Derry City FC v Shamrock Rovers FC, League of Ireland Premier Division Round 35, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Sunday 25th October 2025 kick-off 3pm
Heading into the penultimate game of the 2025 season, Derry
City remain in second place after a Michael Duffy and Gavin Whyte inspired 2-1
victory away to Waterford last week. Visitors in the Ryan McBride Brandywell on
Sunday are Shamrock Rovers who have lost their last two but only need a point
to clinch the league title. The same outcome for Derry would see the
Candystripes guarante European qualification before next week’s finale against
already relegated Cork City.
Derry City:
Despite recording their biggest win of the season with a 7-2
demolition over Waterford in the last meeting between the sides, Derry City’s
2-1 defeats against the Blues in their other two fixtures meant that the City
faithful weren’t the most confident going into last Friday’s game. After a six
hour trip to Munster, City were pinned back in the opening stages and
eventually went 1-0 down with just 21 minutes on the clock when Tom Lonergan
fired past Brian Maher from an angle. A far from ideal start for Tiernan
Lynch’s men.
Ronan Boyce came close with a header just minutes after
going behind, but it wasn’t long before Derry found themselves level. Michael
Duffy received the ball on the right flank from Adam O’Reilly and drove at the
Waterford defence before nutmegging Ronan Mansfield and putting the ball on a
plate for Gavin Whyte to stroke home. It was a clinical move from the
Candystripes, which City’s mercurial number seven was at the heart of. A
well-deserved goal for Gavin Whyte too, who found the net for the first time
since July’s 7-2 victory over Waterford.
Buoyed on be the equaliser, City took the lead before the
break in fine fashion. Kacper Radkowski’s pass to his centre back partner was
short and picked up by Gavin Whyte. The former NI international slid through
Michael Duffy, who rifled the ball past Sam Sargeant and into the bottom
corner. Another clinical strike from Derry and more excellent link-up play
between Whyte and Duffy. The assist was Gavin Whyte’s ninth goal involvement of
the year, and Duffy’s finish was his 25th in all competitions. What
a season that man’s having.
Heading into the break a goal to the good, City knew the
second half would bring an onslaught of Waterford pressure. Goalkeeper Brian
Maher, who has been back to his best of late, was on top form to ensure the
Candystripes took the three points home. He made a phenomenal reaction save to
deny Pádraig Amond at close range, before sharply getting down to his right to
deny a fierce Conan Noonan effort on the 89th minute. Another huge
three points picked up by Derry City, who have extended their unbeaten run to
seven games at this crucial point of the season.
That win in Waterford all but confirmed European football
for Derry City. Now on 57 points, we’ve surpassed last season’s points tally of
55 and have opened a six point buffer to Bohemians in fourth place. We know how
vital second place will be if Shamrock Rovers win the cup – whoever finishes
there will enter the Europa League qualifiers rather than Conference League –
and that remains the target for City.
While we aren’t out of the title race just yet in
mathematical terms, we’d need to hammer Shamrock Rovers and beat Cork City, all
while hoping that Rovers lose to Galway United and Sligo Rovers in order to
finish level on points with them and go ahead on goal difference.
@DanielHussey2 on X figures that the most realistic way for Derry to claim the
title is to beat Shamrock Rovers 3-0 on Sunday and Cork City 5-0 away on the
final day, all while hoping Galway and Sligo beat Rovers 1-0. In that instance,
we’d be equal on points and goal difference, winning the league on goals
scored. An insane scenario, and it’d be a true miracle if it happened, but even
I know that if Rovers don’t win the title on Sunday, they absolutely will in
the next week.
Having played in Europe on Thursday and playing their game
in hand with Galway United on Wednesday, Shamrock Rovers’ three games in a week
will mean that they’ll be happy to play for a point in Derry on Sunday. In a
way, that would suit both teams. It’d guarantee the title for Rovers and European
football for City. Whilst it wouldn’t be ideal to see the title won in the
Brandywell by a team not called ‘Derry City’ for the second year running, it’ll
be interesting to see how Lynch will approach the game.
Derry City’s ongoing injury crisis saw teenagers Callum
Downey, Ciaran Mullan and Ryan Long named on the bench against Waterford. With
Danny Mullen out of that squad through injury, City won the game without having with having a
recognised striker in the squad. The technical quality of Michael Duffy and
Gavin Whyte pulled Derry through, as their fluidity across the front line
pulled gaps in the Waterford defence. Whether that’ll work against the league’s
most solid back-line this year will remain to be seen, but it’ll be a
fascinating tactical battle to see how Tiernan Lynch’s side will set up should
Danny Mullen remain to be unavailable.
Heading into the last home game of the season, Sunday may be
the last time most of the City faithful see a number of players play in red and
white. Mark Connolly, Arlo Doherty, Ben Doherty, Ronan Boyce, Sam Todd, Sadou
Diallo, Shane Ferguson, Robbie Benson and Danny Mullen will all come to the end
of their contracts at the end of the season (Transfermarkt). With news only of
Michael Duffy’s extension made public at this point, it remains to be seen who
Tiernan Lynch will keep on. If European football is confirmed, we may hear news
sooner rather than later given the money that will bring in.
For Derry City, everything that has happened this season
comes down to Sunday. Failure to win will see Shamrock Rovers claim the title,
not that City have a realistic chance anyway, but victory would be massive in
securing second place. A top three finish, given the amount of personnel change
on and off the pitch in the last year, would mark a successful debut campaign
for Tiernan Lynch. Having already surpassed last year’s points tally and with
the possibility of finishing closer to top spot than we did in 2024, the season
can’t be seen as a failure. When Lynch was appointed ten months ago, the word
on everyone’s lips was that Europe was an absolute necessity. In that sense, a
good result on Sunday would be mission accomplished for the Candystripes.
