Derry City v Drogheda
United: Match Preview (11th April 2025)
Derry City FC. v. Drogheda United FC., League of
Ireland Premier Division Round 9, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 11th
April 2025, kick-off 7.45pm
After winning their second home game of the season in front
of the Ryan McBride Brandywell’s new North Stand last week, Derry City now face
league leaders and FAI Cup winners Drogheda United on Friday. City would close
the gap to the top to one point with victory and hope to get one over the side
who denied them cup glory and European football last November.
Derry City:
2025’s first clash of the cities was very much a tale of two
halves. As the new North Stand saw action for the first time, it was the
visitors who made the most of early opportunities and were the first to have
the ball in the net. Within a quarter of an hour, Portuguese left back Benny
Couto found space down the left flank after being picked out by Ruairí Keating.
His left-footed ball evaded everyone in the City defence and left Brian Maher
stranded before being nodded in by Preston North End loanee Kitt Nelson at the
back post. It was a deserved opener for the away side, as the Brandywell was
silenced after just fourteen minutes. Two excellent saves from Tein Troost
denied Sean Patton within the next ten minutes and a Kevin Holt effort when
flashing narrowly wide just before the end of the half. Cork City were then denied
a stonewall penalty when Adam O’Reilly’s late tackle in the box had
heads-in-hands in the new North Stand. The referee waived away penalty claims,
letting the home side off right on the stroke of the break.
Benny Couto’s free kick on the hour mark was another
close-call for Derry and needed tipped over the bar by Brian Maher. Tiernan
Lynch had to do something to turn the tide of the game and, with the
introductions of Gavin Whyte and Dom Thomas 62 minutes in, did just that. They gave
The Candystripes an immediate edge, troubling the Cork defence. Three minutes
after their introductions and the home side had found themselves level.
Following some pinball in the box from a Michael Duffy corner, Liam Boyce
nodded across the face of the box towards Ronan Boyce at the far post. The
right-back expertly flicked it into the top corner with his left foot, sending
the Brandywell into raptures. Boyce-ception for City’s equaliser as both Liam
and Ronan registered their first goal involvements of the season.
Less than ten minutes later, and the man of the moment
Michael Duffy had the ball in the net again to put Derry City ahead. The lively
Dom Thomas picked it up just past the halfway line and drove into the Cork City
half. His pass to Duffy saw City’s mercurial winger feint it onto his weaker
left foot and beat Benny Couto before firing through the legs of Troost. Bedlam
in the new stand and the loudest Brandywell roar of the season as Duffy found
his fifth league goal of the season – sending him joint top of the goalscoring
chart and equalling his league tally of last year. That’s how to celebrate a
first Player of the Month nomination since 2019. The end of the game was
overshadowed by injuries suffered to Ruairí Keating and Milan Mbeng – both
requiring the introduction of the stretcher. Keating was an immediate pain
after landing awkwardly and is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles.Mbeng
was stretchered down the tunnel after the full-time whistle following a clash
of heads with Liam Boyce minutes earlier. The home side, however, held on to
clinch their second home win of the campaign and close the gap to the teams at
the top.
Tiernan Lynch spoke of the North Stand being Derry City’s
Kop End prior to the Cork City match, and it lived up to those expectations. A
goal down at half-time and lucky not to have conceded a penalty, the
introductions of Gavin Whyte and Dom Thomas past the hour mark turned the game
on its head. Whyte’s injection of pace and creativity was key to City’s attacks
in the remaining half-hour, whilst Thomas’ willingness to take on his man and
stay hugging the touchline troubled Cork’s fullbacks. When Ronan Boyce levelled
the game and ignited the City support, you knew there was another goal in the
game. Michael Duffy’s fifth of the campaign was an excellent finish and saw
City on their way to the three points, as the North Stand did its bit in
sucking the ball into the net when goals were needed. With twice as many
supporters in there this Friday, the City faithful will be hoping it has the desired
effect yet again.
City’s defence had a few shaky moments in the first half but
clung on and denied all that Cork hit it with in the second half, despite the
absence of captain Mark Connolly. With Pat Hoban injured and Danny Mullen
suspended, Lynch gave Sean Patton his first start up front, partnered with Liam
Boyce. The youngster came close twice in the first half before being swapped
out for Gavin Whyte in the second period. Whyte and Thomas may be two of the
first names on the team-sheet after last week’s performance. Michael Duffy was
key to City’s successes once again, whilst Adam O’Reilly was another standout
in the centre of the park. He didn’t stop running all game, epitomising the
box-to-box role. Towards the end of the game, the Cork-man played a couple of
inch perfect balls forward, splitting the defence of the visitors. Partnered alongside the calm head of Carl
Winchester, O’Reilly has been allowed to break the lines into attack and cement
himself as one of Ireland’s top midfielders.
The last half-hour of the game against Cork City was the
best I’ve seen Derry City play this season. The ball was played forward, out to
the wings or through Gavin Whyte in the middle and the interplay was neat. It
was confident football and we looked like creating a good opportunity with
every venture forward. Thomas, Whyte, Duffy and Ronan Boyce got fans off their
seats in the second half and attacked Cork, even after finding the second goal.
The three points put City up to 6th, just four points off top and
seven clear of bottom spot. It also means that we haven’t lost in over a month,
winning two, drawing two and conceding just twice in the four games since that
last defeat. It feels like this side is finally clicking, and with a big tie
against FAI Cup holders and current league leaders Drogheda United on Friday,
now’s the perfect time to pick up some huge results. With the attendance likely
to surpass the 5000 mark on Friday, it has a real big game feel about it and
could propel City to within touching distance of the summit. The feel-good
Candystripes are back.
