CityView Vol-40 No-6 - Derry City vs Shamrock Rovers - Friday 19th April

DERRY CITY F.C. v SHAMROCK ROVERS F.C. LEAGUE OF IRELAND MEN’S PREMIER DIVISION FRIDAY 19th APRIL 2024 | 7.45pm Vol. 40 - No. 06

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Welcome to...

SHAMROCK ROVERS 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 this evening for the visit of last year’s Champions Shamrock Rovers.

Welcome also to Stephen Bradley, his staff, players and the supporters from Shamrock Rovers who made the journey up this evening.

A first visit this season for Rovers whose last trip here was back in September last year, which ended in a 1-1 draw after an 85th minute penalty was converted by Graham Burke.

It’s been a rocky start to 2024 for both teams. Shamrock Rovers filing to achieve a win in the first 4 games, but picking up 4 wins in 9 so far.

Derry City are also on 4 wins from 10 games and sit one point above Rovers in the league table going into tonight’s game. Rovers hav-

ing a game in hand due to a postponed Drogheda United game back in March.

City will hope that the league’s top scorer Pat Hoban will be available tonight again after missing the last two matches through injury. Rovers have their own hit-men in the form of Greene, Gaffney, Burke and Kenny to name a few.

The ground will no doubt be packed and the country is watching live on RTÉ2. So let’s give them a show! Enjoy the game!

TONIGHT’S MATCH OFFICIALS: Referee: PAUL MCLAUGHLIN

Assistant 1: Richard Storey |Assistant 2: Darren Carey Fourth Official: Alan Patchell

TONIGHT’S MATCH SPONSOR:

Skeoge Industrial Estate, Derry www.fasttechnologies.com | Phone: 028 7135 7740 PLEASE SUPPORT ALL OUR SPONSORS

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MESSAGE FROM THE MANAGER

I’d like to welcome Stephen Bradley and his players and staff to the Ryan McBride Brandywell tonight ahead of what has always been an eagerly anticipated game between these two clubs.

The fact that we’re again joined by ‘live’ RTE cameras would suggest that it’s a popular fixture in general terms, and it is certainly one that has seen some great battles in recent years.

It’s probably fair to say that honours have been pretty even over the past few seasons and just like in Tallaght earlier this year, this seems certain to be another tight affair.

month, we’ve picked ourselves up since then.

Conceding a late equaliser certainly hurt us that night, but it also shows how far we’ve come as a group that we left there bitterly disappointed with a draw.

I felt the point at Shelbourne, who were on a run of six straight wins, was a decent result and after a 4-1 win at home to Dundalk we then conceded a very late equaliser at Drogheda.

I’ve said many times before that Shamrock Rovers have set the benchmark for our league with four title wins in a row, and it is up to the rest of us to pick up the gauntlet.

Performance-wise I felt those last three games were much more like it and with key injuries now starting to clear up, we have plenty to look forward to.

To be fair, a look at the league table and the results this season so far would definitely suggest that the competition is heating up. Teams are now consistently taking points off each other and it’s going to be difficult for anyone to run away with it this year.

Obviously we’ve experienced a bit of a mixed bag ourselves so far this season, but following those back-to-back defeats last

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Tonight will be tough, we certainly know that, but while we will give our visitors maximum respect, we will go into the game looking for three points.

son and I fully understand that; however every one of you has a big role to play, especially on nights like this.

The atmosphere in the Brandywell can really lift the players and thinking back to some of those games against Shamrock Rovers over the past few seasons is a reminder of how valuable your role is.

There is a very long way to go this season and I know that we all want to see success at this football club.

Enjoy the game

Our squad is as good as any in this league and we know that we’re capable of beating anyone, so we’ll look to be positive from the very start.

Some supporters have been disappointed at times this sea-

Ruaidhrí Higgins, Manager

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DERRY CITY VS SHAMROCK ROVERS 1986 Derry finished their first season as a League of Ireland club on Sunday 11th May 1986 when Shamrock Rovers came to the Brandywell for what was billed as a Fan Appreciation Day with funds raised going to the Kebele 37 Charity for projects in Ethiopia. There was plenty going on in the way of entertainment pre match with the Colmcille Pipe Band, St. Mary’s Accordion Band from Buncrana, the West Bank Young Adult Centre’s Street Theatre, the Long Tower Folk Group, St. Columb’s TA Band and Carnhill High School Cheer Leaders all in attendance. Members of the 1964 Irish Cup winning side were introduced on the pitch pre kick off and members of the Wild Geese of Aghadowey parachuted in from 2,000 feet to deliver the match ball.

If that wasn’t enough at half time there was the Brandywell Mile Race around the grey-

By Francie McCauley hound track won by Dubliner Brendan Hilliard.

Played in front of a capacity crowd the game was an entertaining one with a touch of aggression and a degree of controversy.

The opening stages suggested Rovers, who had completed the double by winning the Premier Division title and the FAI Cup in the season just finished, were going to dominate proceedings and took the lead after ten minutes when Byrne drilled a crisp ground shot well wide of home keeper Eamon Quigley.