Shamrock Rovers:
Table toppers Shamrock Rovers travel to the Brandywell on
Friday needing a point to win the league. As the season winds down for the rest
of the Premier Division clubs, Shelbourne aside, Rovers find themselves in the
midst of UEFA Conference League campaign which will keep them busy until
January. Becoming the first Irish side to qualify for European competition
proper by winning every round of qualifying, Rovers kicked off their first
league phase match by losing 4-1 away to Sparta Prague before falling to a 2-0 defeat at home to Slovenian
side NK Celje on Thursday.
Despite losing their first two games of the season and not
reaching top spot until matchday 15 in May, Shamrock Rovers have been consistently
in first place since. Losing six games in the league to date, three of which
have come against rivals Bohemians, Rovers top the division in terms of goals
scored (53) and have kept a tighter defence than anyone else, conceding just 29,
despite failing to keep a clean sheet in nine games.
Waltzing their way to the FAI Cup final by scoring thirteen
goals and conceding just three, including a penalty shootout win over holders
Drogheda United, Stephen Bradley’s side are good value for a domestic double
this year. In doing so, they’d become the first team since Dundalk in 2018 to
win the Premier Division and FAI Cup in the same season.
It took Stephen Bradley four years to win his first league
title with Rovers and, now into his tenth campaign at the helm, his side need a
positive result to scoop their fifth title in six seasons. He’ll also be
travelling to the game by helicopter after running the Dublin Marathon on
Sunday morning for Oscar’s – a child cancer charity that’s close to his heart
after watching his son Josh ring the bell after three years of treatment back
in August. That’s testament to the resilience shown by the Bradley family.
Stephen Bradley has a trusted core of players who have come
into their own this season. Pico Lopes and Lee Grace have been mainstays at the
back, with Lopes recently qualifying for next year’s World Cup with his
national side Cape Verde. That’s some feat and will make him the first Irish
born player in 35 years to play at a World Cup should he receive a call-up.
Veterans Graham Burke and Rory Gaffney, at 32 and 36, top their side’s league
scoring charts with eight. 35 year old Aaron Greene is tied with fullback Josh
Honohan, recently called up to the Irish national team, and 17 year old forward
Michael Noonan on six goals in the league too. Burke has scored a further five
in cup action but is lucky to be in the picture for the final after escaping a
red card for violent conduct in the semi-final at home to Kerry FC.
Introducing new blood to Shamrock Rover’s experienced squad
has been their formula for success. Ed McGinty came in from Oxford United and
has kept ten clean sheets in the league. He’s been joined in Tallaght by young
forward Michael Noonan, who became the youngest player to score in the European
competition proper when netting against Molde in January. Fellow forward John
McGovern came in during the summer following a twenty goal season for Dungannon
Swifts as they won the Irish Cup in 2024/25.
Ireland U21 international midfielder Matt Healy was an
astute pickup from Royal Francs Borains of Belgium, while Connor Malley’s loan
signing from Sligo Rovers adds further quality to a stacked midfield. Despite
the unceremonious departure of Jack Byrne to Dubai Irish FC in the UAE Third
Tier, Rovers haven’t struggled for creativity, utilising the athleticism of
Josh Honohan and Danny Grant from wing back. Meanwhile, 16 year old Victor
Ozhianvuna has put pen to paper on a €2m transfer to Arsenal after a breakout
season with Shamrock Rovers, eclipsing Mason Melia’s transfer to Spurs. 19 year
old Cory O’Sullivan is another player coming into the side this year, making 21
starts in the league.
With the league all but wrapped up, an FAI Cup final in two
weeks, a game against Galway United on Wednesday and having played in Europe on
Thursday, Stephen Bradley may be tempted to rotate in the Brandywell on Sunday.
The likes of Gary O’Neill, Aaron McEneff and Dylan Watts have all seen gametime
limited this year and would be itching to feature. Unbeaten in ten against
Derry City, Rovers will want to keep that record up and put their foot back on
the gas after losing four of their last five in all competitions.
Round-up:
We’re down to the last home game of the 2025 Premier
Division. Sitting in second place and having all but confirmed European
football, Derry City will be desperate to extend that seven game unbeaten
streak against table toppers Shamrock Rovers on Sunday. Their visitors need
just one point to claim the title for the fifth time in six seasons but are in
the midst of a busy period of league and European football, having failed to
keep a clean sheet in nine matches.
Derry City are winless against Shamrock Rovers since March
2023, when they won 2-1 in Tallaght. You have to look back to September 2022 to
find City’s most recent home win over the Hoops in competitive action. Rovers
have won six of the ten games since Derry’s last win against them, including
two of the three previous meetings this season. Aaron McEneff’s 90th
minute winner in the Brandywell back in May did not go down well at all, while
City were outclassed by a Rory Gaffney double in Tallaght in August. The odds,
therefore, are in the visitor’s favour.
There’s a good chance that the top three will be decided on Sunday
but Tiernan Lynch and his side will know that they need to focus on their own
exploits in order to confirm that European spot. Four points from the last two
will confirm a second placed finish, no matter how the team’s around them do. It’s
the last time we’ll see the Candystripes at home until February 2026 so get out
there and support them, because this is a big one.
Pól O’Hare – 23rd October 2025
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