Drogheda United:
I’m experiencing the football equivalent of PTSD writing
this. After winning just their second FAI Cup when they beat Derry City 2-0 in
the Aviva last November, Drogheda United won the play-offs to maintain their
Premier Division status. With the promise of European football in the summer,
United turned towards a full-time setup; the final team in the Premier Division
to do so. Earning a reputation as a well-drilled, hard-to-beat team, Kevin
Doherty has done wonders in Louth. Entering their fifth consecutive season in
the top flight, Drogheda have gone from relegation threatened year-on-year to
winning an FAI Cup in front of 35,000 spectators and getting European
qualification. If you’re a fan of Drogheda United, you’ve been living the dream
the past few months.
Despite last season's success, many still pipped United to
struggle in 2025. They’ve done the opposite. The Louth side find themselves top
of the league going into matchday nine, winning four and drawing three of their
first eight. Drogs have lost just once this year, that came at home to Shamrock
Rovers in mid-March. When you compare it to this stage last season, you can see
how far they’ve come. United had won just one of their opening eight fixtures,
before going on to win just once more in the next thirteen in the league. It
looked like they were destined for the drop, but now sitting top in April,
Drogheda’s mindset and start to 2025 must be admired.
Despite the cup victory, United lost key players in the
off-season. Veteran midfielder Gary Deegan retired at the end of the season
after making the guts of 500 career appearances. Former Finn Harps striker Adam
Foley left for Carrick Rangers before himself retiring just weeks later to
become U20 manager back at Drogheda United. Defender Jack Keaney was snapped up
by Cliftonville, whilst Emre Topcu, James Byrne, Aaron McNally, Manny Milongo
and Killian Cailloce all departed for pastures new. Most glaringly in
Drogheda’s outgoing list though was Haitian forward Frantz Pierrot. He netted
fourteen last season and formed a deadly partnership with Douglas James-Taylor
following the latter’s arrival from Walsall. Pierrot travelled east, signing
for Bosnian side Velez Mostar and recently bagged a hat-trick against Siroki
Brijeg in the Bosnian Premier League.
That exodus left Kevin Doherty with a job on his hands. The
goals of Pierrot needed replaced, so Thomas Oluwa was brought in from Wexford
and Josh Thomas on-loan from Swansea City. Both have netted this season
already. Bridel Bosakani is another young forward with a bright future at the
club. Goalkeeper Jack Brady was brought in from Galway United to challenge
American Luke Dennison whilst former fan-favourite Conor Keeley returned after
a year at St. Pat’s. Paul Doyle joined from rivals Dundalk whilst Californian
Owen Lambe signed after spending time in the youth ranks of LA Galaxy and at
Orange County SC in America. George Cooper joined on-loan from Mansfield Town,
adding further depth in defence. Key to Drogheda’s 2025 recruitment is the fact
that both Elicha Ahui and Douglas James-Taylor went recalled to their parent
club Walsall after impressive seasons in Ireland.
Ten goals scored and four conceded in the first eight games is
good going. Their five clean sheets have given them a core to build on and
speak volumes about their defensive structure. Conor Kane, Andrew Quinn, Luke
Heeney and Conor Keeley are all experienced in the league and have been joined
by new talent from England and the USA. Speaking of the US of A, goalie Luke
Dennison also earned plaudits after signing from Bohemians last summer and has
been immense between the sticks. Flying wingback Elicha Ahui won Man of the
Match in the FAI Cup final, but hasn’t featured this year through injury. The
same can be said for striker Douglas James-Taylor, who was on fire before
picking up an injury in preseason. With those two in the team later on in the
season, Drogheda will concern any team in the league going forward. In all of
my Drogheda United previews, I have to stick in how underrated
attacking-midfielder Darragh Markey is. The 27 year old recently pipped Michael Duffy to March's Player of the Month award. Shane Farrell and Ryan Brennan have
established themselves as a solid duo in the centre of the park behind Markey,
whilst Warren Davis is Drogs’ top scorer this season with three. He tends to
play alongside Thomas Oluwa up front.
Drogheda United’s form and quality throughout the team
emphasise just how far the league has come in the past couple of years. There
are no easy wins anymore and, by beating Shelbourne, Bohemians and Sligo Rovers
so far, Drogheda United aren’t laying down for anybody. Expect a well-oiled
team, rapid on the counter and brimming in confidence on Friday.
Round-up:
Despite 5-1 and 2-1 losses against Derry City in 2024,
Drogheda United eventually got the better of Derry City as the year progressed.
Their 2-1 win over Derry at the end of September really exposed City’s
defensive issues and dealt a huge blow in our title hopes. After failing to
secure said title and dropping to fourth, Drogheda then played us off the park
in the Aviva Stadium on their way to a 2-0 win if the FAI Cup final. That
result denied City European football and triggered a rebuild of playing and
coaching staff. With Drogs now full-time and top of the table, they look the
real deal and will be out to continue their good form over City.
The Candystripes, on the other hand, will want to enact
revenge for last season's failings against Drogheda United. With a winning
feeling back at the Brandywell, and the North Stand offering an extra dimension
to the stadium and support, Friday’s game could be huge in defining the early
stages of City’s season. A win could throw City back into the European race and
earn some respect lost at the start of the season, whilst defeat would open the
gap to the top three even further. There’ll be a bumper crowd at this one, City
haven’t lost to United at home in two years and the sun *should* still be out. Fingers
crossed…
Pól O’Hare – 8th April 2025
