Shelbourne v Derry City: Match Preview (14th February 2025)

 

Shelbourne v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Shelbourne FC v Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 1, Tolka Park, Friday 14^th February 2025 @ 7.45pm

 

It’s been a long few months of a winter without the Candystripes but proper football is back and there’s a new man at the helm in the Brandywell. Tiernan Lynch, the man who took Larne from the NIFL Championship to back-to-back Irish League champions and UEFA Conference League group stages, was announced as City’s new manager back in November. In his few months here already, Lynch has made his mark on the running of the club both on and off the pitch. He’s brought in four former Northern Ireland internationals, a three-time Premier Division winner and secured the use of Doire GAA’s Owenbeg Centre of Excellence as a temporary home from home for the club. His new look Derry City side has been thrown in at the deep end though- their first game of the season is a Valentine’s Day trip to Tolka Park, where they have a date with champions Shelbourne.

Derry City:

The end of last season was a struggle. Going from having multiple opportunities to go top of the table before then finishing fourth and losing the cup final, the last few months of the 2024 campaign were an emotional rollercoaster for the City faithful. We could have gone clear at the top when we went into a Friday-Monday double header at home to Bohemians and Sligo Rovers in October, but missed point blank chances in both games and came away with two draws. Those four dropped points saw Ruaidhrí Higgins’ grasp on the title slip drastically. An away win away to Dundalk kept City dreams alive going into the penultimate gameweek and relegated Dundalk, but a 1-0 loss to St. Pat’s in Inchicore meant that Derry could mathematically no longer be champions. To add insult to injury, the winner was scored by a man who City had sold to Pat’s less than a year prior – Brandon Kavanagh. Derry City v Shelbourne in the Brandywell on November 1^st was billed all year as the title decider, as City hoped to grab their first title since 1997 and Shels their first since 2006. To be fair, it was a title decider, but not for the home side. Harry Wood’s 85^th minute winner against a dejected City side in a flat Brandywell saw the visitors clinch the title from Shamrock Rovers and knocked Derry out of the European spots.

Nine days later and City travelled to the Aviva for the second time in three seasons, in an FAI Cup final against a Drogheda United side who still had a relegation play-off to get the better of, it seemed nearly impossible for City to lose. They did. And it couldn’t have gone much worse either.  When captain Patrick McEleney went off injured in the first half, in his last appearance for the club, you knew it wasn’t going to be our day. Goals from Andrew Quinn and Douglas James-Taylor handed Drogheda their second ever FAI Cup triumph as the Derry end of the Aviva cleared out with twenty minutes to go. It was a sour atmosphere after the second goal went in. City failed to threaten for the remainder of the game, before Brian Maher left the pitch in tears after full time – he looked certain to leave the club for Shamrock Rovers. After a cup final triumph, a European run in 2023 and back-to-back second place finishes, the Ruaidhrí Higgins era on Foyleside came to an end. It was time for a rebuild at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

Enter stage left, Tiernan and Seamus Lynch. The two brothers who had won eight trophies at Larne between 2017 and 2024, alongside qualifying for the UEFA Conference League league phase, arrived to take the reins at Derry City on a three year deal. Aside from playing exciting football and dominating domestically for a few years, they turned Larne into one of the most professional clubs on the island. With a full on academy set-up, scholarship program and state-of-the-art training facilities, the Larne model has given a glimpse at what can be done at Derry City. With the club looking at taking over Templemore Complex and building a hub for the club in the next couple of years, alongside the fast-approaching completion of the new North Stand, it’s an exciting time to be a Derry City supporter again.

That excitement isn’t constrained to just the background workings of the club, but Lynch’s business in the transfer window has raised a few eyebrows. With no European football this year, I expected a fairly modest rebuild of young players and a few experienced LOI veterans to ease the club into a new era without the breaking the bank. I was wrong. Tiernan Lynch has been backed by the club to make his mark on the squad. I said back in October that getting Brian Maher and Adam O’Reilly tied down to new deals would be more important than any other signing and, coming off the back of the cup final, I genuinely thought both of them would be away. Low and behold, both players were signed to new two-year deals by mid-December. They were joined by 57 time Northern Ireland international Shane Ferguson, who was most recently at Rotherham United in the Championship. A former Maiden City player in his youth, the Eglinton native made 23 senior appearances for Newcastle United after joining their academy in 2007. Loans to Birmingham City, Rangers and Millwall saw the versatile left-sided full-back’s stock rise. Millwall signed him permanently for around £175,000 in 2016, where he made 155 appearances in five years. At 33, he’s an experienced addition to the squad with his versatility making him a near-perfect replacement for the departed Ciarán Coll.

Following on from Ferguson where two more Northern Ireland internationals, both announced one Saturday afternoon while I was scoffing a ciabatta from Paul’s Butchers – what a day. They don’t need much of an introduction, Liam Boyce is a 28 time NI international forward with a deadly eye for goal and comfortable dropping into midfield to make something happen. He has just shy of 200 goals in 470 or so senior appearances – not a bad return at all. 23 goals of those came in 2016/17 whilst at Ross County, seeing Boyce win the Scottish Premiership golden boot ahead of Celtic’s Moussa Dembelé and Scott Sinclar. He most recently spent five years at Hearts of Midlothian, where he won the Player of the Year award in 2020/21.

Boyce’s signing was quickly followed by that of Gavin Whyte, ending a transfer saga that also involved Shamrock Rovers, Linfield and Coleraine. Leaving Crusaders with three league titles and 140 appearances under his belt in 2018, Whyte signed for Oxford United for around £100,000. After a season in League One, he signed for Cardiff City for around £2m before going on loan to Hull City and back to Oxford. Most recently with Portsmouth, Whyte opted to return home last year before signing for the Candystripes. A winger of international pedigree, 30 caps to be precise, Whyte adds quality to City’s already strong flanks.

