Cork City FC v Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 36, Turner’s Cross, Saturday 1st November 2025 kick-off 4.30pm
Just like that, we’re at the end of another Premier Division
season. Following a statement victory over Shamrock Rovers in the Brandywell
last Sunday, Derry City travel to relegated Cork City hoping to secure second
place. With European football secured, the pressure will be let off for the
Candystripes, while their hosts will have one eye on next week’s FAI Cup final.
Derry City:
A point apiece in Sunday’s tie between Derry City and
Shamrock Rovers would have guaranteed European football for City and claimed
the title for the Hoops. I may have gone on record saying I’d be happy enough
with that too. Despite being winless against Rovers in the Brandywell since 2023’s
President’s Cup, the confidence of the table toppers was shaky following four
defeats from the previous five. For a City side unbeaten in seven, there
wouldn’t have been a better chance to get one over the Tallaght side.
Large swathes of the first half were covered by Shamrock
Rovers’ dominance. An early Graham Burke effort forced Brian Maher into a
finger tip save, while the away side’s 68% percent possession in the first
period spoke volumes. When it comes down to it though, there’s only one metric
which truly matters – the score. The home side went into the break ahead after
Brandon Fleming’s cross to the back post dipped over McGinty and nestled in the
top corner. A brilliant opener for the Candystripes as the former Hull City
fullback found his first ever professional goal.
With Mark Connolly off injured in the first half, and the
armband handed to Michael Duffy, City refused to sit back after the break and
went out on the front foot. While it looked like Rovers were miles ahead of
Derry in the 2-0 win in Tallaght in August, City bossed the league leaders
across the second phase. 32% possession in the first half became 53% in the
second, while City’s eight shots in the second half was double that of Rovers'.
A second goal to kill the game finally came on the 87th
minute. The visitors, down to ten after Lee Grace was shown two yellow cards in
four minutes earlier in the half, saw City’s tenacity get the better of them.
Wish shades of his short back-pass handing Jamie McGonigle a stoppage time
winner in 2022, Pico Lopes had his pocket picked on the turn by Michael Duffy.
City’s star man had time and space to play a perfect pass to Sadou Diallo,
which the English midfielder stroked into the top corner. Jubilation in the
Brandywell as City had a first win in twelve over the Hoops, despite a 98th
minute consolation goal from Rory Gaffney.
Even though Shelbourne’s comeback later on Sunday evening
saw the top three decided, and meant that Derry didn’t yet have second place
confirmed, the fixture with Rovers was a real classic. A first half which
saw the side dig deep and score against the run of play was followed by a
second period which epitomised what the team should be about. Always on the
front foot, City were desperate to get the three points in the bag and did so
deservedly. A brilliant showing to give the Brandywell faithful something to
look forward to next year.
Michael Duffy’s assist was his 26th direct goal
involvement in all competitions this year, a serious haul for the 31 year old
which should really see him take home the PFAI Player of the Year award. Brandon
Fleming’s fine first few months at the club saw him bag a deserved goal, while
Sadou Diallo in particular looked a step above anyone else in the midfield
after coming off the bench at half-time. His touches, passing and elegance were
summarised by a smart finish into the top corner for the winner. That’s a man
playing for a contract extension if ever I’ve seen one – do it Tiernan.
Cameron Dummigan’s inclusion in the starting eleven was his
first start since August 2024 after a hefty injury lay-off. From his
performance, he looked like he’d been playing all season. Originally man
marking Graham Burke in the first period, he formed part of the back three and
pulled the strings sitting just in front of the defence when in possession. His
7.8 rating on Sofascore was higher than anyone else on the pitch on Sunday
evening.
Should Shelbourne drop points against St Pat’s, Derry City
will finish the year in second place. External factors aside, you’d fancy City
to beat relegated Cork City and claim that runners-up spot in Turner’s Cross.
