CityView Vol-40 No-4 - Derry City vs Galway United - Friday 29th March

DERRY CITY F.C. v GALWAY UNITED F.C. LEAGUE OF IRELAND MEN’S PREMIER DIVISION FRIDAY 29th MARCH 2024 | 7.45pm Vol. 40 - No. 04

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Welcome to...

GALWAY UNITED F.C.

DERRY CITY FOOTBALL CLUB Formed:

1928

Ground:

Brandywell Stadium

Manager:

Ruaidhrí Higgins

Asst Manager:

Paul Hegarty

Coach:

Conor Loughrey

Fitness Coach:

Kevin McCreadie

GK Coach:

Michael Dougherty

Development:

Mark McChrystal

Perfor Analyst:

Seamus McCallion

Opp Analyst:

Gerard Boyle

Physio:

Michael Hegarty

Equipment:

Gerry Sheppard

Kit Man:

Gavin Doherty

Kit Man:

Philip Johnson

Doctor:

Dr. Noel Boyle

CITYVIEW is the Official Match Day Programme of Derry City FC. The views expressed are, however, not necessarily those of the Board Of Directors, or indeed the Programme Committee. Design and Layout by Andrew Cassidy. Photographs courtesy of Maiden City Images, Event Images unless otherwise stated. Cover image

by Ramsey Cardy. Printing by City Print, Springtown Industrial Estate. Please support all of our sponsors. For queries about CityView contact andrew@derrycityfc.net

HONOURS:

League of Ireland Premier Division: 1988–89, 1996–97 FAI Cup: 1988–89, 1994–95, 2002, 2006, 2012, 2022 League of Ireland Cup: 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2018 League of Ireland First Division: 1986–87, 2010 League of Ireland First Division Shield: 1985–86 Irish Football League: 1964–65 IFA Cup: 1948–49, 1953–54, 1963–64

Welcome back to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium!

And we’re welcoming Galway United back to Derry for the first time since July 2017!

Welcome back also to the Galway United management team of John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan as well as the officials, players and supporters from Galway who made the journey this evening.

It’ll be interesting to see if there will be any... ‘disagreements’ between Galway No.2 Ollie Horgan and Derry No.2 Paul Hegarty!

Back together again!

As I mentioned, the last competitive game between tonight’s sides was seven years ago! Galway came out on top that night in Eamon Deacy Park with Kevin Devaney and Stephen Folan scoring for Galway and Rory Patterson scoring for Derry in a match that finished 2-1.

Last game here at the Brandywell finished 2-1 to Derry though with Ronan Curtis on 5mins and

Nathan Boyle on 9mins making it look like it could be a whitewash on the night, but thanks to Gary Shanahan’s 24th minute goal ended the scoring on the night.

Galway’s last win here though was a 2-0 victory in May 2015.

Padraic Cunningham and Jake Keegan with the goals.

Let’s home we can get back to winning ways tonight after the disappointment at Bohemians and after the international break, and hopefully it’ll be a REALLY Good Friday by the time we get home!

TONIGHT’S MATCH OFFICIALS: Referee: DECLAN TOLAND

Assistant 1: Emmett Dynan |Assistant 2: Shane O’Brien Fourth Official: Mark Houlihan

TONIGHT’S MATCH SPONSOR: ADVANCED CARE SERVICES

26 The Diamond, Derry (028) 7125 3140

www.advancedcareni.com PLEASE SUPPORT ALL OUR SPONSORS

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MESSAGE FROM THE MANAGER

It’s a pleasure to welcome the management, players, staff and supporters of Galway United to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium ahead of tonight’s game.

John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan have been doing a superb job since they took over at the club, leading them to the First Division title last season and a return to the top flight for the first time in seven years.

It’s no surprise that they’ve started well too; back-to-back wins over Dundalk and Waterford already suggests they’ll come here well prepared for the game.

It’s something we’ve talked about a lot this season already- there are absolutely no ‘easy’ games in this league, especially given the quality of the promoted sides.

It’s something we have to be ready for as we look to extend our unbeaten home record over the past number of months.

Obviously we were bitterly disappointed to have gone into the recent International break on the back of a defeat at Bohemians.

We gave away a couple of poor goals and then let ourselves down a bit in the final third in a game that I felt we were dominant for large parts.

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It’s a learning curve for sure and the players have been working hard since, to give ourselves every chance to put that result behind us.

You’ll have noticed that we had a few players involved on the International front last week and it’s always nice for both players and the club to get that recognition.

Conor Barr and Daithí McCallion were both selected for the Northern Ireland Under-19 training camp in England, while Sean Patton and Luke O’Donnell were called up to the Republic’s Under-19 & Under-17 squads respectively.

Brian Maher was also invited to take part in the Ireland senior squad’s training sessions ahead of last week’s friendlies in Dublin.

We’re obviously delighted for all the players and hope they enjoyed the experience.

For now though it’s back to the business at hand as we prepare for a very busy few months domestically.

We have to be focused and ready to go come kick-off time tonight and hopefully with a few injuries starting to clear up, we can push on from here.

Thanks again for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the game.

Ruaidhrí Higgins, Manager

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DERRY CITY VS RATOATH HARPS 1986 The Candystripes began preparations for their second season in the League of Ireland with a pre-season game in County Meath on Sunday 20th July 1986 when they travelled to play Ratoath Harps. The occasion was to officially open a new ground at Ratoath Park.

The special guest was Jack Charlton, manager of the Irish international team. The game was sponsored by Burmah Oil in association with The Grasshopper Inn Clonee.

Manager Noel King had said during the week that this would not be a first team game, that he would be fielding a local eleven which would include some promising youngsters and that he wouldn’t like fans to travel expecting to see the first team.

On the day, the Candystripes’ opposition was composed of a League of Ireland Selection.

The opening half ended score-

By Francie McCauley less with players displaying a lot of rustiness. An ankle injury forced John Quigg out of the fray at half time.

The introduction of the Shamrock Rovers and Ireland midfielder Pat Byrne, as a guest player for Derry, provided City with a measure of control after the break and he opened the scoring with a twenty-fiveyard drive after fifty-nine minutes.

Ray Mc Guinness doubled Derry’s lead thirteen minutes later with a shot, again, from twenty-five yards. In the last-minute Robbie Cooke headed in a consolation for Ratoath.

The match programme which had a light green thin card cover was an impressive sixty-four pages for fifty pence. Unfortunately, forty-seven pages were made up of adverts but then again, good income for the club.

Among the many articles there was a Chairman’s Message, info on the development of football in Meath, Derry’s Soccer Tradition (alongside a Welcome Jim article about Jim Mc Laughlin’s arrival at the Brandywell as General Manager). There were photos of the new ground and various Ratoath teams plus a few pages dedicated to their history: Ratoath had been formed as an indoor five a side team in 1967 and a year

later entered the Third Division of the Dublin based Athletic Union League. Following the admission of Finn Harps to the League of Ireland in 1969 it was decided to add ‘Harps’ to their name!

At Easter 1972 they had played three matches in Kent, the cost per person, including full board was £10!! Marianne Faithful had turned up at one of the games!

With the growth of football in the county they then moved, in the early 80s, to the newly formed Meath and District League and had just won the Second Division title.

Team lists were on separate pages. References were made to Jack Charlton, Noel King and Navan native Frank Devlin who had played for Derry the previous season. The programme was finished off with a Quiz and a page of cartoons.

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THE VILLAIN OF VALENCIA Last summer I was browsing in the window of a second hand bookstore when I noticed an ad for a book signing that day in Portrush by Gerry Armstrong. So I quickly made my way along the coast road to catch him before he headed back to Belfast.

I wasn’t to be disappointed as I managed to have a chat with him about that famous June day in Valencia during the 1982 World Cup Finals when he scored the only goal for N. Ireland against the hosts Spain to put them out and qualify for the 2nd Round. The recording of this great upset was playing in the background as he sat and signed his autobiography entitled “ My story, my journey.”

He even gave me a commentary on the closing minutes as keeper Pat Jennings & Co “shut up shop.” Gerry was born in West Belfast in 1954 and played Gaelic football & hurling before embarking

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Sean McGillan

on a career in the eleven a side game. At 18 he signed for Bangor and after 3 years he moved across the Irish Sea to play for Tottenham Hotspur. He made 84 appearances for them before joining Watford, then in Division 2. In 1981 they were promoted with Gerry hitting their first goal in the old 1st Division.

After 76 games & his World Cup success he made the move to Spanish side, Real Mallorca where he scored 13 goals in 55 outings. In 1985 he returned to England on a free transfer with him signing for West Bromwich. His other clubs included Chesterfield, Brighton, Millwall, Crawley, Glenavon, Bromley, Worthing & non league side Whitehawk. He was capped 63 times for N. Ireland from 1977-1986 and he acted as Assistant Manager for them

for 2 spells. His coaching career was combined with his role as a Sport’s journalist particularly with his knowledge of the Spanish game. He now works for Virgin Media. Gerry, coming up on 70 this May is a very affable guy and in his football journey he recalls loads of stories including leaving his work here where he was on £24 per week in the Housing Executive to get £65 with Spurs; being told he was going to be playing up front with George Best on his own international debut; scoring against Barcelona who fielded Diego Maradona who looked “ sensational” in the first ten minutes on board;going to Elton John’s house for a pre season party.

His book with 23 chapters is definitely a good read which I can highly recommend to our City View followers.

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OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF THE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S LEAGUES

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NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE

2024 LEAGUE TABLE: Pld Pts Shelbourne

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DERRY CITY

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Sligo Rovers

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Waterford

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Galway United

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Bohemians

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Shamrock Rvrs

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St. Pat’s Athletic

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Drogheda Utd

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Dundalk

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Last Round’s Results:

This Round’s Fixtures:

FRIDAY 15th MARCH St Pat’s Athletic 1-2 Shelbourne Bohemian 2-1 DERRY CITY Dundalk 0-0 Waterford Galway Utd 0-1 Shamrock Rvrs SATURDAY 16th MARCH Sligo Rovers 3-1 Drogheda Utd

NEXT HOME GAME:

FRIDAY 29th MARCH Shelbourne v Dundalk DERRY CITY v Galway Utd Shamrock Rovers v Bohemian Drogheda Utd v St Pat’s Athletic Waterford v Sligo Rovers

Derry City vs Dundalk Friday 5th April, 7.45pm

SPONSOR FOCUS: ADVANCED COMMUNITY CARE Advanced Community Care have been providing care in the community since 2007 and have been offering a BESPOKE care service to people in Derry since 2018.

Chief executive Niall Smyth has been an avid Derry City supporter since the 60s and has been lucky enough to avail of the opportunity to provide some sponsorship to the club in recent years.

In previous seasons Advanced have sponsored Jack Malone (20/21)and then Ruaidhri Higgins (21/22) and Advanced were also proud sponsors for the team travel to the 2022 cup final.

Last season saw Advanced become a match day sponsor for the first time sponsoring the game v Shelbourne in the Brandywell last

June. Hopefully this will be the start of increased sponsorship and the start of a mutually beneficial relationship.

Advanced care provide care to people in their own houses using a bespoke (person centred) approach to care at home. Unlike traditional care companies Advanced do not offer 15-30 minute calls. Advanced will complete all the tasks associated with traditional care such as personal care, assistance with dressing, preparing meals and giving medication but they prefer to do that in a non rushed manner while also trying to accommodate the persons social needs.

So alongside the health care part of the call Advanced also provide

services such as taking service users out to a local coffee shop, out shopping, attending cinema or church and we even accompany service users to the Brandywell on a Friday night.

The idea of the service is to build a relationship were the care worker gets to know the client/ service user really well and builds up a real connection. Advanced provide services from 3 hours to 24/7 care.

Care can be provided during the day and also night duties can also be provided if required.

For further details of services provided please contact by phone on 71253140 or by email at derry@advancedcareni.com

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LAST TWO GAMES...

DERRY CITY 2 - 1 DROGHEDA UNITED: Derry got off to a winning start on the first night of the season. An opening goal from Ronan Boyce was cancelled out by Evan Weir’s free kick before Pat Hoban sealed the win with a dream debut goal for the Candystripes.

SLIGO ROVERS 0 - 0 DERRY CITY: It wasn’t a classic at the Showgrounds last Saturday night as both teams cancelled each other out and no one making any real attempts on goal that could be classed as a good chance. But a point at a ground were we got nothing last season is still a good improvement.

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C IS FOR CHILDHOOD...

Who were your favourite team as a boy and what got you into them?

EVAN OVENDALE

Liverpool were always my favourite team and my step father was the reason I began to support them.

I IS FOR IDOL...

Which footballer did you idolise as a boy?

As a young keeper I idolised Petr Cech when he was at Chelsea!

D IS FOR DRESS SENSE...

Which Derry City team mate has the worst fashion sense?

I’d say worst dress sense would be Tiernan McGinty!

E IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT...

A IS FOR ANNOYING...

Which team mate would you hate to sit beside on the bus all the way to Cork and why?

I don’t know! I haven’t been here long enough to know who the most annoying is!

B IS FOR BOX...

What is your favourite TV show? Either at the minute or of all time.

I’ve watched a few shows, but I’d say my favourite of all time would be Walking Dead.

What CD and DVD would you play on the bus to Dublin if it was your choice?

For the DVD I would choose The Hangover Part 1, and for the CD I would pick Sunny Side Up by Paulo Nuitini.

F IS FOR FUNNY...

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen happen in your time in football?

The funniest thing I’ve seen in football would be when a player put Siracha hot sauce in another players’ cup of tea! I’ll not say who!

G IS FOR GOAL...

What’s been the best goal you’ve ever scored?

As a goalkeeper I don’t recall many goals so won’t be able to answer that one!!

H IS FOR HOLIDAY...

What is your favourite holiday destination? Or where would you like to go no expense spared?

My favourite holiday destination would be Zante in Greece

J IS FOR JOKER...

Who is the biggest practical joker in the team?

Funniest player in the team for me would be Ciaran Coll!

K IS FOR KIT...

What has been your favourite football kit that you’ve ever played in or owned?

Honestly my favourite kit I’ve played in would be the current grey goalkeeper kit for Derry.

L IS FOR LIFE AFTER PLAYING...

Do you see yourself staying in football when your playing career is over?

Life after football I’d like to look at other career paths away from football just haven’t thought to much into it as of yet!

M IS FOR MEMENTO...

What is the one football memento you own that you’ll never give away?

The memento I’ll never give

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away would be my player pass for Wembley while I was at Newport. I was 16 and hadn’t experienced anything as big as Wembley before.

N IS FOR NEXT BIG THING...

Which Derry City player do you think could be the next to make a move overseas?

Personally I think Brian Maher as he is a very good goalkeeper and playing very well this season.

I would say is Paul McMullen.

T IS FOR TEAM MATES...

Who is the best player you’ve ever played with?

Best player I’ve played with would have to be Joe Ledley when I was at Newport. We played in a reserve game together and being from Wales I always seen him as a hero from watching him in the 2016 Euros!

Q IS FOR QUIZ...

Which Derry City team mate would you definitely not want in your team if you were to do a quiz?

Tiernan McGinty!

S IS FOR SKILLS...

Who has the best skills in the team?

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How do you keep yourself entertained during away trips or overnights?

On away trips I like to listen to music and watch TV series while I can.

U IS FOR UNPARALLELED...

Who is the best player you’ve ever played against?

Best player I played against would be Dane Scarlett. I played against him in the FA Youth Cup and he was very hard to play against.

Y IS FOR YOUTH...

Where did you start your youth career, and did you always play in the same position?

I started my youth career at Newport when I was 14/15 and, yeah, I’ve always been a gk.

R IS FOR RESULT...

Which result meant the most to you in your career?

At this point the result that meant the most to me was beating Torquay in the FA youth Cup as it meant we progressed to play Tottenham away.

THE TIME...

If you could change places with someone in another sport for a day, who would it be?

I would change places with Tiger Woods for the day just to see what it’s like to be good at golf!

Which opposition do you look forward to playing the most either this year or every year?

Shamrock Rovers as it is a massive game for both clubs and they are entertaining to watch.

Outside of football, do you have any hobbies in your spare time?

In my spare time I like to play pool and golf when I have time to.

W IS FOR WHILE AWAY

X IS FOR EXCHANGE...

O IS FOR OPPOSITION...

P IS FOR PASSTIME...

Currently I drive a Citroen C1 and if I was in the Premiership I would like to drive a Range Rover.

Z IS FOR ZERO CHANCE...

V IS FOR VEHICLE...

What car do you drive now, and what would you drive if you were in the Premiership?

What club would there be no chance of you ever playing for or supporting?

As I Liverpool fan I wouldn’t want to play for Man United!

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TONIGHT’S SQUADS DERRY CITY F.C.

GALWAY UNITED F.C.

1 - BRIAN MAHER 2 - RONAN BOYCE 3 - CIARÁN COLL 4 - CIARON HARKIN 6 - MARK CONNOLLY 7 - MICHAEL DUFFY 8 - WILL PATCHING 9 - PATRICK HOBAN 10 - PATRICK MCELENEY 11 - COLM WHELAN 12 - PAUL MCMULLAN 14 - BEN DOHERTY 15 - SADOU DIALLO 16 - SHANE MCELENEY 17 - CAMERON MCJANNET 21 - DANNY MULLEN 22 - JORDAN MCENEFF 23 - CAMERON DUMMIGAN 24 - SAM TODD 26 - TADHG RYAN 27 - DANIEL KELLY 28 - ADAM O’REILLY 30 - EVAN OVENDALE 31 - TIERNAN MCGINTY 32 - SEAN PATTON 39 - CONOR BARR 40 - CALUM MCCAY

1 - BRENDAN CLARKE 2 - CONOR O’KEEFFE 3 - REGAN DONELON 4 - ROB SLEVIN 5 - KILLIAN BROUDER 6 - MAURICE NUGENT 7 - STEPHEN WALSH 8 - AOBH DERVIN 9 - WASSIM AOUACHRIA 10 - DAVID HURLEY 11 - KARL O’SULLIVAN 12 - LEO GAXHA 15 - PATRICK HICKEY 16 - JOE WRIGHT 17 - VINCENT BORDEN 19 - FRANCELY LOMBOTO 20 - TOM COSTELLO 21 - COLM HORGAN 22 - CONOR MCCORMACK 24 - ED MCCARTHY 26 - GARRY BUCKLEY 30 - AL-AMIN KAZEEM 32 - AARON CURTIS 33 - JEANNOT ESUA

Manager: RUAIDHRÍ HIGGINS

Manager: JOHN CAULFIELD

Tonight’s Match Sponsors:

ADVANCED CARE SERVICES

26 The Diamond, Derry (028) 7125 3140 | www.advancedcareni.com 21

FIRST FOR SPORT IN THE NORTH-WEST bbc.co.uk/radiofoyle 22

CITY CUBS CORNER Send us in your photos and drawings to citycubs@derrycityfc.net and we’ll get them printed on the City Cubs page in the programme!!

SHIRT NUMBER MATHS CHALLENGE

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Can you do the maths with the shirt numbers to find out the name of the hidden Derry City player?

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Can you spot the FIVE differences between the two photos?

ANSWERS: SHIRT NUMBER MATHS: Jordan McEneff (22) + Michael Duffy (7) - Ronan Boyce (2) = Daniel Kelly (27) SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: 1) Bohemians goalkeeper has been replaced with Sam Todd; 2) Hand on left has disappeared; 3) Derry City crest has disappeared; 4) O’Neill’s logo has disappeared on Bohemians shirt; 5) Mark Connolly has grown an extra finger

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Home & Away Live Match Commentary From our Match Night Live team on 105.3fm and online at www.drive105.co.uk

Drive105mnl 28

FANZONE: MEET THE FANS Tonight’s entrant into the Fanzone Arena is Derry City supporter of 24 years, Gareth Scott, pictured below in the centre of this photograph with his sister Fiona and her husband and one time Derry City Team Coach driver Nigel.

Gareth has been following the City faithfully for 24 years and it’s good to get his views here in Fanzone, to hopefully stimulate some discussion about his choices!

for the Candystripes?

That’s like being asked who’s you favourite sibling! If it’s based on talent and career after DCFC it has to be James McClean.

Mark Farren runs very close!

Why? James wears his heart on his sleeve, puts in a shift in every match, turned defenders inside out on the left wing. Nobody came close. Still doing it for Wrexham. As for Mark Farren? A goal scoring legend, no explanation needed!

Best opposition player you’ve seen play?

So many to choose from! In the LOI it has to be Sean Gannon.

Name: Gareth Scott How long have you been supporting Derry City?

I’ve been going to matches since 2000. The play off final against Finn Harps at the Brandywell in 2003 made my mind up to get a season ticket - that match had everything - fouls, penalty, Noel King getting sent off, pitch invasion from everyone... everything except for a streaker!!

Where do you sit in the Brandywell?

Southend Stand. Block F - Best seats in the house!

Best Player you’ve seen playing

Why? He has a trophy cabinet at home second to none and pretty much done everything at domestic level. Good sense of humour when he comes to the Brandywell too. He can take a bit of jibbing from the Candystripe’s faithful lol What’s the best ground, apart from the Brandywell, that you’ve seen Derry play in?

The Aviva, usually because of the occasion of being lucky enough to attend 3 finals over the years. Domestically? I always get a laugh going to Finn Park but probably best environment and reception would be Sligo Rovers.

What goal sticks out in your mind?

Fat’s goal from the centre circle when he chipped the keeper it

felt like that goal was going into the net for about 10 seconds lol!

Why? The audacity and confidence of Patrick to try a shot like that - always good when they pay off!

Name your best Derry City team (you can pick from any era) One to Eleven with Three subs GK - Gerard Doherty (Sub GK - Brian Maher) Right Back - Eddie McCallion Centre Back - Peter Hutton Centre Back - Ryan McBride Left Back - Ben Doherty Def Midfield - Barry Molloy Att Midfield - Michael Duffy (Sub - Patrick McEleney) Left Wing - James McClean (Sub - Paddy McCourt) Right Wing - Paul McMullan Striker - Mark Farren Striker - Liam Coyle Best manager you’ve seen at Derry City?

Stephen Kenny, probably because of his achievements with the club and beyond.

Favourite half time snack?

Sausage Supper, Chips and a bottle of regular coke. Kelly’s know my order now, I don’t even have to tell them when I rock up to the chip van lol What one thing would you introduce that you feel would improve the match day experience?

Please, please, please turn the pre-match music down a bit, and can it be updated from Macklemore? He hasn’t had a hit since 2013 lol

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AWAY DAYS: SHELBOURNE (MONDAY 1ST APRIL)

By Joseph & Leo McGeehan

Ground: Shelbourne FC, Tolka Park, Richmond Road, Dublin 3 Directions: Follow the M1 Southbound past Dublin Airport, the road then becomes the N1 at Santry. Keep following the N1 towards Dublin City Centre. This becomes the Drumcondra Road at the Whitehall Junction. Continue straight on, passing the Skylon Hotel on your right. You will pass through a few sets of pedestrian lights before you see the Millmount House pub on your right-hand side. Turn left at the set of lights opposite the pub and you will come onto the Richmond Road. Tolka Park is located a little way down the road on the right-hand side.

Parking: There is no parking for visiting supporters at the ground itself, but there is plenty of street parking available in the surrounding area. However, the club requests supporters not to park in Grace Park Gardens or Grace Park Avenue Visiting Fans: The away fans in Tolka Park are given the entire Ballybough end as their allocation. This is roughly around 1,500 terraced spaces. It offers a good view of the pitch but is open to the elements. On both our trips to Tolka Park last season it rained heavily, and the Derry fans got soaked on both occasions.

Ticket Prices: Shels away tickets must be bought in advance - Ticket prices are as follows: Adults: €15 Students & OAP’s: €10

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Kids Under 12: €7 Programmes: The programme is now in electronic format only and is free.

Programmes are available to download from the Shelbourne website.

Food/Drink: There is a hot food stand specifically for away fans, located just beside the Ballybough End stand as you come in the gate.

At the top of the Richmond Road, and on the right-hand side there is an Abrakebabra. Apart from that there isn’t too much else within the immediate vicinity. Just over the river, opposite Fagan’s pub there is an Indian restaurant called “The Mint Leaf”.

Fagan’s itself also does a wide range of carvery dinners.

Bars: There is a bar under the Main Stand, but this is for home supporters only. Around 5-10 minutes to the West along Richmond Road and then onto the Drumcondra Road and you will find a good selection of pubs, including Kennedy’s and the Ivy House.

There are also plenty of eating places and convenience stores around this area and Drumcondra

Railway Station.

A Shels fan told me; ‘Anyone coming from the Clontarf / Fairview direction could go Brú House, which is just over a kilometre from Tolka Park and close to the Clontarf Road DART station. Brú House is run by the Brú brewery but has a good selection of beers from other Irish microbreweries and does food.’

History: Tolka Park is the home of Shelbourne FC. It is located on the Richmond Road in Drumcondra, on the northern bank of the Tolka River. The ground was previously fully seated and previously had the capacity to hold 9,680 people but that has now been reduced to a “safe capacity” of 4,300 due to the Ballybough End being reopened as a terrace for away fans.

Located in the Drumcondra District in the northern suburbs of Dublin, not far from Croke Park GAA Stadium the ground finds itself hemmed in by the river Tolka and the residential streets of Richmond Road and Grace Park Road. Approaching the ground from the bustling shopping street of Drumcondra Road Lower the stadium emerges from behind a row of Victorian terrace houses and low-level flats to the right

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AWAY DAYS: SHELBOURNE continued... side of Richmond Road. Here, opposite the playing field and Drumcondra FC changing room hut we find the Main Stand, with its whitewashed stone walls and red barrel roof boldly displaying Shelbourne’s club colours.

Tolka Park opened in 1953 and was originally home to Drumcondra. The first floodlit game was held on the 30th of March 1953. However, in 1972 Drums merged with Home Farm but failed to attract large crowds and Tolka fell into disrepair. That was until Shelbourne acquired Home Farm’s lease in 1989 and made the ground their home.

Positive Features: Tolka Park is another ground where we enjoy a surprisingly good record. In September 1986, we beat Home Farm 5-3 in a clas-

sic game with an Alexander Krstic hat-trick. We also brought a huge crowd down in March 1988 for an FAI Cup Quarter-Final against Hone Farm where we won 3-0.

The first ever LOI live televised game occurred in April 1997, when we drew 1-1 with Shels to effectively close in on the League Title with a few games to go; Gary Beckett scored our goal. Obviously, the 2002 cup final will be the outstanding highlight where we edged Shamrock Rovers 1-0 thanks to a Liam Coyle goal.

In recent years, we have continued our good form with a 1-0 win and a 1-1 draw last season, while in 2022 we won both games 1-0 & 1-0. In fact, our last defeat at the ground was back on 16th March 2012 when we lost 0-1 in a poor game.

With Shelbourne recently taking

back full ownership of Tolka Park, it will also be good to see the progression of Tolka Park’s redevelopment in becoming another excellent stadium in the capital to rival Tallaght and the planned redevelopment of Dalymount Park.

Negative Features: The car-parking; it can be difficult to find a place to park close to the ground. The away end creates a good atmosphere, but when it rains it can be horrible as it is uncovered. The toilets also flood quickly under heavy rain.

Ratings: Atmosphere: 7/10 Accessibility: 7/10 Parking: 2/10 Facilities: 6/10 Historical Record: 9/10 Overall: 7.5/10

RYAN MCBRIDE FOUNDATION This is a Night At The Races like you’ve never seen before!

The Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Patricia Logue, has named the Foyle Hospice and the Ryan McBride Foundation as her chosen Mayor’s Charities and is hosting an event at the Guildhall in aid of both brilliant causes.

You can still sponsor a horse, name a horse, or ride the horse yourself... (and yes, you read that right!)

As I say, this is a night at the races like never before!

Saturday 13th of April at the Guildhall, Tickets £10, available from the Mayor’s Office or any member of the Ryan McBride Foundation committee.

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RED HERO TO RED VILLAIN There was a dramatic FA Cup tie last week between Manchester United and Liverpool, two of football’s biggest rivals. A few players have played for both teams, but only nine players have made the direct switch from Liverpool to Manchester United, or from United in the opposite direction, in the history of both clubs.

Liverpool were formed in 1892, some 14 years after the formation of Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Football Club.

August 1912: Tom Chorlton Liverpool to Manchester United (no fee disclosed)

Feb 1954: Thomas McNulty Manchester United to Liverpool (£7,000)

Nov 1913: Jackie Sheldon Manchester United to Liverpool (no fee disclosed)

April 1964: Phil Chisnall Manchester United to Liverpool (£25,000)

September 1920: Tom Miller Liverpool to Manchester United (£2,000)

Since Phil Chisnall made the reverse journey up the East Lancs Road, no player has been transferred directly between these two bitter rivals.

Three other players have played for both of these English giants, Peter Beardsley (via Vancouver Whitecaps and Newcastle United), Paul Ince (via Inter Milan) and Michael Owen (via Real Madrid and Newcastle United).

In 2007, Liverpool made an offer to buy Gabriel Heinze from United but the offer was rejected with United making it known that if their Argentinian star left Old Trafford, then they would only allow him to sign for a foreign club. Clearly the rivalry between the two Lancashire neighbours was border-

May 1921: Fred Hopkin Manchester United to Liverpool (no fee disclosed) February 1929: Tommy Reid Liverpool to Manchester United (no fee disclosed) January 1938: Ted Savage Liverpool to Manchester United (no fee disclosed) Nov 1938: Allenby Chilton Liverpool to Manchester United (no fee disclosed)

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ing on a feud.

However, when Heinze decided to go public with his request to join Liverpool, quite understandably the United fans considered this nothing short of betrayal. Previously the United fans had proudly sang Argentina at home and away games in honour of Heinze, but when Heinze made it known he wanted to sign for Liverpool, then he was no longer welcome at Old Trafford in the eyes of the United fans. It was seen as the ultimate betrayal, and Heinze moved to Real Madrid on 23 August 2007.

One other notable name connected with bother clubs is Sir Matt Busby, the legendary manager of Manchester United from 1 October 1945 to 4 June 1969, and again for a second term from 29 December 1970 to 8 June 1971. Sir Matt was actually a Liverpool player from 1936-45 and declined an offer to join Liverpool’s management team in February 1945, opting instead to become the new manager of United!

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LANDMARKS: 100TH GAME FOR BOYCE In recent games of the season, we have seen a few milestones for both the club and some players.

Firstly, the 2-1 home victory over Waterford FC, Pat Hoban netted his first Derry City hat-trick. For the record, the opening goal, was our 1400th home goal in all competitions in our League of Ireland era. We have scored against 62 different sides in that time. We have scored most home goals against Finn Harps, with 100 goals, followed by Sligo Rovers 95 and Drogheda United 89.

In the Waterford game, Ronan Boyce made his 100th league appearance, becoming the 40th player to record a century of league games for the club in League of Ireland.

Jonathan Speak in Oct 1990, became the first player to reach 100 league games for the club, followed two

By Brian Dunleavy

weeks later by Paul Curran, and the following month by Felix Healy. The most recent player to reach this landmark was Cameron McJannet against Shamrock Rovers at Brandywell in April last season, with Ciaran Coll a month earlier against UCD at the Belfield Bowl.

The defeat to Bohemians at Dalymount Park, was the club’s 450th defeat in all competitions. The first side to beat us was Monaghan United in the league cup, in our first ever away game at Belgium Park in Sept 1985, going down 0-2. For the record, the first visiting side to win at Brandywell was UCD, who beat us 2-1 in the league cup in Oct 1985, with Denis Tueart getting his only Derry City goal.

We have suffered defeat by 42 different sides, with

most loses coming against Cork City, who have beaten us 48 times. We have lost 46 games to Shamrock Rovers and on 44 occasions to Dundalk.

For the record, it was the 50th time we lost 1-2 away from home, while Patrick McEleney made his 50th substitute appearance, becoming the ninth player to make 50 appearances from the bench and the first in six years. Darren McCaul was first to do so against Shamrock Rovers in Jan 2001, followed by Darren McCready in Nov 2002 at home to Bohemians and Gareth McGlynn in Nov 2006 away to St Patrick’s Athletic.

For the record, the other players to haver made 50 substitute appearances are Kevin Deery, Mark Farren, Ruaidhri Higgins, Ryan Curran and Nathan Boyle.

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This week... Derry City fan... MICHAEL DOHERTY 1. Timo Werner joined Spurs on loan this year, but who was the last German player to play for Spurs before him?

4.

2. Brian Kerr is back in the Irish National team setup, but what year did he become manager of Republic of Ireland?

3. At which club did former Liverpool player Vladimír Šmicer both start and end his playing career?

4. Name the former Nottingham Forrest player pictured on the right?

5. What was Galway United’s home ground called before

6. it was renamed Eamon Deacy Park?

6. Ashley Cole was named as the most recent Premier League Hall of Fame inductee, but which club did he make the most appearances for?

7. Who was the last player to leave Derry City and sign for Galway United?

8. Twelve Englishmen have scored 2023-24 UEFA Champions League Goals for teams outside England, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho, and who?

MICHAEL’S ANSWERS: 1) I can’t think! Pass!; 2) After the World Cup anyway... 2003?; 3) No Idea! Spartak Moscow; 4) Ex-Celtic man! Van Hooidonk?; 5) Terryland; 6) Arsenal; 7) Conor McCormack; 8) No idea! Pass!

MICHAEL’S SCORE: 4 out of 8! Can you beat it?

ANSWERS: 1) Lewis Holtby (2013/14); 2) 2003-2005; 3) Slavia Prague; 4) Pierre Van Hooijdonk; 5) Terryland Park; 6) Chelsea (229 games); 7) Conor McCormack(2000 / 2001); 8) Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Borussia Dortmund)

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BE THE CHALLENGER! CONTACT ANDREW@DERRYCITYFC.NET

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