Another duo of signings came days later for Derry City, in the form of Robbie Benson and Carl Winchester. Benson is a league of Ireland stalwart, racking more than 450 appearances and three
Premier Division titles. A proven winner, the midfielder joined from relegated Dundalk in January and offers Tiernan Lynch a bit of League of Ireland winning nouse in the centre park of the park. Another experienced midfield addition is Carl Winchester, who was capped once by NI back in 2011. He recently surpassed the 500 appearance mark in senior football whilst at Shrewsbury Town and has experience playing across the EFL. A midfielder by trade, he can also slot in at right back and looked very tidy sitting in front of the defence against Institute in preseason. Young goalkeeper Arlo Doherty made his stay at the club official after signing an 18 month contract following the expiration of his contract with Leicester City. The former Ireland youth international has been training with the club since last summer and will serve as back-up to Brian Maher.

Dom Thomas is the signing I’m most excited about though. A former Celtic academy prospect, Thomas broke through at Motherwell in 2015 and has played his entire career until now in Scotland. Most recently captain at Queens Park in the Scottish Championship, the forward, who turns 29 on Friday, has a wand of a left foot and is comfortable playing off either wing. Queens Park fans think very highly of him judging by their reaction to his departure – he’s surely one to get you off your feet.

Twelve players left Derry City between the end of the season and now, eight of them on permanent transfers. In November, it seemed like we were on the verge of a crisis. Captain Patrick McEleney had left for Ballymena United, although returned to City in a coaching capacity recently. He was followed to the Irish League by his brother, Shane, and Ciarán Coll, who both joined Declan Devine’s Glentoran. The latter was City’s second longest serving player having joined in 2019. Will Patching joined League Two’s bottom side Carlisle United on a two-and-a-half year deal. Carlisle brought in twelve new players in January, before sacking their manager to bring in Mark Hughes on deadline day – they’re currently six points from safety and relegation to the National League looks ever-more likely despite splashing the cash.

Colm Whelan also joined Bohemians to lead their line – reuniting with Alan Reynolds in a real coup for the Phibsborough side. He does, however, now have competition up front in the form of former Sheffield United and Bournemouth striker Lys Mousset, who cost £10m six years ago. Dan Kelly returned to Dublin to sign for Shelbourne, whilst Tadhg Ryan made the move to Glenavon and Callum McCay joined Institute on loan after moving to Cliftonville. Duncan Idehen and Conor Barr joined Ballymena United on loan, whilst Aaron Heaney and Liam Mullan made loan switches to Glenavon and Harland & Wolff Welders respectively.

In terms of expectations for 2025, it’s hard to judge how Derry City’s campaign will pan out. There’s been heavy investment in the squad, particularly in forward areas. With the age profile of signings, the youngest being Thomas who turns 29 this week, it seems like Lynch’s task this season to go all out for European football. His Larne team were relentless in attack. Playing a 3-5-2, they were ruthless going forward. This will suit City’s quality in forward areas and bring something different to the possession based style played under Ruaidhrí Higgins. My only concern is in defence. With Duncan Idehen and Conor Barr going on loan to Ballymena United, Mark Connolly and Sam Todd (who impressed on loan under Lynch at Larne) are the club’s only senior centre backs. Whilst Ferguson could play on the left side of a three, I feel that we could do with at least another centre back in the squad.

It won’t be a quick fix for City this year and with Shelbourne, St Pat’s and Shamrock Rovers all looking to mount title charges, a top three finish would mark a good return for Lynch in his first season. With the new North Stand due to open in the coming weeks, and the extra 2900 capacity that it will provide, the Brandywell now has a stand behind the net to suck a goal into. Shelbourne away is likely the toughest venue to go too for a season opener, especially seeing that they’re now champions, but the Derry management team will have their players fired up to show what they can offer. The League of Ireland madness is back.

Shelbourne:

For the first time this decade, we have a Premier Division winner who isn’t called Shamrock Rovers. They raced to an early lead at the start of the 2024 campaign and stayed there pretty much ever since. Losing just three league games between the season beginning and the European games rolling round in July, Shelbourne seemed to be running out of steam from August on. With just one win in eight league games going into mid-October, it seemed like the league title was Derry City’s to lose. That ended well. One win from their last eight league games saw the Candystripes go from favourites to stumbling over the line in fourth place. Shamrock Rovers had one hand on their fifth title in a row going into the last day of the season, knowing that victory over Waterford would win them the league if Derry got the better of Shelbourne. With just five minutes to go in the Brandywell, Harry Wood slotted past Brian Maher to award Shels their first title in eighteen years. Heartbreak for Rovers who got too used to winning, heartbreak for Derry City who threw away the league title before watching it being lifted in their own back yard.

With Champions League football booked for the summer and a league title secured, the big question for Shelbourne over the break was ‘how do you improve a premiership winning side?’. It’s hard to tell how that’ll pan out when the season’s yet to begin, but Duff’s side have quietly had a strong transfer window. It seems as though the starting eleven will remain largely the same. Former Derry forward Matt Smith is probably the biggest departure, leaving to join Waterford. Squad players Shane Griffin and Dean Williams departed for Cobh Ramblers and Athlone Town respectively, joined in the First Division by young players Gavin Hodgins (Finn Harps), Cian Doyle, Harvey Warren (both Bray Wanderers) and Daithi Folan (Dundalk). Liam Burt’s returned to Shamrock Rovers following his loan whilst Aiden O’Brien has left for Woking. With sides in Scotland circling round top scorer Sean Boyd, the fact that his name is under the retention list rather than the departed, will come as a coup in its own.

Speaking of coups, and no Damien Duff hasn’t tried to overthrow the Dáil just yet, Shelbourne’s business has been smart. Ryan O’Kane, a 21 year old winger who made more than 100 senior appearances for Dundalk, joined following their relegation. He may only have contributed to five league goals last season, but he’s a lightning quick winger and will offer depth in wide areas. He was followed to Tolka Park by striker Mipo Odubeko from Fleetwood Town. A Dublin native, Odubeko spent time at the academies of Manchester United, Manchester City and West Ham United. At 22 years of age, Shels have got themselves a quality young striker to partner Sean Boyd up top. Both he and Boyd scored in last week’s 2-0 President’s Cup win over Drogheda United as Shels cruised to victory over the FAI Cup winners. The signing of Ellis Chapman from Sligo Rovers is the new signing for Shelbourne that, as an opposition supporter, concerns me. Formerly a holding midfielder, the Englishman was pushed forward under John Russell at Sligo and racked up nine goals last season from the centre of the park. A surprisingly agile and tricky footballer for a man of his stature, Chapman slalomed through the Derry City backline to notch an 89^th minute winner for his side in July last year. He’s a player who’ll add that extra touch of attacking quality to Shelbourne’s midfield.