Should Shamrock Rovers win the cup as well as the league, second place will
enter the Europa League qualifiers rather than the Conference League,
effectively giving the league runners-up two cracks at Euro qualifiers. It’s in
City’s own hands to finish second, and the FAI Cup final will be the only day
for years that’ll make Derry fans want a Shamrock Rovers victory.
Scroll down to see my players of the year and a wee message
to say thanks a million!
Cork City:
Back in the Premier Division after storming the First
Division in 2024, Cork City haven’t had the return to the top flight they’d
hoped for. After eight games, the Rebel Army had slipped into the relegation
zone and escaped it only once before being relegated with three games to go in
mid-October.
Promotion winning manager Tim Clancy left in May after
defeat to Derry City in the Brandywell. That defeat also saw key forward Ruairi
Keating injure his Achilles, rendering him out of action for the rest of the
season. With his replacement Djenairo Daniels leaving for Kilmarnock after
scoring five goals in twelve games, centre back Milan Mbeng departing for
Shelbourne on deadline day and star winger Cathal O’Sullivan tearing his ACL,
it seemed like 2025 would be the year from hell for Cork City.
That would be correct if you looked solely at the Premier
Division table. It was in FAI Cup action where Cork came into their own. They
began by beating Leinster Senior League side Leicester Celtic 3-0, before
bagging in the 2nd and 80th minutes to defeat fierce
rivals Waterford in the Third Round. The quarter-finals brought another 3-0
victory, this time away at Finn Harps in Ballybofey. Two of those three were
scored by Derry-man Evan McLaughlin, a feat which was repeated in the semi-final.
One game away from the Aviva, bottom of the league and drawn
against European chasing St Pat’s, Cork City were huge underdogs going into the
semis. Knowing that they were down and out in league action, Cork turned on the
style in Turner’s Cross a month ago, picking up their third 3-0 win of the
competition. Another Evan McLaughlin double was complemented by an early Sean
Maguire opener as the Rebel Army marched on to Landsdowne Road.
Facing league champions Shamrock Rovers in the final, who
beat Kerry FC 6-1 in the semis, Cork City once again go in as underdogs. Having
already embarrassed one of Dublin’s big clubs, they’ll be hell-bent on doing
that again. With a first cup win since 2017 and the prospect of Europa League
football next summer on the line, next Sunday will be one of the biggest days
in Cork City’s recent history.
Due to the magnitude of the upcoming final, don’t be
surprised to see Cork City take no risks at home to Derry City on Saturday.
Already relegated, they’ll want to show pride in the shirt and give their fans
something to cheer about it before the big day. At the same time however, Ger
Nash will not want to risk any of his key players and will hope for a fit and
firing squad next week.
The aforementioned Djenairo Daniels’ five league goals means
that he’s still joint top of Cork goalscoring chart in the league, despite
playing his last game for the club in June. Called into the Suriname national
team after those exploits and a bright start in Scotland, Daniels recently tore
his ACL in a World Cup qualifier against Guatemala and will be out for the
season. Tied on five goals with Sean Maguire and Preston North End loanee Kitt
Nelson, Daniels is one of only seven City players to have scored more than once
in the league this year. With 33 in 37, they’re the lowest scoring side in the
league and having conceded 60, also have the league’s poorest defence.
As is the running theme, Cork’s FAI Cup stats make for much
better reading. They’ve conceded just once in their four cup games in 2025,
scoring eleven in the process. Evan McLaughlin leads the list with those,
having bagged braces in the quarter and semi-finals. It’d be great for him if
he netted in the final having been on loan at Coleraine when Derry City won the
cup in 2022. With a further two assists, he’s directly contributed to more than
half of Cork City’s FAI Cup goals this year. Sean Maguire, Kitt Nelson, Charlie
Lutz, Matthew Murray and Kaedyn Kamara were the other goal-getters in their cup
run.
Despite their relegation, Cork City’s squad isn’t devoid of
quality or experience. Sean Maguire has eleven Ireland caps and years of
experience in the EFL, while midfielder Greg Bolger has three Premier Division
and four FAI Cup triumphs across a League of Ireland career spanning eighteen
years. Sean Murray was part of Dundalk’s league and league cup double winning
team of 2019 and won the FAI Cup in 2020 – two players of real pedigree in the
midfield.
