Waterford v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Waterford v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Waterford FC v. Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 12, RSC, Friday 26^th April 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

Despite the negativity surrounding events both on and off the pitch in Derry’s 3-1 loss to Shamrock Rovers on Friday, City have come out of yet another Friday-Monday weekend just three points off top spot following an impressive 3-1 win over St Pat’s on Monday night.

 

The Candystripes started brightly against the champions on Friday, with Danny Mullen coming closest when a left-footed effort from outside the box crashed off the post in the first half. Derry’s deployment of a five-man defence meant that Will Patching and Adam O’Reilly had a serious amount of running to do in the centre of the park. As Rovers grew more into the game and took control, their midfield of Richie Towell, Graham Burke, Dylan Watts and Gary O’Neill ran the show. Watts assisted both of Aaron Greene’s goals, whilst Towell swept Graham Burke’s lay off past Brian Maher to seal the game with 20 minutes to go. Pat Hoban’s 7^th goal of the season was merely a consolation, but the side from Tallaght dominated the second half in a way that isn’t often seen in the Brandywell. The City faithful will want to get this one out of their memories as quickly as possible, particularly when considering the scenes at the end of the match.

 

Monday’s performance was a near-perfect response though. With around 500 less people in the Brandywell, the players knew they needed to get the crowd back on side. Even though they had 67% of the ball throughout the ninety minutes, St Pat’s posed little threat despite the quality in their attacking areas. The Saints’ centre backs saw a lot of the ball, but Derry sat tight. It seems like Ruaidhrí Higgins had a game plan and the players stuck to it. Danny Mullen continued his rich vein of form, scoring either side of a Pat Hoban goal to guide City to a healthy victory. That goal from Hoban was City's 2500th in a competitive fixture. Unlucky not to find the net against Rovers, Mullen’s deft flicks and passing range are complimenting the team nicely. It was good to see both of City’s strikers get on the scoresheet as the manager went for two-up-top, a tactical change which won them the game last time Pat’s visited the Brandywell.

 

We’re now two-and-a-half months into the season and Derry’s injury woes aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Cameron Dummigan has appeared just once since being stretchered off against Sligo Rovers back in February and hasn’t been included in the squad since his return against Dundalk. It’s a similar story with Patrick McEleney, after receiving his long awaited Achilles surgery at the end of 2023, the midfielder seemed to be back to his best in pre-season. He was also brought off injured in that game in Sligo and has appeared just once since. Last appearing on the bench in draw away to Drogheda two weeks ago, it seems like City’s captain may have another tough season ahead as he awaits results of a calf scan. Sadou Diallo, injured in a friendly against Finn Harps in pre-season, hasn’t been in a matchday squad this term as he approaches his third month on the sidelines. The bad news keeps coming too - Jordan McEneff has suffered a broken foot and won't be involved for the forseeable. Michael Duffy, too, picked up an injury against in Friday’s 3-1 defeat to Shamrock Rovers and saw no minutes against Pat’s on Monday. Ruaidhrí Higgins will hope that his left winger’s knock isn’t serious.

 

Waterford have had something of an up-and-down season so far. They’ve won three matches – beaten Bohemians, St. Pat’s and Drogheda – but have lost four and drawn four of the other eight matches. They’ve won only once this season at home and will want to pick up their form if they’re to keep breathing space between themselves at the bottom two. 8^th at the minute, Waterford are just two points off fellow promoted side Galway United in 5^th. They bagged 84 goals last season in the First Division and, with striker Pádraig Amond scoring five already this season, the Blues certainly aren’t short when it comes to finding a goal. Winger Maleace Asamoah, who appeared eight times in League One last season, has found the net three times this term too. Left back Darragh Leahy has also had an impressive start to the season, scoring twice and assisting twice to date. Northern Ireland U21 international Barry Baggley is a tidy defensive midfielder who can dictate play from the centre of the park. He’s been out injured since mid-March and will be a miss to the Waterford midfield. Goalkeeper Sam Sargent is quietly making a name for himself too. With three clean sheets and an assist already this term, the English keeper is a calm head between the sticks.

 

City’s 3-0 win over Waterford in the Brandywell earlier this season will give the side confidence going into Friday’s fixture. Pat Hoban would be doing well to replicate that hattrick on Friday, but with eight goals in ten games you’d be mad to bet against him getting on the scoresheet. The Candystripes haven’t won in Waterford since May 2021 when Ronan Boyce got the only goal of the game against just four minutes. The right back is now a nailed on starter for City and has bagged twice so far this campaign. Friday will be Derry's 600th away game in the Premier Division and their  50th against Waterford. The Blues are unbeaten in their last three and Derry haven't won on the road this season, so it’s up to the visitors to show their ruthless side and gather another valuable three points.
Pól O'Hare - 24 April 2024

Double Preview: Derry City v Shamrock Rovers & St. Patrick’s Athletic

 

 

Derry City v. Shamrock Rovers, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 11, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 19^th April 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

Derry City v. St Patrick’s Athletic, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 24 (technically), Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Monday 22^nd April 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

It’s already the third Friday-Monday match weekend of the season and they don’t come much tougher than this. After failing to put the game to bed away to Drogheda United last week and drawing 2-2, manager Ruaidhrí Higgins will want his players to be on top form against the champions and FAI Cup winners this weekend.

 

The Candystripes weren’t poor against Drogheda by any means. After going 1-0 down within three minutes, the City players responded well and played some neat football before the half was out. Michael Duffy equalised for City just before the half-hour mark, stooping highest to head a Paul McMullan cross past South African international goalkeeper Jethren Barr. Will Patching one-upped himself in his own goal of the month competition, firing a looping strike from range into the top corner on the stroke of half-time. The former Manchester City midfielder will make his 100th appearance for City on Friday against Shamrock Rovers.

 

Derry came close to adding to their lead in the second half as Danny Mullen’s header came off the post – a goal which would’ve surely guaranteed the points for the travelling side. The pressure on Brian Maher’s goal mounted as the half went on though and, five minutes from time, Haitian forward Frantz Pierrot saw his side-footed effort go in off the post – opening his account for Drogs. The substitutions of Daniel Kelly and Danny Mullen, two forwards, for Shane McEleney and Ben Doherty, two defenders, prior to the late equaliser meant that Derry lacked a bit of dynamism going forward in search of the winner. A late free-kick towards the back post came to nothing, and City left Weaver’s Park with just a point. They’ve one only won of their last six fixtures on Boyneside.

 

Bohemians’ win over Shelbourne did mean that City didn’t concede more ground to the Tolka table-toppers. Without a win in their last three, Shelbourne’s early dominance may be starting to wane. Bohs beat Dundalk in their game in hand earlier this week too, meaning that they’re now third place and sit level on points with Derry. Shamrock Rovers’ recent resurgence after a slow start means that they too are back in the top 4, a point behind the Candystripes with a game in hand.

 

Derry haven’t beaten Rovers in the Brandywell since a 2-0 win in the President’s Cup in early 2023, and haven’t beaten them in league action since Jamie McGonigle’s 95^th minute winner in February 2022. Similarly to 2023, the Hoops made another slow start to the league campaign. Last year they had to wait until the seventh game to pick up their first win, before winning nine of their next eleven fixtures. Eventually winning the league by a margin of seven points shows that Rovers’ slow starts should never be taken as an indicator of how their season may go. They picked up just three points from their first four games this term, but have won four of their last five games and seem to be getting back into their groove.

 

A 3-0 win over Sligo Rovers, who had an impressive start to the season, shows that Rovers are coming back into form. Aaron Greene bagged twice, whilst Graham Burke – who won and scored a penalty against Derry in the 1-1 in the Brandywell last year – opened the scoring. MK Dons loanee, and former St. Pat’s winger, Darragh Burns joined the Hoops at the beginning of the season and has five goal involvements in nine games this campaign, including a goal and assist in Tallaght when Derry visited in early March. That 2-2 draw, much like the one last week against Drogheda, was another instance when City lacked that lethal touch and conceded late on to squander a 2-1 lead.