Another man who Damien Duff hopes will add quality to his midfield is Kerr McInroy, a former Scotland youth international who Duff worked with at Celtic. The 24 year old Dunfermline native can play across the midfield and has spent time at Dunfermline Athletic, Ayr United, Airdrieonians, Kilmarnock and most recently Partick Thistle. He has been joined at Shels by former Derry City forward Dan Kelly who, despite featuring for City mostly from the bench last year, saw his season cut short by injury before mutually terminating his contract a year before its expiry. The 28 year old scored just once for City, but his experience in the title winning Dundalk side of 2019 will be vital to Duff in his hunt for back-to-back glory.

New signings aside, it’s the usual suspects who you’ll have to watch out for on Friday night. Conor Kearns has been one of the most consistent keepers in the league, whilst centre back Paddy Barrett and captain Mark Coyle were included in last year’s PFAI Team of the Year. Sean Gannon and Tyreke Wilson give width to the defence and love to bomb foward, whilst Ellis Chapman’s arrival gives an already quality midfield of Mark Coyle, Evan Caffrey and Harry Wood an extra bit of dynamism. Ali Coote, Ryan O’Kane, Rayhaan Tulloch and Dan Kelly provide options out wide, whilst the ever-dangerous Sean Boyd netted ten goals in the league last year.

Round-up:

With a semi-competitive game under their belt coming in the form of last week’s President’s Cup victory, Shelbourne look to be fully firing going into the new season. They dominated a Drogheda United side who looked like they were still in pre-season mode last Friday, racing to a 2-0 lead by half-time and holding onto the victory after Drogs keeper Luke Dennison saw red. Boyd and Odubeko are forming a throwback strike partnership. Boyd’s aerial capability and strength compliment the more versatile nature of Odubeko, it’s a duo who Damien Duff reckons will be the best in Ireland. They’ll cause City’s central defence issues on Friday night, but with the Candystripes hoping to make use of the classic ‘new manager bounce’ they’ll surely let off the reigns and go all-out attack on their opponent.

Derry have had an unbeaten preseason, with victories over Cobh Ramblers (1-0), Sligo Rovers (3-2), Institute (5-0), Ballymena United (1-0) and Glenavon (2-0). Aside from a cancelled fixture against Finn Harps, Lynch’s side have a strong preseason against a mixture of opposition. Sean Patton impressed with a hat-trick against Sligo, as well as winners against both Institute and Cobh. Dominic Thomas found goals against Stute and Glenavon, whilst Mickey Duffy netted a brace against Institute and the only goal at home to Ballymena. It’s been good preparation for the Candystripes, who’ll look to bring the confidence and goals into the season proper.

Shelbourne haven’t had a bad off-season either. They swept aside Drogheda United in last week’s curtain raiser, whilst beating Longford Town and Wexford. Draws against Athlone Town, Bray Wanderers and St Mochta’s came alongside a 3-0 loss to Drogheda in the Leinster Senior Cup – although that was mostly reserve players. They looked sharp last Friday, with a sure defence, dynamic midfield and a new-found strike partnership. Duff’s side will be gunning for back-to-back titles and they fact they claimed last year’s crown by beating Derry City in the Brandywell will add that extra kick to the game. That win for Shels was the first league game between the two that hadn’t ended in a draw since March 2023, when Ryan Graydon found the winner for City in Tolka Park. There have been six draws and three red cards in the seven since. Derry did get one over Shelbourne in 2024, dumping them out of the FAI Cup in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win back in September. It’s only game one of thirty-six on Friday, but it already feels like we could be looking back on it come November. Ladies and gentlemen, the League of Ireland and the mighty Derry City are back.

 

Pól O’Hare – 12^th February 2025

FAI Cup Final Preview: Drogheda United v Derry City

 

FAI Cup Final Preview: Drogheda United v Derry City

 

Drogheda United FC v Derry City FC., FAI Cup Final, Aviva Stadium, Sunday 10^th November 2024, kick-off 3pm

Derry City’s 1-0 loss at home to Shelbourne last Friday saw Damien Duff’s men lift their first title in eighteen years in the Brandywell, condemning Derry City to a fourth placed finish. Four weeks ago, the Candystripes could have gone top with two wins in their games in hand, but a late season injury crisis and run of poor form has seen City finish outside of the automatic European places for the first time since 2021. Sunday’s FAI Cup final is Derry City’s second in three years, but the pressure is really on this time round. Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men need to beat Drogheda United to play European football in 2025, failure to do so would be disastrous. Drogheda haven’t been in an FAI Cup final since 2013, when they lost 3-2 to Sligo Rovers, with their 2-0 victory in the final in 2005 their last Cup triumph. They have an equally important relegation play-off tie with Bray Wanderers in Tallaght Stadium next Saturday.

Last time out – Derry City 0-1 Shelbourne:

In a similar vain to last week, we don’t want to have to relive Friday’s game again, so I’ll keep this recap short. Derry City would’ve secured European football if St. Pat’s dropped points to Sligo Rovers and the Candystripes won again Shelbourne. Shels brought a 300 strong, sold-out away support in the hope that they’d watch their side lift a first title since 2006, having only returned to the Premier Division in 2021. Both sides had an energetic start, with Liam Burt’s low, driven effort being deflected wide by Duncan Idehen within five minutes. City’s first real effort came 21 minutes in, when Michael Duffy struck straight at Conor Kearns in the Shels goal. City’s number seven again came close before the half-hour mark when he shot over following his trademark move of cutting inside and aiming for the top corner. Derry’s best opportunity of the half came ten minutes before the break, when Paul McMullan fed Colm Whelan in the box. The former UCD man’s effort was scuffed and easily dealt with – a better connection would’ve surely been an opener for the Candystripes.