Cathal O’Sullivan was heavily linked with a move to Crystal
Palace prior to his knee injury, he’s a player with a wand of a left foot. The
acquisition of Alex Nolan from St Pat’s looked promising, while Benny Couto has
impressed at left back this year. Rory Feely and Fiacre Kelleher also returned to
Ireland by signing from Crawley Town and Colchester United in the summer.
With a difficult Premier Division campaign almost done and dusted,
and a huge FAI Cup final on the horizon, Cork City will want to end the year on
a high. Whether that’s a positive result heading into the final, or resting
players knowing their strongest team will be available next Sunday, it’ll
likely not be long before the Turner’s Cross faithful see Premier Division
football once again. All focus for Ger Nash and his side will be on next
Sunday’s final, but they won’t let Derry City take the points easily on Saturday.
Round-up & Players of the Year:
With just one game left of the 2025 Premier Division
campaign, the feel good factor has returned to the Derry City camp. Now eight games
unbeaten, with five wins and three draws in that time, City have come
surprisingly close to pushing Shamrock Rovers the whole way. Six points
behind the now-champions, City sit two places and five points ahead of
where they finished in 2024. For Tiernan Lynch, his backroom staff and new
signings, it’s turned out to be a fairly successful first season in League of Ireland
football.
Despite their relegation, Cork City will be hoping for a
positive result to take into next week’s FAI Cup final. Their first final since
2018, the Rebel Army will travel to Dublin in their numbers and hope to upset
Shamrock Rovers. With that in mind, Ger Nash may rotate against Derry City on
Saturday. Losing a key player to injury wouldn’t be worth the risk with such at
stake next week.
Unbeaten against Cork City for more than seven years, Derry City will hope
to extend that record, in doing so taking a nine game unbeaten streak into the
new season. With two 2-1 wins and a 0-0 draw between these two this season, this
may end up feeling like a real end-of-season tie given Derry’s European
confirmation and Cork’s relegation. Despite that, it’s the Battle of the Cities
for the fourth and last time in 2025.
Seeing we’re at the end of the season, here are my top three players of Derry City’s 2025 campaign. Thanks again to everyone who has read, interacted with, or left a comment on my previews this year. It’s been my second full season of previewing every single Derry City match in league and cup action and it’s been a really fulfilling couple of years, which started with that KuPS European tie in 2023. That feels like ages ago right enough. We’ve seen the ups and downs of supporting this club, but that’s why we love it. Massive thanks again, your support over the last 27 months has genuinely been really appreciated. Pól.
Players of the Year –
1.
Michael Duffy – It really couldn’t be
anyone else. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen play for Derry City and he’s
had the best individual season I’ve see an a Derry player have. A local hero,
he’s pulled his side to second in the league and become the best player in
Ireland, bar none. 26 goals and assists from the left wing and a three year contract extension mark a seriously successful season for Michael Duffy.
2.
Sam Todd – After going on loan to Tiernan
Lynch’s Larne in 2024, Lynch put his trust in Todd to be the left sided centre
back of his back three when becoming Derry City manager. Todd has developed
into one of the league’s best in his position and has been consistently quality
throughout the year. A unit at the back, with a good range of passing and
ability to bomb down the flank, tying him down to a new deal will be as good as
any signing in the off-season.
3.
Brian Maher – I struggled to pick a
number three here, trying to pick between Brian Maher, Carl Winchester, Adam
O’Reilly and even Brandon Fleming. I’ve gone for Brian Maher who, after finishing his fourth season at
the club, is still one of the most reliable keepers in the league. Not as
involved in build-up play as previous years, Maher’s reflexes and shot-stopping have
kept Derry City in games and won us more points than he'll get credit for.
City’s number one has certainly come back to his best in the last half of the
year.
From myself, that's another year of preview writing done. Take care!
Pól O'Hare - 29th October 2025
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