 

Rory Gaffney, who has been key to Rovers’ success in the past few years, hasn’t played since the 15^th of March. Jack Byrne is another notable absentee – the former Republic of Ireland international hasn’t featured since September of last year. Derry man Aaron McEneff also hasn’t played for Shamrock Rovers since rejoining for the club on loan from Perth Glory. Neil Farrugia, too, has played just once this season after picking up an injury on the opening day draw to Dundalk. Despite their injury issues though, the Tallaght side have quality all over the pitch and have a ruthless streak that has seen them win four titles in a row. Derry City will need to be on their A-game if they’re to get three points on Friday.

 

It doesn’t get any easier for City as they host St. Patrick’s Athletic for the second time already this season on Monday. Due to European involvement for both camps in July, this game is technically ‘Round 24’. Don’t worry, Round 23 isn’t until the 4^th of July. Inconsistent is probably the best way to describe Pat’s’ season so far, which isn’t surprising due to the amount of new faces that came through the door in the off-season. Out of their ten games this season, they’ve won four, lost four and drawn two – leaving them fifth in the table but just two points behind City in second place.

 

Saints’ boss Jon Daly would have been disappointed after his side played out a scoreless draw against bottom-side Dundalk last week, but 2-1 and 3-0 wins over Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers show that they’re no slouches when they get going. Former Derry City playmaker Brandon Kavanagh has assisted four of the Inchicore side’s ten goals this season, but marquee signing Ruairi Keating has found the net just twice this campaign. Former Cliftonville defender Luke Turner is joint top scorer for Pat’s this term, joint on two with the aforementioned Keating. Aside from Kavanagh’s four assists, the other players who registered an assist for the Saints in 2024 are defenders- Joe Redmond, Conor Keeley and Anto Breslin. Ten goals coming from eight different scorers shows that Pat's aren’t reliant on one man – which could be a threat to City on Monday.

 

Derry’s 2-1 win over St Patrick’s Athletic on the first of March was a great show of resolve by the City players. After an eventless first half, Ruairi Keating fired past Brian Maher just minutes after the restart to give the away side the lead. A goal from Pat Hoban on the 65^th, followed by a 92^nd minute Danny Mullen winner gave the Candystripe faithful hope for the season ahead. It hasn’t gone quite to plan so far, as Derry remain winless on the road, but winning four out of five games at home bodes well going into the weekend ahead.

 

The height in the Pats backline shows that they won’t shy away from the physical battle, whilst the return of goalkeeper Danny Rogers to the starting eleven has added more confidence in the defence. Liverpool loanee Marcelo Pitaluga hasn’t appeared since a 3-1 loss to Waterford in March after shipping seven goals in his first four appearances for Daly’s side. Derry know all too well the talents of Chris Forrester and Jake Mulraney – two players who bring a bit of flair and unpredictability to the Pats midfield.

 

Ruaidhrí Higgins will have been glad to see Ben Doherty and Patrick McEleney back in the matchday squad after injuries, whilst the sight of Sadou Diallo and Pat Hoban training alongside Colm Whelan down in Drogheda was a welcomed one. It’ll be a year to the day on Sunday since Whelan burst onto the Derry scene with a winner against Cork City after a year out due to an ACL tear. The forward, who signed from UCD, suffered a devastating reoccurrence of that ACL injury at the start of May last year though – meaning he suffered two potential career ending injuries in consecutive Mays. Whelan won’t be rushed into the team, but if he’s fit by the summer he’ll be a welcomed addition as City aim to fight on league, cup and European fronts.

 

It's weekends like these that shape seasons. Lose on Friday and Monday and there mightn’t be a league title push for City this season. Win both games and City could find themselves back on top of the pile. The Candystripes will need to be ruthless if they are to win big ties like these, as the loss of more points from winning positions will come back to haunt us come November. Risk-taking is a part of the sport, and making offensive changes to kill a game will reap rewards if they mean that Derry get into the habit of coming away with more than a draw when the going gets tough. Friday's sold out and Monday won't be far off it, this should be a good weekend of action.

 

Pól O’Hare – 16 April 2024

 

 

 

Drogheda United v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Drogheda United v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Drogheda United FC v. Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 10, Weaver’s Park, Friday 12^th April 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

It was a case of no-Hoban-no-problem for Derry City as they thumped stricken Dundalk 4-1 at the Brandywell to end a three-game winless streak and climb back to second in the Premier Division table. Goals from Adam O’Reilly, Will Patching, Danny Mullen and Michael Duffy saw City cruise past the Louth side, who sacked manager Stephen O’Donnell after the loss and find themselves rock bottom of the table – winless this term. Derry face Dundalk’s Louth and relegation zone neighbours Drogheda United on Friday, as the Candystripes aim to build on some positive momentum following a handful of poor performances.

 

Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men seemed to have a bit of confidence about them on Friday night, showing the signs of a reinvigorated side. City's manager spoke before the game on how he wanted his team to put in a shift that would get the fans back on side and, particularly in the second half, they did just that. It seemed that fans, players and staff alike were pleased to have the pressure lifted and get a bit of positivity back about the Brandywell. Adam O’Reilly and Will Patching were particularly impressive in controlling the midfield, crowning their performances by each finding the back of the net. Another positive was seeing the returns of Cameron Dummigan and Ben Doherty after injuries, whilst four different scorers showed that Pat Hoban wasn’t as much a miss as feared.

 

It doesn’t feel like two months ago since Drogheda travelled to the Brandywell on the opening day of the season and, with the first round of fixtures behind us, a quarter of 2024’s league games have already been played. Since their 2-1 defeat in the Brandywell in mid-February, Drogheda’s season hasn’t quite gone to plan. Their only win came over Bohemians, a 2-1 victory in early March. The Drogs are coming off the back of a run which has seen them draw their last three fixtures, although holding table toppers Shelbourne and third placed St Patrick’s Athletic are certainly not bad results.

 

Drogheda have struggled for goals this season and it seems to be hurting them. Left back Evan Weir is their top league scorer with three goals. Andrew Quinn, Steve Zishim Bawa and Derry native Oisin Gallagher are the club’s only other league scorers – chipping in with a goal each. Haitian striker Frantz Pierrot, who was highly sought after following a bountiful season in the First Division with Athlone Town last year, has failed to hit the ground running. He has featured in seven of Drogs’ eight games and hasn’t yet found the back of the net. Warren Davis is also scoreless in eight games this season, leading manager Kevin Doherty to trust veteran midfielder Ryan Brennan with leading the line against Shelbourne last week.

 

Playmaker Darragh Markey is always a threat when Drogheda play. The former St. Pat’s man contributed to five goals last season and is tricky in the number ten role. Derry man Oisin Gallagher, who is on loan from Lincoln City, opened his account for the season with a smart finish against Shelbourne last week, and is versatile across the midfield. Despite not scoring this term, Frantz Pierrot’s strength and presence in the attack can’t be undermined – his twenty-two goal haul last season speaks for itself. Former Finn Harps man Adam Foley also netted a hattrick in a recent 4-0 win over Athlone Town in the Leinster Senior Cup. Drogheda United certainly aren’t a bad side and have talent in the team which would arguably warrant a higher placing in the league than were they find themselves.

 

Derry City could do with continuing their newfound run of form and winning away to Drogheda on Friday, especially considering the double-header against Shamrock Rovers and St. Pat’s the weekend after. The Candystripes are unbeaten in their last four against Drogheda and have lost just twice of the last nine games against the Louth side, going back to March 2022. Weaver’s Park is a tough place to go to though, with City coming out on top in just one of the last five meetings between the two there. Adam O’Reilly scored his first Derry City goal in this fixture last year - he’ll be hoping to find another this time out.