The atmosphere on the pitch changed when the visitors’ O’Connor suffered a serious leg injury and then, on thirtyfive minutes, City’s Owen Da Gama was sent off. Chasing a through ball Da Gama was pulled back by Neville and he responded by throwing the ball at the defender. Da Gama was red carded while the Dubliner escaped punishment.

Rovers failed to exploit having the extra man and the Candystripes crept back into the game. There was a sensational opening to the second half. Player manager Noel King and Barry Mc Creadie broke through the Hoops’ defence and a cross from Mc Creadie was crashed into the back of the net by Brazilian trialist Car-

los Da Silva for the equaliser.

Before the end of what was an encouraging performance from City O’Brien struck the post from twenty-five yards for Rovers and Jose Mokendi, with a gaping net before him misheaded a Carlos Da Silva cross.

The 24 page - just three pages of adverts - A4 size Souvenir Programme sold for £1.00.

Among other items three pages were devoted to the visitors, Sentinel reporter Jimmy Cadden penned ‘Reflections of a Season’, there was a page on ‘Big Fay Coyle’, a Derry City rap from Gerry Anderson, ‘Bits & Pieces’ from Foyleman, congratulations to St Joseph’s Youth Club u21 five a side champions, winners of the Best Action Shot photo competition and winners of the penalty kick competition at the Forest game.

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON! I was fortunate to start supporting Derry in the late 1950s when my father was able on occasions to lift me over the turnstile at the old South End side. I witnessed some great games and at times even better players. When I started to rack my brain memories of the past kept flowing back.

However it was hard to decide who I should select as being outstanding over the two periods I have been watching our beloved Candystripes.

After much “soul searching” I have picked 2 with the same surname who just happen to be related ! Fay & Liam Coyle have been firm favourites at the Brandywell despite playing at different times - father Fay on two occasions in the Irish League in 1951-53 and again in 1963-66 while son Liam wore the colours 3 times - 1988-90; 1993-95 & 1996 -2003. Both played for Col-

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Sean McGillan

eraine and were capped for N.Ireland. Fay played 4 times (once in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden against Argentina) while Liam had one game with Chile the opponents. However it is 2 Cup Finals in Belfast in 1964 and Dublin in 2002 that come to mind where the father & son had played brilliantly. City appeared in the 1964 Final at Windsor Park against Glentoran in front of 20,000 where in a game that City dominated, Fay as captain helped break the deadlock with his 87th minute pass to Joey Wilson who make no mistake in finding the back of the net. With less than a minute left the late Matt Doherty put the icing on the cake with goal No. 2 to send the ecstatic hordes from the North West home happy ! Fast forward to 1987 when son Liam signed for nearest neighbours Finn Harps in the League of

Ireland. He made his home debut for City a year later against Cobh Ramblers scoring a hat trick. He went on to be part of the Treble winning side and collect the Young Player of the Year award! He had to retire after a bad knee injury but came back to sign for Omagh Town, then Derry & Glentoran before returning to the Brandywell in 1996. He soldiered on and in the FAI Cup Final 2002 against tonight’s opponents Rovers, played at Tolka Park he scored an absolute stunning goal to win the Trophy. The breakthrough came in the 47th minute after Sean Friars sent his corner in only for Ciaran Martyn to screw his shot towards the bye line. The ball reached Liam who managed to swivel & connect with an absolute “belter” of a volley to the net for his first Cup Final goal in 5 outings !

Incidentally Fay scored 174 goals in 15 years while Liam hit the net 100 times in his 17 year career.

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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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Bohemian

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Shamrock Rvrs

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St. Pat’s Athletic

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Sligo Rovers

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Waterford

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Galway United

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Drogheda Utd

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Dundalk

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Last Round’s Results:

FRIDAY 12th APRIL Dundalk 0-0 St Pat’s Athletic Drogheda Utd 2-2 DERRY CITY Waterford 0-0 Galway Utd Shelbourne 1-2 Bohemians Shamrock Rvrs 3-0 Sligo Rvrs MONDAY 15th APRIL Bohemians 1-0 Dundalk

NEXT HOME GAME:

This Round’s Fixtures: FRIDAY 19th APRIL St Pat’s Athl v Waterford DERRY CITY v Shamrock Rvrs Bohemians v Drogheda Utd Galway United v Shelbourne Sligo Rovers v Dundalk

Derry City vs St Patrick’s Athletic Monday 22nd April, 7.45pm

DERRY CITY LADS WITH N.IRELAND U15S Derry City FC Academy players Emmett Morrison and Cole Smyth have been called up to the Northern Ireland U15 squad.

The group travelled to Paris during the week, where they will play two friendlies against France U15s at Clairefontaine, the French Football Federation’s national training centre.

The first match was scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, at 2pm (BST), followed by a second game earlier today.

We extend our best wishes to Emmett and Cole for the week ahead. It is another great experience that will help further their development.

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LAST WEEK’S GAME...

DROGHEDA UNITED 2 - 2 DERRY CITY: Another draw after leading for so long for Derry City last Friday night. A late goal conceded meant Drogheda earned themselves a point from the game.

DROGHEDA UNITED 2 - 2 DERRY CITY: It was a similar story to when Shamrock Rovers came here to the Brandywell back in March. