United will want to hit form between now and November.
Round-up:
Heading into the last round of games in the 2025 Premier
Division, both Derry City and Galway United are desperate to consolidate their
places at either end of the table. Derry are still third in the league, one
point behind Bohemians in second but level with Drogheda United in fourth.
Shelbourne and St Pat’s are looming larger in the rear view at three and four points
behind City’s 42.
Galway United are in eighth, four points above Connacht
rivals Sligo Rovers in the relegation play-off spot but twelve away from the
European places. Still fighting in the FAI Cup, reaching the quarterfinals, Galway United will be out to pick up
as many points as possible to keep that gap from Sligo looking healthy, despite
being winless in the league in seven games.
Two teams in poor runs of form in league action, City and
Galway have played out two 1-1 draws in the Brandywell this season. Derry were
victorious on Easter weekend, winning 3-2 in Eamonn Deacy Park in the rain.
That win was City’s first there since August 2015, when the Candystripes won
4-0 in the league. Ten years and fifteen days later, Tiernan Lynch’s side will
be out to pick up three points in Eamonn Deacy Park in the last meeting between
these two sides in 2025.
Pól O’Hare – 20th August 2025
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