 

With the gap to top spot still sitting at six points, Derry need to be winning in order to stay in the hunt for the title. Drogheda find themselves three points from safety and need to turn their unbeaten streak into wins across the next few weeks in order to gain some distance between themselves and the relegation zone. The game on Friday mightn’t be a pretty one, but both sides will be aiming for the win in order to keep tabs in their fights at either end of the table.

Pól O'Hare - 11 April 2024

Derry City v Dundalk: Match Preview

 

Derry City v Dundalk: Match Preview

 

Derry City FC v. Dundalk FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 9, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, 5^th April 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

Both Derry City and Dundalk go into Friday’s fixture looking to end poor runs of form. After winning three of their opening five games, City find themselves 8 point adrift of top spot after picking up just one point from their last three matches. Dundalk sit rock bottom of the table, without a win and with a goal difference of -9. Both teams, and both managers, will be desperate to get three more points on the board as pressure already begins to mount this early in the campaign.

 

Derry’s loss against Galway United on Friday marked a low-point in the Ruaidhrí Higgins era. As unbeaten Shelbourne extended their lead at the top with a win against Dundalk, City were outfought by a newly promoted Galway side, who scored late on to claim their first Brandywell win since May 2015. It wasn’t a pretty performance and was compounded by a few big misses, meaning Derry faced the tall task of travelling to Shelbourne on Easter Monday.

 

That first half against Shelbourne was certainly an improvement. Higgins wanted a reaction from his players and seemed to get it. Will Patching and Pat Hoban both came close as Derry kept the pressure on Conor Kearns’ goal. It seemed like Shels were glad to get into half-time with the game scoreless, especially considering Damien Duff’s squad was supposedly floored by illness over the Easter weekend. Patching came close with a free kick early in the second half but City failed to fashion anything more than half chances before the full-time whistle came. A draw against a team in the form of Shels is certainly not a bad result, but a win could’ve done massive favours in Derry’s title hopes.

 

City now sit fourth in the table, level on points with Sligo Rovers in second - but that eight point gap to top seems to look even bigger with every glance. Shamrock Rovers have leapfrogged the Candystripes to go into third place, and also have a game-in-hand on their fellow challengers. Bohemians seem to be having something of a revival under Alan Reynolds and have won two of their three games since Declan Devine left. They’re currently sixth, two points behind Derry but also holding on to the luxury of a game in hand.

 

Dundalk haven’t won a league match this season and faced quite the rebuild coming into the new campaign. All-time leading scorer Pat Hoban joined Derry, alongside winger Dan Kelly. Greg Sloggett signed for Cheltenham Town, Nathan Shepperd left for Wycombe Wanderers and midfield duo Keith Ward and John Martin left for Shelbourne. Waterford snapped up Darragh Leahy and Robbie McCourt whilst Torino swooped for teenager Senan Mullen. Holding on to Archie Davies, who was courted by Shamrock Rovers in the off-season, and 20 year old winger Ryan O’Kane can be considered transfer market wins for the Lilywhites.

 

Dundalk brought in eleven new players ahead of 2024. Dara Keane impressed at UCD last year and was signed to bolster defensive options, as was Jamie Walker and Zak Johnson – brought in from Kelty Hearts and Sunderland respectively.  Dutch midfielder Koen Oostenbrink was signed from FC Eindhoven alongside Zak Bradshaw and Scott High, who were picked up on loans from Lincoln City and Huddersfield Town. Three strikers were brought in to try and replace the goals of Hoban; Robert Mahon from Motherwell, Ciaran McGuckin on loan from Rotherham United and Jamie Gullan from Raith Rovers. The latter is known for possessing a wicked free kick and gave the League of Ireland a taste of that when he fired one past Leon Pohls in Tallaght on the opening day.

 

The Lilywhites have only scored twice in the league this season, conceding eleven in their opening seven games. The only points they’ve picked up have been a 1-1 draw and two 0-0s and in March, they were dumped out of the Leinster Senior Cup by St. Mochta’s. Safe to say, Stephen O’Donnell is under pressure in the Oriel Park dugout. He needs wins to keep his job as much as Dundalk need them to get points on the board, so they’ll certainly come out fighting. They haven’t beaten Derry since the last day of the 2022 campaign - a 1-0 win in the Brandywell. Derry put eight goals past Dundalk in 2023 too, conceding three across the four games played by the two.

 

Both teams need points, Dundalk for survival and Derry to maintain any hopes of a title push. With a double header against Shamrock Rovers and St. Patrick’s Athletic coming up in two weeks time, and Drogheda United away next week, these are the games that City really ought to be winning. Neither manager will be entirely comfortable at the minute, so expect an entertaining game as the two teams go attacking to get their season’s back on track.

 

Pól O’Hare – 3 April 2024

Double Preview: Derry City v. Galway United, Shelbourne v. Derry City

 

Double Preview: Derry City v. Galway United, Shelbourne v. Derry City

 

Derry City v. Galway United, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 7, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, 29^th March 2024 kick-off 7.45pm

 

Shelbourne v. Derry City, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 8, Tolka Park, 1^st April 2024, kick-off 5pm

 

Derry City come into an Easter weekend double-header after Bohemians ended their unbeaten start to the season nearly two weeks ago. First up are newly promoted Galway United, who make their first voyage to the Brandywell in eight years and are coming off the back of a three game winless streak. Table-toppers Shelbourne play host to the Candystripes on Easter Monday and sit with a five point buffer on Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men in second. With Will Patching and Patrick McEleney both fit again after the international break, the City faithful will hope that the 2-1 defeat in Dalymount last time out will turn out to be a one off.

 

Ronan Boyce’s second goal of the season wasn’t enough to pull back a point for City, who went 2-0 down against Bohemians thanks to goals from Dayle Rooney and former Derry striker James Akintunde. Despite keeping the majority of the ball in Dalymount, Higgins will hope that his side translate the possession into chances going into the Easter period. It’s a Good Friday encounter against Galway United first, a side who haven’t played City since September 2017. The Tribesmen were the runaway winners of last season’s First Division, winning 30 of their 36 games and being crowned champions with a twenty-five point lead on second placed Waterford. Scoring 98 goals and conceding just 18 last year, Galway were always going to be an interesting prospect coming back into the Premier Division.

 

John Caulfield’s men are currently sat fifth in the table, picking up wins against Waterford and Dundalk so far this term. Three 1-0 losses to St. Pat’s, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne show that, despite losing, Galway aren’t getting thrashed in the way that some may have expected a newly promoted team to do so. Their 4-0 win over Dundalk in last year’s FAI Cup quarter-final raised eyebrows and sent a message to the rest of the league that they meant business.

 

Galway United didn’t splash the cash in the transfer window. Despite early rumours that they were in for Galwegian striker Pat Hoban, who just happens to be the league’s top goal-scorer, Caulfield and Ollie Horgan prioritised keeping the quality that they had. Conor McCormack and Aodh Dervin have been stalwarts in the midfield, whilst striker Wassim Aouachria was tied down to a new deal. Keeping hold of David Hurley, who registered 22 goals and six assists from the midfield last term is perhaps Galway’s most impressive piece of business. League of Ireland experience was brought in with the signings of Garry Buckley and Karl O’Sullivan from Sligo Rovers. Leo Gaxha, who impressed for Kerry FC last year after signing from Sheffield United, joined to strengthen striker options whilst Patrick Hickey, Joe Wright and Jeannot Esua signed from Athlone Town, Millwall and Ekanas IF respectively. Wide midfielder Al-Amin Kazeem, who has made a raft of League Two appearances in the last couple of years, joined on-loan from Colchester United and already looks impressive.