Within ten minutes of the second half beginning, City had their best opportunity of the game. Ronan Boyce found space in the box after beating Rayhaan Tulloch before putting an inch-perfect ball right onto the head of Danny Mullen, who diverted his header onto the crossbar. A heart in mouth moment for both sets of supporters. The aforementioned Tulloch came close on the hour mark when he swept his effort wide of Brian Maher’s goal. Not long after Sean Boyd missed a 1v1 with Brian Maher, the away side were denied what seemed a clear penalty. Substitute Ali Coote burst into the box and was taken down by the foot of Mark Connolly – huge shouts from the Shelbourne contingent waived away by the referee. Just minutes later though, and Shelbourne had the goal they craved. Jacob Davenport was adjudged to have handled the ball when it flicked up into his mid-riff from close range. Sean Boyd fired the free kick, which was right on the edge of the Derry box, low and to Brian Maher’s side. The City keeper parried it as far as Harry Wood who knocked in from a questionably offside position. With five minutes left, Shelbourne had found the goal that would win them the league. The away end was in raptures and, despite Wood chipping over the crossbar in stoppage time, Shels held on to claim the first title won by a team not called ‘Shamrock Rovers’ since 2019.

Derry City:

There’s no denying that the end of the season was hugely disappointing from a Derry City perspective. Less than a month ago, we had our league title hopes in our hands and had a genuine shout at the double. Now, though, we’ve stumbled to a fourth placed finish – outside of the European spots. There were injury issues to key players towards the end of the season, namely to Pat Hoban, Ciarán Coll, Ben Doherty and Patrick McEleney, but there just didn’t seem to be the fight that’s required from a team hoping to win a league. Derry City, despite finishing the season with the second best goal difference in the league, had the joint highest amount of draws (13). That means that Derry only won 38.9% of their league games, less than four wins from every ten games. Our longest winning run in the league in 2024 was three, compared to four in 2023 and six in 2022. Despite signing the league’s best striker of recent times in Pat Hoban, who finished 2024 as the joint top scorer alongside Waterford’s Pádraig Amond on fourteen, Derry scored nine league goals less than last year’s tally. City kept the best defensive record in 2023, conceding just 24. Seven more goals were conceded in 2024, owing to the loss of Cameron McJannet and injury hit campaigns of Ben Doherty and Ciarán Coll.

On the other hand, Derry had the best disciplinary record in the league, picking up 78 yellow cards. That’s fifty less than Shelbourne, who were shown the most yellow cards with 128. (@StattoLOI on X). Not receiving yellow cards doesn’t win you leagues though, and it just goes to show how being a master of the dark arts can play into your advantage. Michael Duffy and Paul McMullan finished joint fourth in the assist charts for the league, both making five goals for teammates. Brandon Kavanagh, who City sold to St. Pat’s in January, finished the season with thirteen assists – the most in the league. Derry couldn’t promise him game-time, but having Kavanagh playing consistently in that number 10 role this season could have won Derry the league. Brian Maher was one of only three players in the Premier Division to play every single minute, whilst McMullan made the joint most appearances for a foreign player with 36 – a real testament to the Scotsman’s fitness.

I’ve spoken about the contract situation of most of the players in the squad recently, whilst we do need a refresh and I’d expect to see quite a different team at the start of next season, there are some players who we really need to try to keep hold of. Brian Maher was the only player who remained on the pitch to applaud the fans on Friday night – he has been linked to Shamrock Rovers in the past, but a new contract would be a major coup. Adam O’Reilly’s rumoured move to St. Pat’s may now be off, as Stephen Kenny persuaded holding midfielder Jamie Lennon to sign a new long-term contract after being linked to clubs in America. Colm Whelan has been impressive since returning from injury and is 100% fit for the first time as a Derry City player, I’d hope for him to start the final on Sunday and sign a new deal at the club. The pitch may put him off staying at the Brandywell though. Duncan Idehen impressed on Friday night, he was confident in the air and calm on the ball and recovered from a mistake in the box in the second half. Pat Hoban and Partrick McEleney played no part on Friday night but may be fit enough to feature in Sunday’s final. Cameron Dummigan, Ciarán Coll, Daniel Kelly and Ben Doherty are all out.

Despite a poor league campaign, Derry City have shone in the cup. Higgins’ men won all four games played, scoring eight and conceding none in doing so. In fact, City haven’t conceded in open play in the FAI Cup since Rory Gaffney scored for Shamrock Rovers in the quarter-final in 2022. The performances against Shelbourne and St. Pat’s in the Brandywell were Derry’s finest in 2024, whilst we dug deep away to Cork City and scored two brilliant goals to put Bohemians to the sword in the semi-final. That away end in Dalymount was one of the best I’ve seen in years and with well more than 38,000 tickets sold for the final on Sunday, I’d expect the Aviva to be rocking.

For reference, last year’s FAI Cup final between Bohemians and St Pat’s saw an attendance of 43,881 – more than the KNVB Cup final in the Netherlands between Feyenoord and NEC Nijmegen and just 3000 less than the Coupe de France final between Lyon and PSG - big company for the LOI. There were 32,412 at Derry’s last final in 2022, with well over 20,000 of those Derry fans. Derry’s previous final against St Pat’s in 2014 saw just 17,038 – what a rise in a decade, truly brilliant to see.

Michael Duffy has been central to City’s cup hopes in 2024, scoring four goals - both in the semi-final against Bohemians, the opener against Shelbourne and the winner against St. Pat’s. Danny Mullen bagged a brace against Pat’s and scored the winner against Shelbourne. The only other man to score for Derry City in the FAI Cup in 2024 was Sam Todd, who headed City to victory away in Cork. He’s recently started in the UEFA Conference League for Larne, on-loan from City. Derry’s defence have been impenetrable in cup action this year, something they will hope to carry on into the final. With a place in UEFA Conference League qualifiers, and a possible seventh FAI Cup on offer, you’d expect City to go all out for a win on Sunday. Using that big pitch as an advantage, as we did in 2022 against Shelbourne, don’t be shocked to see Paul McMullan stick tight to the touchline and for Derry to play mostly on the wings to fashion chances. For the last time in 2024 we’ll see Derry City in action. It's City's 1700th competitive game and it doesn’t get much bigger than this.