 

It’s been eight years since Galway played in the Brandywell, and seven since they last played Derry away – back when the Candystripes played out of Buncrana’s Maginn Park in 2017. Galway’s captain Conor McCormack started for Derry City in that game back in 2016. The Tribesmen’s last away win against Derry came back in May 2015 but you have to go back to September 2009 to find Galway’s next most recent away win against City. In saying that, the Candystripes have won just twice of their last ten games in all competitions against Galway, going back to March 2015.

 

Three points against Galway United would be crucial in keeping pace with Monday’s opposition, Shelbourne. Damien Duff’s men are the only side unbeaten in the Premier Division this season and have won five of their last six games. They’re challenging more for the title this year than people may have expected but home victories over Galway United and Shamrock Rovers, and away wins against St. Pat’s, Sligo Rovers and Bohemians, show that they’re currently the team to beat in the country. Getting one over Shelbourne is getting more difficult too. They haven’t lost a league game since September of last year and haven’t lost to Derry since that March. That win for Derry back in March is the only time that the Candystripes have beaten Shels since the 4-0 2022 FAI Cup final victory, with three draws and three red cards seeing the honours shared across the rest of 2023’s encounters between these two.

 

After Hull City’s Turkish owner Acun Ilicali bought a stake in Shelbourne in June 2023, before terminating his ownership in November, it seemed that Shels might have been in for a rough patch. That wasn’t the case, however. Damien Duff’s contract was renewed shortly after Mickey O’Rourke of PremierSports ownership fame took over. Shelbourne’s financial backing wasn’t dented either. League of Ireland veterans Sean Gannon and Keith Ward came in, followed by Dean Williams and John O’Sullivan from Bohemians. John Martin was brought in from Dundalk whilst goalkeeper Lorcan Healy was signed to rival Conor Kearns.

Losing Jack Moylan, one of the standout performers in the league last year, to Lincoln City wasn’t ideal from a Shelbourne point of view but it seems like Will Jarvis has been the perfect replacement. The 21 year old Englishman spent the second half of last season on-loan at Tolka from Hull City before putting pen to paper on another loan deal for 2024. Four goals in six appearances, including both goals in a derby win over St. Pat’s, shows that he’s one of the division’s best players at the minute. The acquisition of Liam Burt from Shamrock Rovers, albeit on loan, certainly doesn’t seem to be bad business either.

 

Three wins and two draws from Derry City’s opening six is still a promising start. With Pat Hoban sitting at the top of the goalscoring charts after bagging six in six, the five point gap between first and second may not be as big as it seems. Best case scenario, City register two wins this weekend and Dundalk beat Shelbourne on Friday – meaning the Candystripes would be top this time next week. Easter hasn’t been the kindest to City in recent times though, losing both on Good Friday and Easter Monday last year. In fact, City’s last win on Easter weekend came with a 2-1 win over Finn Harps back in 2018. Four points out of Galway and Shels this weekend certainly wouldn’t be a bad return. I’ve also gotten to the end of this preview without making ANY April Fools jokes about Monday as they’ll probably come back to bite me.

Pól O'Hare - 28 March 2023

Bohemians v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Bohemians v Derry City: Match Preview

Bohemian FC v. Derry City FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 6, Dalymount Park, Friday 15^th March 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

Pat Hoban's hat-trick against Waterford ensured that Derry City's unbeaten start to the season extended as they prepare to face a Bohemians side who play their first game without Declan Devine at the helm since October 2022. A front-post flick, overhead kick and penalty trio saw City's number nine raise his goal tally to six for the campaign already, making him the Division’s top scorer and meaning that he needs just two more goals to equal Jordan McEneff’s league goal tally of eight to match last year’s record. Bohemians, on the other hand, go into Friday’s fixture one Derry man down as Declan Devine's tenure came to an end following a 2-0 home defeat to table-toppers Shelbourne. Derek Pender and Trevor Crolly will be in charge for Bohs, who look for their second win of the season.

 

Hoban’s hattrick on Friday was the first competitive hattrick scored by a Derry City player since Declan Glass netted three in the first half of his City debut against Oliver Bond Celtic back in the First Round of the FAI Cup in July 2022. It also means that City are now joint top scorers in the league and joint top in terms of goal-difference. There were doubts from some quarters surrounding the signing of Pat Hoban prior to the season starting, but he's showing exactly why the club forked out €30,000 for his services. His partnership with Michael Duffy is a throwback to their Dundalk days and it seems that both are bringing out the best in each other. Duffy’s started the season in fine form himself too, playing a role in two goals already this campaign.

 

Ruaidhrí Higgins and his players really deserve credit for the manner in which they’ve started the season, especially when considering how unfortunate their injury record has been. Sadou Diallo was injured in preseason whilst Mark Connolly, Patrick McEleney, Cameron Dummigan, Will Patching, Michael Duffy and Adam O’Reilly have all suffered knocks already. Dummigan and Patching are still out, whilst Connolly, Duffy and O’Reilly all came off with injuries against Waterford last weekend. As it stands, it seems like Jordan McEneff is the only 100% fit midfielder. The City management staff will see it as a mini-win if they come away from Dalymount without further injury woes.

 

Bohemians have been on the receiving end of some injuries to key players themselves already too. Keith Buckley suffered an ACL tear just before the FAI Cup final last November whilst January signing Rob Cornwall, who rejoined the club after two years in America, came down with the same injury just half an hour into the opening game of the campaign. Although back training with the team, goalkeeper James Talbot has commendably taken some time away from football in order to focus on his mental health.

 

They may have left it late but the Gypsies did add in numbers across the January transfer window. The sale of Jonathan Afolabi, who scored fifteen league goals last season and received a senior Ireland call-up, for around €200,000 to Belgian side KV Kortrijk left a sizable gap in the forward line. He has scored once in Belgium so far –  equalising in a 3-3 draw away to Club Brugge. The moves of John O’Sullivan and Dean Williams to Shelbourne, Kris Twardek to Atletico Ottawa and Ali Coote to Detroit City left Bohemians light in squad-depth at the top end of the pitch. The losses of Kacper Radkowski and Krystian Nowak also left the Phibsborough side with a serious amount of business to be done. Dayle Rooney, who impressed at Drogheda United last year, was signed on a two-year contract to give options on the wing. Strikers Sten Reinkort and Filip Piszczek were brought in from Flora Tallinn and FC Imabari to replace Afolabi, whilst Kacper Chorazka signed from ASIL Lysi to provide goalkeeping options. He has started every game this season, keeping a clean sheet against St. Pat’s.

 

Bohemian’s raid on Flora Tallinn continued further as the club brought in Estonian internationals Martin Miller and Michael Lilander. Brian McManus was signed from Shelbourne whilst full-back Luke Matheson, who scored against Manchester United for Rochdale when he was just sixteen, was signed on loan from Bolton Wanderers. Jevon Mills and Aboubacar Keita were also captured on loan deals from Hull City and Colorado Rapids. The signing of highly rated centre back Divin Isamala from St. Francis capped Bohs’ transfer activity.

Derek Pender's men have only scored four all season, three of which have come from midfielders James Clarke and Jordan Flores, showing that it will take time for the club’s new signings to gel and replicate Afolabi’s goalscoring prowess. Clarke, however, was one Bohs’ standout performers last campaign, scoring five and assisting four from centre midfield. He opened the scoring against Derry City down in Dalymount last August too. Sten Reinkort bagged a debut goal against Sligo Rovers but hasn’t yet contributed to another goal. Bohemians are rumoured to be courting former Ireland and Derry City manager Stephen Kenny to come in as manager on a permanent basis - a signing which would be a massive coup. The Dubliner won the Premier Division with the club back in 2003. 

 

It was pretty much honour’s even in this fixture last year. Both Derry City and Bohemians beat each other 1-0 away from home whilst drawing 0-0 and 2-2 in the other two fixtures. You’d have to go back to Derry’s 4-1 win in Dalymount Park in February 2017 to find the last time that this fixture ended with a deficit of more than two goals too. 3-3 and 2-2 draws in the last three seasons, alongside a 3-2 Derry City win, shows that there is potential for fireworks in the tie though. A win for City on Friday would be their fifth win in their last seven Phibsborough outings and would put the Candystripes top if Shelbourne fail to beat St. Pat’s in Inchicore. Another three points, or at least a continuation of their unbeaten run, would be ideal going into the international break.

 

Pól O'Hare - 13 March 2024

Match Preview: Derry City v Waterford

 

Match Preview: Derry City v Waterford

 

Derry City FC v. Waterford FC, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 5, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 8^th March 2024, kick-off 7.45pm

 

Derry City’s unbeaten start to the season has continued after a tough weekend double-header, where they defeated St. Patrick’s Athletic on Friday and won a point away to Shamrock Rovers on Monday. The Candystripes now gear up to face Waterford on Friday, a team they haven’t come up against since November 2021. The visitors haven’t taken long to get into the swing of Premier Division action after a two season absence, picking up seven points from their first four games and coming off the back of a 3-1 home win over St. Pat’s.

 

Good teams scrape wins when they aren’t playing well and that was certainly the case for Derry City against St. Pat’s on Friday. The away team came to the Brandywell with a new look squad and investment across the pitch, setting up with a tough-to-break-down back five. City couldn’t get the ball to stick and it was the end of the first half before they got any sort of momentum. Ruairi Keating firing past Brian Maher just two minutes into the second half didn’t help things either. The introductions of Scottish duo Paul McMullan and Danny Mullen changed the game though. After a Pat Hoban header got Derry level on the 65^th, Mullen stylishly stabbed the ball into the top corner from a Michael Duffy cross on the 92^nd minute – clinching a huge three points for the Candystripes.

 

Hoban and Mullen got in on the act again in Tallaght on Monday night. After Darragh Burns slid the ball under Brian Maher to put Shamrock Rovers ahead, Pat Hoban converted a Derry spot-kick to level the game. Mullen, once again introduced from the bench, bundled in a Paul McMullan corner to give City a 2-1 away lead. A 92^nd minute header from Estonian international Markus Poom shared the spoils, but a point away against the four-in-a-row champions in dreadful conditions certainly isn’t a negative result.

 

Ruaidhrí Higgins’ injury woes have, however, only increased after the weekend. Will Patching, who assisted Hoban’s goal on Friday, pulled up in the warmup in Tallaght and subsequently had to watch the game from the stands. It’s unknown how serious the former Manchester City midfielder’s injury is but the City faithful will be hoping it’s not long-term by any means. This leaves Jordan McEneff and Adam O’Reilly, who both played well over the weekend, as City’ s only two fit senior midfielders. Sadou Diallo still faces some weeks on the side-lines and Cameron Dummigan’s injury severity hasn’t yet been revealed. On a more positive note, Patrick McEleney’s injury wasn’t as bad as first feared and Ciaron Harkin played his first football in two years when he lined out for the U20s last weekend.

 

Waterford were something of an unknown quantity coming into the Premier Division this season. In 2021, their Last season in the top flight, the Blues lost out to UCD in the promotion/relegation a play-off. Another painful defeat against UCD in the 2022 play-offs, in which Waterford missed a 93^rd minute penalty in Inchicore, saw the Students stay in the Premier Division for 2023. In all honesty though, it really should have been Waterford in the top flight that year – UCD finished the season with just 11 points and a goal difference of -77. Waterford and Galway United definitely had the quality to complete with the big boys last year too, finishing the First Division ten and thirty-five points ahead of third placed Cobh Ramblers. Galway’s season was an anomaly, as they breezed the league, losing just twice all year and winning thirty of their thirty-six games. Any other year and Waterford would have been automatically promoted, scoring 84 goals on their way to clinching second place. They triumphed over Munster rivals Cork City in the play-off, beating the Rebels 2-1 in Tallaght to go back up to the Premier Division.

 

The issue with having a fantastic season in the First Division, and having a ‘sister’ club in the English Football League, is that your best talent will inevitably be poached. If you look at Waterford’s stand out player in each of the last couple of years you will notice that they have been snapped up by Fleetwood Town, the team whom they share owners with. Phoenix Patterson, Junior Quitirina and more recently Ronan Coughlan all joined the League One side, staving off competition from Derry City, Shamrock Rovers and sides across the Irish Sea. It’s hard to know what sort of fees Waterford demanded, seeing that they share the same owner and have benefited massively from loan signings of players on Fleetwood’s books. The English club have clearly seen the value in the underappreciated and undervalued Irish market in recent times, Fleetwood signed our own Ryan Graydon for around £125,000 last summer. Promising (pardon the pun) Bohemians winger Promise Omochere was snapped up for an undisclosed fee, as was Cork City keeper David Harrington. At least these players are being given a platform to showcase their talents in England though.

 

Back to Waterford though, Blues manager Keith Long was faced with the task of replacing Ronan Coughlan. The striker, who has been linked with Derry in the past, never really lit up the League of Ireland during spells with Bray Wanderers and Cork City, although he did find goalscoring form at Sligo Rovers before joining St. Pat’s. A move to Waterford preceded the 2023 season and Coughlan really turned on his form. 37 goals in 35 games in all competitions saw him sign for Fleetwood Town, unsurprisingly. Roland Idowu, who bagged fourteen goals across two years at Waterford, left for Shrewsbury Town too. Killian Cantwell and Shane Griffin left for Bray Wanderers whilst Thomas Oluwa, Liam Kervick and Harry Nevin moved to Wexford, Cobh Ramblers and Cork City respectively.

 

Losing your main goal threat after winning promotion is never ideal, but the signing of Pádraig Amond, who comes with a wealth of experience playing in England, is seeming to have been the perfect option. Starting out with Shamrock Rovers, before playing for Sligo Rovers and in Portugal with Pacos de Ferreira, Amond has a history of scoring wherever he’s gone in the English football pyramid. Known for bagging FA Cup goals against Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Manchester City, the 35 year old is currently pipping Pat Hoban to the Premier Division top scorer position with four goals in four games so far at Waterford. He’ll certainly be a threat on Friday night.

 

The signings of Robbie McCourt, Darragh Leahy and Ben McCormack bring tested Premier Division experience - Leahy has already chipped in with two goals from left-back. Centre back Kacper Radkowski, who played for Bohemians last year, was signed permanently from Slask Wroclaw. Kacper Skwiercynzski joined on loan from Ruch Chorzow as did Maleace Asamoah, Harvey MacAdam and Barry Baggley - all from Fleetwood Town. The latter has recently been nominated for the Player of the Month Award for February alongside Derry’s Mark Connolly. The signing of Grant Horton from Cheltenham Town also proves that Waterford are willing to splash their cash on proven Premier Division talent in a bid to consolidate their top flight status come November.

 

Defensive midfielder Rowan McDonald spent time on trial at Derry City before joining Waterford last year. Conor Parsons is one to watch too having scored a brilliant goal in the play-off final and contributed to more throughout the First Division campaign. Ireland U19 international Romeo Akachukwu, the 17 year old midfielder who netted a hat-trick against Athlone Town last year, will sign for Southampton when the July window opens. Waterford will be substantially rewarded for his promise too, with the fee believed to start at €375,000 rising to €0.5m with add-ons.