Route to the final:

Round 1: Bye

Round 2: Derry City 3-0 St. Patrick’s Athletic

Round 3: Cork City 0-1 Derry City

Quarter-final: Derry City 2-0 Shelbourne

Semi-final: Bohemians 0-2 Derry City

 

Drogheda United:

No matter which way Sunday goes, reaching the cup final and avoiding automatic relegation for the Premier Division’s only part-time team is some achievement. Tipped to go down before the season began, Drogheda United have established themselves as something of a bogey team for many a Premier Division side, owing to their hard-to-beat nature and tight Weaver’s Park pitch. After defeat in the Brandywell on the opening day, the Louth side had a rocky start to the season, with a 2-1 home win over Bohemians in early March coming as their only win in the first ten games of the campaign. Included in those first ten were five draws however, taking points of Derry City, St. Patrick’s Athletic and eventual champions Shelbourne before going to pick up wins over Sligo Rovers and Dundalk in spring. That aforementioned win at home to their Louth rivals and fellow relegation contenders was Drogheda’s only league win between the 6^th of May and the 26^th of July – a near three month winless streak in league action.

The most impressive week of Drogheda United’s season came in mid August. After hammering Munster Senior League side Wilton United 9-0 in the FAI Cup, Drogheda put seven past a Sligo Rovers side who were pushing for Europe. Sixteen goals without reply in two games showed that Kevin Doherty’s men meant business going into the latter stages of the season. A strong transfer window, which saw the loan signing of Douglas James-Taylor from Walsall and the arrivals of Jad Hakiki and Aodh Dervin from Dundalk and Shelbourne respectively showed that the club were strengthening well going into the relegation scrap. Drogheda had a strong end to the season, losing just two of their last seven, and taking the scalps of Derry City and Bohemians – inflicting on the former a huge dent to their title hopes, and pulling the latter down towards them in ninth position. It was ninth where Doherty’s men would end up – not quite safe but eight points clear of their Louth rivals Dundalk at the foot of the table. They face Bray Wanderers, a side who haven’t been in the Premier Division since 2018, in the Play-Off final in Tallaght next Saturday – a winner takes all tie which will close the curtain on the 2024 League of Ireland season.

A week after an emphatic beating of Bohemians in the semi-final of the FAI Cup, Derry City travelled to Drogheda knowing that a win would send Derry top of the Premier Division table. Compounding our misery on a genuinely Baltic evening in southern county Louth, Frantz Pierrot struck twice in eight minutes after the hour mark to sink the Candystripes. Looking back, it wasn’t just a cataclysmic blow to City’s title hopes, but it’s given everyone who watched that game a glimpse of the firepower of Pierrot and James-Taylor up front. Both goals highlighted the same problem in Derry’s defence – Pierrot and James-Taylor used their pace to get the better of Derry’s high-line, and the lack of pace between Wisdom and Connolly. DJT and Pierrot are a classic front two. James-Taylor is a lightning quick forward who plays on the shoulder of the defender and has a real eye for goal, you don’t make 50 appearances in League Two in your early 20s for nothing. Pierrot is a big target-man who is best when backing into the centre back and throwing his weight around. The Haitian’s positioning is another strong point of his game – his ten league goals tied him in joint fourth with Sean Boyd of Shelbourne in the Premier Division scoring charts. It also meant that he scored more goals than any other foreign player in the league in 2024. Douglas James-Taylor and Frantz Pierrot have scored or assisted 26 goals between them in league and cup action for Drogheda United this year – a statistic even more impressive when you consider that James-Taylor only arrived in July, and Pierrot had only four goals before their partnership.

There is a bit of a reliance on the two big men up top for Drogheda though – July departee left-back Evan Weir is tied with former Finn Harps striker Adam Foley on four league goals in third place on Drogs’ scoring charts. Foley’s brace off the bench to beat Wexford in the semi-final was his second and third in the FAI Cup this season, though. His 92^nd minute winner shows that age isn’t an issue for the big striker who turns 35 next month. Darragh Markey is one of the most underrated playmakers in the league and wouldn’t look out of place playing higher up the table. The introduction of the experienced Gary Deegan is a player in the centre of the park in recent weeks following injury helped Drogheda stave of automatic relegation, at 37 he’s another level head in the United lineup. The energetic Shane Farrell was an impressive signing from Shelbourne, whilst the arrival of full-back Elicha Ahui, who spent half of the 2023 season at Drogheda, was another astute signing. Former Finn Harps defender David Webster would, much like Adam Foley, love to get one over his old side’s deepest rivals. Jack Keaney, UCD’s captain in 2023, adds a versatile player to the defence, being comfortable operating in defensive midfield or centre back. Andrew Wogan and Luke Dennison have alternated in the goalkeeping department this year, with the latter keeping the 18 year old Wogan out of the lineup following an impressive start to life in the League of Ireland for the young shot stopper.

In terms of FAI Cup action, Drogheda United, with 18 goals, have scored more than anyone else in the competition this year – half of which came in the Third Round drubbing of Wilton United. Douglas James-Taylor, with six, is the competition’s top scorer – half of which, again, came as a hat-trick in that win over Wilton. Michael Duffy is second in the FAI Cup scoring charts, with four. On the contrary, Derry City are the only team with a perfect defensive record in the cup this year – they’ve gone the whole way to the final without conceding a single goal. In that sense, Sunday’s final ought to be entertaining – the highest scoring v. the best defence. A cup win for Drogheda United would be historic, they’ve lifted it just once and reached the final only four times, but Kevin Doherty may have an eye on next week’s play-off tie against Bray Wanderers. Would he, or the Drogheda fans, take a cup win over relegation considering the financial implications of the latter? It’s hard to know, but if they’re losing going into the last fifteen or so, Doherty may roll the dice and rest some key men. A win on Sunday would have them running on peak confidence going into the play-off, though. Drogheda United do have a fully fit squad and were able to rotate against already relegated Dundalk in the last game of the season. In that sense, they may have a fitness edge on the Candystripes.

This one will be closer than you may expect and, with Drogheda United selling out their allocation, a bumper crowd is to be expected. United began their cup journey with a home win over rivals Dundalk, before battering Wilton United in the Third Round. Athlone Town, at the time in great form in the First Division, lost 4-1 at home to a ten man Drogheda United in the quarters. Wexford, another First Division play-off hopeful, travelled to Louth in the semis, losing 3-2. Doherty’s men have had something of a never say die attitude in the cup this year, flexing their muscles against MSL and First Division opposition and getting the better of their bitter, local rivals.

Similarly to Derry in 2022, Drogheda United have been drawn as the home team in the tie but given the North Stand in the Aviva - usually used to house away fans in Republic of Ireland fixtures. That may not be a bad thing for Drogs, though - the team whose fans have been given that end have won each of the last three finals. It’s only a coincidence, but aside from the lockdown-hit 2020 final, Shamrock Rovers in 2019 were the last team to win the final when their fans were given the bigger South Stand. Hoping for a first cup win in nineteen years, and in only their fifth final in their history, Drogheda United will be praying that fate is on their side and will certainly be up for a fight come Sunday.

Route to the final:

Round 1: Bye

Round 2: Drogheda United 2-1 Dundalk

Round 3: Drogheda United 9-0 Wilton United

Quarter-final: Athlone Town 1-4 Drogheda United

Semi-final: Drogheda United 3-2 Wexford

 

Round-up:

Sunday’s FAI Cup typifies a tale of two seasons for Derry City and Drogheda United. Derry City, pushing Shelbourne for top spot for most of the season, have had a catastrophic end to the campaign which has seen them drop to a fourth placed finish in the league. Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers and St. Patrick’s Athletic hold the European spots, meaning Derry City simply need to win to have European football, and the finances that will bring, in 2025. A loss would be disastrous, it’ll be harder to attract players and tougher to finance the type of contracts that top League of Ireland players are on now without the few hundred thousand cash injection that comes with UEFA Conference League qualification football. Drogheda United, on the other hand, are in the Aviva for the first time in eleven years, hoping to win only their second ever FAI Cup. The pressure is off them, even finishing as runners-up would mark a good season if they manage to stave of Bray Wanderers in the play-off. Kevin Doherty will want his side to take momentum into that game, which is arguably more important to their season than the cup final. Both Derry City and Drogheda United have beaten each other in 2024, Derry 2-1 and 5-1 in the Brandywell, and Drogs 2-1 in Weaver’s Park. With both teams representing the different realities of football at the top and bottom of the Premier Division table, the biggest day in the Irish footballing calendar is living up to its billing.

 

Pól O’Hare – 7^th November 2024

 

That’s another season drawn to a close and I’m proud to say that I’ve written a preview for every one of Derry City’s fixtures this season. Whilst it hasn’t been the ending to the year that we hoped for, we have one last day out before three months without League of Ireland football. I’d like to thank everyone who has read, shared or interacted with my previews – it’s much appreciated. Have a good Christmas and New Year folks, I’ll see you in February. Up the City.

Derry City v Shelbourne: Match Preview (1st November 2024)

 

Derry City v Shelbourne: Match Preview (1^st November 2024)

 

Derry City FC v. Shelbourne FC, League of Ireland Premier Division Round 36, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 1^st November 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

Last Friday night marked the end of Derry City’s title hopes as the Candystripes fell to a 1-0 defeat away to St. Patrick’s Athletic. City’s wait for a first league title since 1997 will continue for another year, whilst Shamrock Rovers’ victory over Dundalk has seen the Candystripes slip to fourth place in the table. Victory over Shelbourne on Friday night will hand Shamrock Rovers a fifth title in a row, assuming they beat Waterford in Tallaght. A positive result for Shelbourne will ensure their first title since 2006 – and they’ll lift it in the Brandywell. Even if they lost, they’d still win the league if Rovers don’t win against Waterford. For the City faithful, we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. For Ruaidhrí Higgins and his players, they’ll want to spoil Shelbourne’s party and take some momentum going into next Sunday’s cup final. It’s the end of another League of Ireland season, and the 27th without Derry City winning the biggest trophy in Irish football.

 

Last time out- St. Patrick’s Athletic 1-0 Derry City:

Having to watch those highlights again was grim I must say, but I’ll keep this recap short and (not really) sweet so you don’t have to relive it again. Derry City lined out in Inchicore with a weakened starting eleven, missing Cameron Dummigan, Ciarán Coll, Daniel Kelly, Ben Doherty and Mark Connolly. Shane McEleney captained the side, whilst Duncan Idehen made his first start for the club at left back. Patrick McEleney and Pat Hoban started on the bench despite both being ruled out through injury earlier in the week. A glancing Joe Redmond header eight minutes in was the first real attempt of the game, whilst referee Rob Hennessy set an early precedent by booking Andre Wisdom before the six minute mark. By the 36^th minute, five players had already been booked. Four for Derry (Wisdom, Boyce, Diallo for no apparent reason and Idehen) and one for Jamie Lennon of St. Pat’s. Before the clock struck forty, Derry City had the best opportunity of the game. After Danny Mullen was pushed by Tom Grivosti, Derry’s Scottish striker took the free kick quickly by sliding it through to Adam O’Reilly. O’Reilly rounded Joseph Anang in the Pat’s goal, but his off-balanced effort didn’t have the required power behind it to beat the onrushing defenders and was cleared by Anto Breslin. A great opportunity for a man reportedly linked with joining Stephen Kenny’s side in 2025.  Five minutes later, and Pat’s had opened the scoring. Anto Breslin’s shot from distance ricocheted into the path of Aidan Keena who found himself onside and in the box with just Brian Maher to aim at. His shot was saved brilliantly by Maher, but some pinballing in the box and a poor clearance from Shane McEleney saw former Derry man Brandon Kavanagh fire home. A great finish from a man who the club should never really have let go. We got €25k for him, but it ultimately cost us a league title.

As hoped, Derry started the second half on the front foot. Replacing Ronan Boyce at half time, Collie Whelan found time and space outside the Pat’s box and unleashed a dipping effort off the crossbar on the 56^th minute. Painfully close for the former UCD man. Less than ten minutes later and City should have scored again. Paul McMullan’s low ball into the box wasn’t dealt with by either Anang or Redmond and flicked up just inches behind Collie Whelan who was storming into the area. Wisdom’s ball back in was palmed right into the path of Michael Duffy who, with the net to aim at, fired right at Anang in the Pat’s goal. Derry piling on the pressure but with those missed chances, you just knew it wasn’t going to be our night.

Chris Forrester had the best chance in the remainder of the second half, rouletting and feinting into the Derry box behind firing just wide – if that went it would’ve been one of the goals of the season. The final whistle blew, confirming Derry’s worst fears. In a race that was two horse between Derry and Shelbourne all year, City could now finish fourth. Only Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers can now win the league, with it looking like we may need to win the cup to get European football in 2025. A bitter end to an up-and-down campaign. It’s the hope that kills you folks, we’re City ‘til we die and that’s why it hurts. Always next year, and the year after, and the year after…

Derry City:

Ruaidhrí Higgins’ injury-hit Candystripes didn’t play badly against Pat’s on Friday. They needed a win, but going to a Pat’s side who haven’t lost in two months was always a tough ask. With Hennessy booking Wisdom within six minutes, Derry City knew they’d be up against it from the start. That’s now just one win for Derry in their last 28 matches refereed by Rob Hennessy. Duncan Idehen did well at left back in the circumstances, it was his full City debut in the biggest match of the season and he was playing out of position. Andre Wisdom and Shane McEleney made an experienced centre back partnership. Wisdom found joy with underlapping runs when going forward in the second half and I didn’t think McEleney had a bad game despite his sliced clearance gifting Pats the game’s only goal. Adam O’Reilly led the energy in the middle of the pitch for City. He’s linked with a move to Inchicore at the end of the season, but Derry holding onto him for another couple of years could be as big as any new signing. The Pat’s defence scuppered Will Patching and Danny Mullen from getting involved in the game whilst Michael Duffy was swarmed by two men at all times – Stephen Kenny identifying his former winger as Derry’s primary threat. Colm Whelan gave Derry City something else going forward and is a different player now that he’s fit and firing again, he’s another man who we need to offer a new contract to ASAP. As was the story in the past couple of weeks, it was vital missed chances that eventually put an end to City’s title charge but, in all honesty, we had probably lost any chance at winning the league with those two draws in our games in hand. To think we would’ve been going into that Pats game two points clear had Paul McMullan scored from six yards against Bohs and Sean Robertson’s stoppage time effort against Sligo didn’t go over the crossbar. If that penalty against Shamrock Rovers wasn’t given, we’d have been out well before now.

Patrick McEleney, who had a plantar fascia injury that would likely rule him out for the season, came off the bench on Friday night. Patrick Hoban, despite being named on the bench in the last two games, doesn’t seem to be fit enough to play in the last couple of games. Instead of risking him further, I wouldn’t play him against Shelbourne either. City’s main signing heading into the season will hopefully finish as the league’s top scorer with 14 goals as long as Pádraig Amond doesn’t score against Rovers on Friday and Johnny Kenny doesn’t bag a brace against Waterford. Not a bad return for Dundalk’s record goal-scorer, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Colm Whelan start 2025 as our main striker if he stays on. Derry City will be trying to stop Shelbourne from lifting the title in the Brandywell on Friday. A win for City would see Rovers win the league as they’ll probably beat Waterford and, after their storming win away to Larne in the UEFA Conference League, they’re looking good for it at the minute. You’d hope for a good result to take into the cup final as it’s always a good day out. It feels like no time since that first game of the season against Drogheda United in the Brandywell though, that was eight and a half worryingly quick months ago.

 

Friday’s game against Shelbourne could be the last time we see some of the current squad play for Derry City in the Brandywell. Transfermarkt say that Ruaidhrí Higgins’ contract is up at the end of the year and the list of players out of contract at the end of this season doesn’t make for good reading. I’ll list them for you here; Brian Maher, Ciarán Coll, Mark Connolly, Shane McEleney, Patrick McEleney, Andre Wisdom, Adam O’Reilly, Will Patching and Colm Whelan (Transfermarkt). I’m not going to name here who I’d keep and who I’d let go, but you can decide for yourself from that list. There are players there who have been crucial to our team since Higgins had his first proper transfer window ahead of the 2022 season. At the same time, I think that team does need some new blood in it across the field. Centre back and centre midfield seem to be the two areas that I’d assume we’d freshen up on. We have a high average age, so fresh, young talent will do us no harm.  Securing European football before the cup final will be the aim for the Candystripes on Friday night, a draw for Derry would do that if Sligo Rovers beat St. Pat’s. This day three weeks ago we were talking about going two points clear at the top with two home wins. Now, there’s a fear that we could miss out on Europe. Two positive results for City on Friday and next Sunday should hopefully have us entering 2025 looking forward for a new season and with the buzz of a new stand behind the goal on the Lone Moor Road end. Christ, what a year.

Players of the Year:

Nobody has asked for this part, but I’m doing it anyway. It’s my very prestigious list of my top three Derry City players of 2024:

1.        Adam O’Reilly – The heart of City’s midfield, Adam O’Reilly kept the Derry City side ticking in 2024. His energy, close control and passion earned him the love of the City faithful. Rarely does the 23 year old put a foot wrong and there aren’t many in the country who compare to O’Reilly in that deeper midfield role. Coming to the end of his second season at Derry, he’s established himself as a key player for the Candystripes, who will surely be hoping to tie him down to a new contract at the end of the season.

 

2.        Pat Hoban – Dundalk’s all-time record goal-scorer joined Derry City for €25,000 ahead of the 2024 campaign as the Candystripes’ marquee signing. A statement of intent from Ruaidhrí Higgins, Hoban’s goalscoring threat gave Derry a focal point in attack that wasn’t previously available. Physical, strong in the air and comfortable backing into a defender, Hoban has hit the ground running at the Brandywell. With 14 goals in the league, he’s on course to finish the season as the Premier Division top scorer and would’ve likely scored more had he not missed five games through injury. Hoban will be the first Derry City player since Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe in 2019 to claim the Premier Division golden boot if Pádraig Amond and Johnny Kenny don’t bag a couple on Friday.

 

3.        Michael Duffy – One of the finest League of Ireland wingers of his generation, Michael Duffy rejoined Derry City in 2022 after a successful spell at Dundalk. City’s number 7 is a joy to watch on his day, cutting in from the left to whip shots towards the keeper’s far post, like an inverted, Shantallow Arjen Robben. His haul of five goals and five assists in the league isn’t bad at all, but he almost single-handedly took Derry City to the FAI Cup final in 2024. He scored in City’s 3-0 win over St. Pat’s and 2-0 win over Shelbourne, as well as lighting up Dalymount with a brace in the semi-final against Bohemians. His free kick against Bohs will be watched time and time again, whilst the 30 year old will hope to drive his side to the FAI Cup once again next week. His form has been recognised as he was named alongside Pádraig Amond and Dylan Watts as candidates for the PFAI Men’s Player of the Year award.

 

 

Shelbourne:

Just under two years ago, Derry City beat Shelbourne 4-0 in the 2022 FAI Cup final. It was a record breaking cup final win, but despite the scoreline, it marked a successful first season in senior management for Damien Duff. The 100 time Ireland international and two time Premier League winner inherited a Shelbourne side that had been promoted from the First Division and guided them to league safety and a cup final in his first season. By the end of 2023, Shelbourne would finish fourth in the League of Ireland and see European football in 2024 as a result of St. Pat’s’ cup final win. Now into the final game of his third season at the helm, Duff’s Shelbourne would win the Premier Division with victory in the Brandywell, or if Shamrock Rovers fail to beat Waterford. Yes, the league’s been ‘poorer’ than previous seasons, and it was Derry’s league to lose less than a month ago, but Shelbourne have spent the vast majority of the past seven months at the summit of the table. In fact, if Shamrock Rovers manage to win the league on Friday, it’ll be the first time all season that they’ve been top of the pile.

Shelbourne’s defence has been their foundation over the past few seasons. They currently have the best defensive record in the league, conceding 27 in 35 games. That’s one fewer than Galway United on 28. In 2023, only Derry City had a more resolute defence than Shels. Derry conceded 24 in 36 last year, whilst Shels let in just 27. Despite finishing fourth in 2023, Shelbourne have actually scored less goals this year than last and sit on the same points total as they finished last season with. They’ve struggled with ruthlessness this term, but they’ve managed to find goals when it’s mattered, winning 2-1 and 3-1 in their last two to keep their title push alive. That was also coming off the back of a run which saw them win just one in twelve league games and still remain top.

Key to that defensive solidity has been Paddy Barrett. He, alongside midfielder and captain Mark Coyle, were named in the PFAI Team of the Year this season. Barrett’s experience has seen him installed as a mainstay at the back, alongside fellow veterans Sean Gannon and Shane Griffin. Mark Coyle is a hard-hitting number six, whilst goalkeeper Conor Kearns has kept the second most clean sheets in the league with 15, one behind Brendan Clarke of Galway United. His average goals conceded per game stat of 0.8 is also a league best and odes to the defence in front of him. Brian Maher, for comparison, isn’t far behind – he’s kept 13 clean sheets and concedes 0.9 per game on average. Liam Burt, on loan from Shamrock Rovers, provides Shelbourne width in the midfield alongside fellow Scotsman Ali Coote. Rayhaan Tulloch and Matty Smith, returning from a three game ban, are other wide options – both scored screamers against St. Pat’s earlier in the month. Harry Wood returned in the centre of the pitch from Hull City after a spell on loan at Shels in 2023, whilst JJ Lunney has shown his quality in midfield throughout the campaign. Number 9 Sean Boyd’s recent form has maintained Shelbourne’s status at the top. He’s climbing up the goalscoring charts with 10 in the league and has scored three and assisted two in his last five games. His 89^th minute equaliser in the Brandywell back in May ensured that City didn’t overtake Shelbourne at the summit after an earlier Paul McMullan strike. He could be the main man for Shels on Friday.

Round-up:

A win on Friday for Shelbourne would secure their first league title since 2006, when they beat Derry City to the crown on goal difference. City will be hoping to spoil Shels’ party in the Brandywell this week, but should they do so, they’ll hand Shamrock Rovers a historic fifth title in a row. It’s a bit of a nightmare scenario in honesty if you’re a Derry fan, especially knowing that it was in our own hands on so many occasions and we failed to capitalise. Shelbourne have it in them to come back from a goal or two down too, but haven’t won in the Brandywell since April 2022. Shels haven’t beaten Derry City in any competition since that loss, with City winning four and the other seven being draws. The past six league meetings between Derry City and Shelbourne have seen the spoils shared, whilst City’s 2-0 FAI Cup quarter final victory over Duff’s side in September is up there with Derry’s best performances of the season. This one could really go either way and there’s so much on the line. With four red cards coming from the previous seven league encounters, there could be fireworks on Friday – and not just ones left over from Halloween. It’s been a final few games from hell for Derry City in 2024, but Ruaidhrí Higgins will be hoping that his men can bow out of league action with a positive result on Friday before a massive FAI Cup final tie with Drogheda United next Sunday. Watching Shelbourne lift the title would be the scariest thing we’d see this Halloween so, for once, I’m just about okay with Shamrock Rovers winning the league. Again.

Pól O’Hare – 30^th October 2024