 

Waterford are the Premier Division’s current top goal-scorers with nine in four games this term. Amond has four and Leahy as two, as I’ve mentioned, but loanee Maleace Asamoah has also found the net on two occasions whilst Niall O’Keefe netted in Waterford’s 4-1 away win over Drogheda United in matchday two. There have been two or more goals in thirteen of the last fifteen league meetings between Derry and Waterford, going back to February 2018, meaning that there is a history of fireworks in this tie. The Candystripes have also won seven of the last nine encounters between these two in the Brandywell in all competitions. Derry’s 4-2 win against Waterford in the League Cup semi-final in 2019, in which David Parkhouse scored all four, is another which sticks out in the memory. 
The goalscoring form of both club’s forward players hints at yet another plentiful encounter in terms of the goal tally. Both teams are in form and will want to keep momentum going, so this one could be an interesting one to keep an eye on. Expect good strikers and, hopefully, something of an end-to-end game.

Pól O'Hare - 6th March 2024

Double Preview: Derry City v. St. Patrick’s Athletic, Shamrock Rovers v. Derry City

 Derry City v St. Patrick’s Athletic, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 3, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday 1^st March 2024, 7.45pm kick-off

 

Shamrock Rovers v Derry City, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 4, Tallaght Stadium, Monday 4^th March 2024, 7.45pm kick-off

 

The Sligo curse struck again for Derry City as a scoreless draw in the Showgrounds last weekend saw their winless run away to Sligo Rovers extend to five games. The Candystripes haven’t beaten the Bit’O’Red on their own patch since August 2021, but the point they claimed on Saturday was one more than they did in both of their away games to Sligo last campaign. A win and a draw in City’s first two games marks an unbeaten start to the season, but also means that no team in the Premier Division has maintained a 100% record in 2024.

 

Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men now face both last season’s champions and FAI Cup winners within the space of four days and there’s already a feeling that points against the top teams will be precious – even this early on in the campaign. St Patrick’s Athletic are up first in the Brandywell on Friday. The Inchicore side have put serious investment into their squad ahead of the 2024 season, but losses against Shamrock Rovers in the President’s Cup, and Bohemians last weekend, have seen their start to the season stutter. Three points in Galway on the opening day, holding out for a 1-0 win with the only goal coming after just three minutes, shows that Pat’s can’t be disrespected though – even if they haven’t got off to the flier that they hoped for.

 

Derry make the journey down to Tallaght on Monday, facing the four-in-a-row champions in what will be a gruelling few days for the City players. Shamrock Rovers haven’t begun 2024 as hoped either though. It seemed like it was business as usual for the Hoops when they cruised to a 3-1 victory over St. Pat’s in the President’s Cup in early February, but one point from their opening two league games seems to have curtailed some of that optimism. Rovers came from behind to draw to a new-look Dundalk side on the opening day before falling to a 2-1 defeat away to Shelbourne. As always with Shamrock Rovers, it would be foolish to write them off. At the start of 2023, Rovers were winless until the seventh game of the season before finishing the campaign top of the table, with a seven point buffer on Derry City in second.

 

Derry City’s defence was solid against Sligo, with Connolly and Todd repelling any Sligo threat down the centre. Boyce and McJannet were good going forward on the flanks, as was Michael Duffy. City just couldn’t get the ball to stick in the final third and will ultimately be happy enough to come up the road with just the one point. The main concern of the evening came in the form of injuries to Patrick McEleney and Cameron Dummigan. McEleney, who started the game after missing the season opener through a groin injury, suffered an unrelated injury and was replaced by Adam O’Reilly after 40 minutes. Dummigan, who missed large parts of 2023 with a serious hamstring injury, landed awkwardly on his ankle after a tackle on the stroke of half-time. The 27 year old was visibly struggling and had to be stretchered off. Hopefully their injuries aren’t serious, as both players suffered injury-hit campaigns in 2023 and will want to get a good run at it in 2024. With Sadou Diallo out for another 6 weeks or so, City are looking light in midfield going into the next few games.

 

Focus: St. Patrick’s Athletic –

In this fixture last season, Derry won twice, St. Pat’s one once and a 1-1 draw was played out in Inchicore in the season opener in February. The battles between these two were interesting to say the least last year. Derry won 2-0 in the Brandywell in April, with goals coming from Colm Whelan and Ben Doherty. Just over a month later, City slumped to a 4-1 defeat in Inchicore, despite having more than 60% of possession. Pat’s progressed against the Candystripes again, beating Derry on penalties in the FAI Cup second round before going on to lift the cup in November. This marked Derry’s second penalty-shootout defeat in the space of a week back in August. The Candystripes got one back on the final day of the season though, winning 3-0 in the Brandywell in what was one of the most impressive performances of the campaign. Brandon Kavanagh, who signed for Pat’s from Derry in the off-season, got on the scoresheet, as did Will Patching and Jordan McEneff. The Inchicore side haven’t won a league game in the Brandywell since October 2019 and haven’t scored in open play in Derry since a 2-1 defeat in March 2022 – Will Patching bagged a 92^nd minute winner that day too.

 

Jon Daly has been very active in the transfer market in the off-season. He has added quality in all areas of the pitch and has built a sizable squad down in Inchicore, but there were some high profile departures from St Pat’s in January. Right-back Sam Curtis, arguably the best prospect in the league, left for Sheffield United and has already been on the bench in the Premier League. Adam Murphy left for Bristol City, Darius Lipsiuc left for Stoke City and Tommy Lonergan’s release clause was triggered by Fleetwood Town. Goalkeeper Dean Lyness joined Hamilton Academicals in Scotland, whilst David Norman and Mark Doyle made the move across the pond to Canada and America respectively.

 

Daly swooped early in the window for Derry City duo Cian Kavanagh and Brandon Kavanagh, paying a fee for the latter. Cork City’s top scorer Ruairi Keating, also on the radar of Derry City, was quite the coup, as was the loan signing of highly-rated Liverpool goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga. Liverpool paid Fluminense a fee in the region of £1m for the Brazilian in 2020. Conor Keeley, who signed from Drogheda United was subject to interest from Notts County, whilst Aaron Bolger made the move from Cork City. Luke Turner joined from Cliftonville to bolster defensive options and former Man City and Barnsley midfielder Romal Palmer was signed on loan from Turkish side Goztepe. Alfie Taylor, Aaron Pettifer and Kieran Freeman joined from Hull City (loan), Bolton Wanderers and Dundee United too. There’s been a lot of change in the St. Pat’s squad, but there’s the potential for serious quality if it clicks.

 

Focus: Shamrock Rovers –

Derry City have only one once in their last eleven away games to Shamrock Rovers and only won four of the last twenty meetings between the sides. City’s 2-1 win in March of last year was the first time since a 2-0 win in August 2017 that the Candystripes triumphed down in Tallaght. Last season, Shamrock Rovers claimed wins in two of the four games between the sides: a 2-0 win in the Brandywell in May and a 1-0 win in Dublin in June. Aside from the aforementioned 2-1 win for Derry in March, the other fixture in the Brandywell ended 1-1 when a late Graham Burke penalty rescued a point for the Hoops. This time out, Derry could do with capitalising on Rovers’ slow start to the campaign if they want to push the Hoops to the wire this year. The Tallaght side host Drogheda United on Friday, a team who they have beaten just twice in eight league meetings since 2022. Drogheda are bottom and pointless this season so far though, so momentum could have a big part to play in these Friday-Monday game-weeks.

 

Shamrock Rovers added quality to their squad in the transfer window too, bringing in tried-and-tested players in their hunt for a fifth league title in a row. Veteran goalkeeper Alan Mannus retired, whilst captain Ronan Finn left for UCD and decorated full back Sean Gannon joined Shelbourne. Simon Power, who saw action mostly from the bench, signed for Sligo Rovers and highly rated youngster Naj Razi joined fellow Irishman Liam Kerrigan at Serie B side Como 1907. Winger Liam Burt was another noticeable departure, albeit on loan to Shelbourne for the season. Josh Honohan was brought in from Cork City to add depth in the full back positions and Trevor Clarke’s loan from Bristol Rovers was made permanent. Former St. Pat’s winger Darragh Burns joined on loan from MK Dons, meanwhile the loan deals of Johnny Kenny and Marcus Poom from Celtic and Flora Tallinn were extended for another year. Former Derry City midfielder Aaron McEneff returned to Shamrock Rovers after stints at Hearts and Perth Glory, as did goalkeeper Lee Steacy, who departed Rovers in 2012 and signed to provide competition for Leon Pohls.

 

It seems very early in the season to be reinforcing how important games like these are, but getting points from a double header against the two teams who Derry will be watching closest in the race for the title could be decisive come November. Pats have high expectations coming into 2024 and Shamrock Rovers still remain the team to beat in the League of Ireland. Two wins and a continuation of their unbeaten run would be ideal, but the City faithful wouldn’t turn their noses up at a draw in Tallaght – especially considering how injury-hit the centre of the park is already. If all goes well for Higgins and his players, two wins this weekend could see the Candystripes in good stead going into the rest of the season.

 

Pól O’Hare – 26^th February 2024

Sligo Rovers v Derry City: Match Preview

 

Sligo Rovers v Derry City, League of Ireland Premier Division, Round 2, Sligo Showgrounds, Saturday 24^th February 2024

 

Goals from Ronan Boyce and new signing Pat Hoban saw Derry City begin 2024 with a win against Drogheda United last weekend. Only City and St Patrick’s Athletic recorded wins in the Premier Division on the opening day, meaning that the Candystripes sit top of the league going into Saturday’s fixture away to Sligo Rovers. The Bit’O’Red were unlucky to leave Dalymount with just a point last week, as James Clarke’s stoppage time equaliser rescued a point for Bohemians in a two-all draw.

 

It was a Derry City debut to remember for Pat Hoban as he bagged a goal and an assist against Drogheda. His link up play in the front-line gave Ronan Boyce space to open up and curve a left footed strike into the top corner from outside the box just one minute after half-time. A quarter of an hour later and Hoban had opened his own account for the season, reacting fastest inside the box to slot past Andrew Wogan after the Drogs’ keeper palmed a Will Patching strike into the path of the Galwegian forward. The Louth side responded just four minutes later as left-back Evan Weir, who left Drogheda for Walsall in the off-season before returning on loan, whipped a free kick off the crossbar and in. A deflection off the City wall left Brian Maher stranded, but it was certainly an impressive way to pull a goal back for the away side. Maher had a good game himself though, saving three shots including a Ryan Brennan penalty – his first league penalty save since denying Shelbourne’s Shane Farrell in June of last year.

 

Ruaidhrí Higgins will hope that the injury sustained by Mark Connolly isn’t too serious. The 32 year old centre back was replaced by Shane McEleney just before the Drogheda goal. It was good to see Cameron Dummigan and Adam O’Reilly return to the squad after niggling injuries, and the twenty or so minutes of action that Dan Kelly saw on his debut looked promising. Ciarán Coll also played the last ten, nearly five years to the day since his Derry City debut back in 2019. The absence of captain Patrick McEleney was the one glaring omission from the matchday squad, but it’s believed that the midfielder’s injury isn’t long-term.

 

Sligo Rovers were getting some criticism in the off-season for not strengthening a squad which had an unimpressive 2023. An eighth place finish saw them survive in the Premier Division, finishing six points above Cork City in the relegation play-off spot. Rovers won just two of their last twelve league games last term, one against UCD and the other which all but ended Derry City’s title hopes in late September. Their performance against Bohemians last week showed positive signs for 2024 though. After going behind just five minutes into the first half, goals from Reece Hutchinson and Fabrice Hartmann had Rovers ahead going into the break. If it wasn’t for a 94^th minute leveller, they would’ve headed home with all three points. There were some big departures last year, namely the moves of David Cawley to Finn Harps, Johan Brannefalk to Ariana, Lukas Browning Lagerfeldt to Gefle, Frank Liivak to Levadia Tallinn and the double switch of Karl O’Sullivan and Garry Buckley to Galway United. Derry man Danny Lafferty left the club to return home and join Institute whilst Greg Bolger rejoined Cork City. Striker Pedro Martelo left and goalkeeper Luke McNicholas’ loan to Wrexham was made permanent. This left John Russell with a fairly light squad going into 2024.

 

English winger Ellis Chapman joined Sligo from Cheltenham and seems to have been a shrewd acquisition. He scored a hat-trick in his first appearance – a 5-4 friendly win over Derry in January. The signings of JR Wilson and Simon Power from Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers respectively bring Premier Division experience and pace on either flank. Ed McGinty returned to the club on loan from Oxford United to solve their goalkeeping woes, whilst Wilson Waweru and Conor Malley signed from Galway United and Dundalk. Charlie Wiggett, who appeared at senior level in a friendly for Newcastle United last year, joined Rovers to give more options in defence – something which they’ll need after John Mahon suffered another unfortunate ACL injury. The return of Max Mata on loan from Shrewsbury Town is undoubtedly Russell’s biggest coup of the window though – the New Zealand international striker netted eleven goals in twenty three games last season in Sligo. He finished as the club’s top goalscorer despite leaving in the summer, Stefan Radosavljević came second with just five in the league. Fabrice Hartmann is always one to watch when Sligo Rovers play too. The German winger, who replaced now Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha for RB Leipzig in a Europa League qualifier in 2018, has experience playing in the 2.Bundesliga and Dritte Liga in Germany. He scored a wonderful solo goal in Dalymount last week too.

 

Derry City haven’t won in Sligo since beating Rovers 2-1 back in August 2021. The Bit’O’Red have won three of the last four league meetings in the Showgrounds, with the other being a 0-0 draw in October 2022. Will Patching scored the decider in Derry’s last two league wins over Sligo Rovers too: a 95^th minute penalty back in July last year and the only goal of the game in September 2022. There haven’t been more than three goals scored in this fixture since City won 4-0 in 2017 and only once in the last thirteen meetings has the deficit been more than one goal. The aforementioned 5-4 friendly in January hints that the trend of low-scoring games between Derry and Sligo may be due to change however. Derry notoriously struggle in the Sligo Showgrounds but revenge may be on the mind of the City players after last time out. Home and away tickets are expected to fully sell out, so this one should be a good one.

Pól O'Hare - 22nd February 2024

 

Derry City v. Drogheda United: Match Preview

Derry City v. Drogheda United: Match Preview

Derry City v. Drogheda United, League of Ireland Premier Division Round 1, 16^TH February 2024, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium

 

It will have been 84 days since Derry City’s 3-0 home win over St. Patrick’s Athletic in the final game of the 2023 season, closing the curtain on a campaign full of ups and downs for the City faithful. The excitement from the Candystripes’ run to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League was quickly extinguished after two penalty shootout losses in the space of a week in August which saw City crash out of both Europe and the FAI Cup. A lack of clinical edge in the final third saw Derry drop valuable points towards the business end of the season, resulting in a second place finish for the second season in a row. Some good football was played and good moments were had but fans, players and staff alike will hope that the Candystripes can go one better in 2024 and claim the League of Ireland Premier Division for the first time in 27 years.

 

Similarly to Derry, Drogheda United dropped points in 2023 due to the lack of a deadly forward. Freddie Draper got off to a flying start on loan from Lincoln City, finishing as Drogheda’s top scorer in the league with eight goals despite his loan ending in June. Drogs’ next top league scorers were Adam Foley with seven and Dayle Rooney with five. The latter did, however, create eight assists and will be a big loss after signing for Bohemians in the off season. A seventh place finish for Drogheda capped a solid campaign, especially considering that the team from Louth claimed the scalps of Derry, Shamrock Rovers and St. Pat’s along the way. Tying manager Kevin Doherty down on a full-time basis until the end of the 2025 campaign may prove to be their biggest victory of 2023 though.

 

The visit of Drogheda United on Friday marks the first time since 2019 that Derry City have played the first game of the league season in the Brandywell, when they beat UCD 3-0 nearly five years ago to the day. City have played Drogheda just three times on the opening day of the season since the turn of the century too. They claimed the three points with 1-0 and 2-0 wins in 2009 and 2005 respectively, whilst Drogheda won 2-1 in the Brandywell in 2002. Drogheda haven’t lost a season opener since a 1-0 defeat to St. Patrick’s Athletic back in 2013 however. Meanwhile, the aforementioned win over UCD in 2019 was the last time that Derry won on the first game of the season. Since then, the Candystripes have lost twice and drawn twice. Ruaidhrí Higgins’ men may want to look back to 2017, when they beat Bohemians 4-1 down in Dalymount, for some inspiration on winning big on the first game of the season.

 

In this fixture last season, Derry won twice, Drogheda won once and a fairly scrappy 0-0 draw was played out in Weavers Park in October. Derry’s 3-0 win in the Brandywell in August was their joint biggest league win over United since a 4-0 win in March 2017. In 2022, three of the four league fixtures between City and Drogheda ended in 1-1 draws, showing just how even this fixture can be. Drogheda are known for being tough to break down for a reason.

 

In the off-season, Drogheda United have had to deal with the scenario that many a League of Ireland club has had to face, that of their best players being tempted to other clubs in the league on free transfers at the close of the season. Dayle Rooney, who made thirteen goal contributions in the league in 2023, signed for Bohemians on a two-year deal. Conor Keeley was the other standout departure. The big centre back, who Drogheda were glad to hold on to after interest from Notts County during the summer, signed for St. Pat’s, also on a two-year contract. Arguably Drogs’ two best players last term, they leave big boots to fill. Kyle Robinson, who scored four goals in twelve games in 2023, left for Arbroath in the Scottish Championship. Luke Wade-Slater and Jamie Egan both joined Longford Town whilst Dylan Grimes left the club and Jarlath Jones signed for Athlone Town.

 

Despite their relatively small budget, Drogheda have recruited well ahead of 2024. Frantz Pierrot, who scored twenty goals in thirty four First Division games for Athlone Town last season, was the marquee signing brought in to solve their goal issues. The Haitian striker also scored in both of Athlone’s play-off games and is already off the mark for Drogheda, scoring and assisting against Bohemians in the Leinster Senior Cup. The 24 year old is only on a one year contract in Louth and may attract suitors if he continues his goalscoring form into 2024. The signing of UCD’s captain Jack Keaney was a smart acquisition in replacing Conor Keeley. Keaney can play in both defence and holding midfield and impressed in 2023, despite UCD’s dire campaign. The transfers of Andrew Quinn and Conor Kane from Shelbourne add depth, whilst the loan signings of Derry native Oisin Gallagher and Hayden Cann from Lincoln City will give both a taste of senior football. The capture of South African international goalkeeper Jethren Barr, who most recently played for Portadown, will run Andrew Wogan close for the number one spot. Keep an eye on 18 year old Irish/French striker Killian Cailloce and 21 year old American/Nigerian winger Steve Zishim Bawa who signed from SM Caen and Bodens BK respectively. Kevin Doherty will hope his youthful squad can repeat at least a mid-tabled finish once again this year.

 

Derry City did considerably less business in the transfer market than Drogheda United, with Ruaidhrí Higgins feeling that City needed just one or two more pieces to add to the puzzle of a potentially title winning team. The sale of Brandon Kavanagh to St. Patrick’s Athletic allowed money to be spent elsewhere, most of which I presume went into the €30k fee demanded by Dundalk for Pat Hoban. Kavanagh impressed last season when given a run in the team, but the City faithful will hope that he won’t do too much damage to his former employers in 2024. Cian Kavanagh, who scored important goals against KuPS both home and away in the second round of the UECL also returned to St. Pat’s, where he spent time as a youth player. He’ll probably be second choice behind Ruairí Keating in Inchicore, especially after the sale of Tommy Lonergan to Fleetwood Town. Evan McLaughlin, who missed most of last season due to a health issue, signed for Cork City in the First Division. He did well at a brief loan spell at Coleraine last year and could be important in Cork’s proposed promotion push this term. Speaking of Coleraine, that’s where Jamie McGonigle returned to after two and a half years at Derry. He scored some huge goals for City and was electric in 2021 and the first half of 2022. After spotting that his squad number had changed to free up the number 9 shirt, speculation had begun that his future lay elsewhere. An undisclosed fee was agreed, again which I presume helped in signing Hoban. Jack Lemoignan joined Harland & Wolff Welders in the hunt for game time after impressing on loan at Ballinamallard, meanwhile Caoimhin Porter and Daithí McCallion joined Institute and Ballymena United on loans until June. Assistant manager Paddy McLaughlin left the club too, being replaced with former Derry City player, assistant manager and caretaker manager Paul Hegarty. Derry have recently been hit with a blow going into the season after it was confirmed that Sadou Diallo will miss around two months of action due to a meniscus injury sustained in a high tackle against Finn Harp in pre-season. 

 

Derry’s two signings in the off-season seemed to show the two different types of transfers these days. Firstly, once word got out that City were interested in signing Daniel Kelly from Dundalk, it seemed that the deal was wrapped up fairly smoothly and the player was announced on a two year contract in mid-November with little fuss. Kelly is an athletic and quick winger who can read the game well. At 27, he’s in the peak of his career and has worked with Ruaidhrí Higgins in the past. He’s won the Premier Division, FAI Cup and League Cup during his career and brings pedigree, experience and another option in wide areas. Derry’s other signing this window was quite the opposite of a quiet transfer. Despite being contracted to Dundalk for 2024, the club made it clear that record goal-scorer Pat Hoban was surplus to requirements and could leave the club. Then it was announced that Dundalk found new owners and investment who stated their desire to keep the forward. Talks with Derry were going well despite rumoured interest from Hoban’s hometown club Galway United, as well as Bohemians, St. Pat’s and more recently Shamrock Rovers. Talks were thought to have stalled, before Hoban was announced in the Brandywell a few days later. It was a saga that Fabrizio Romano would have wanted to get in on. Hoban is exactly what Derry need in order to mount a proper title charge though. The 32 year old was the Premier Division top scorer three times and won the Premier Division itself three times, alongside two FAI Cups and a League Cup. He also played in the Europa League group stages in 2020, as well as holding the record as Dundalk’s best ever goal scorer with 148 goals.

 

Both Kelly and Hoban have netted in pre-season and it seems that Derry are going into the league campaign in good form. Despite a 2-2 draw to Finn Harps in mid-January, and a 5-4 loss to Sligo Rovers shortly after, City are coming off the back of 2-0, 4-0 and 3-0 wins over Finn Harps, Glenavon and Institute. Behind closed-door friendlies against Glentoran and Dundalk wielded 5-0 and 3-0 wins also. Drogheda have had a good pre-season too, defeating Bohemians 3-1, rivals Dundalk 2-1 and Malahide United 4-2 to progress to the quarter-finals of the Leinster Senior Cup. Their most recent friendly ended in a 2-1 win against Bray Wanderers. Killian Cailloce scored in a 2-1 friendly defeat against St. Pat’s in January too.

 

It’s hard to predict which way games will go this early in the season but City will hope to get off on the right foot against Drogheda in the Brandywell on Friday. After Shamrock Rovers’, 3-1 win over St. Pat’s in last week’s President’s Cup, it seems that they will, once again, be the team to beat in 2024.

 

Pól O’Hare – 14 February 2024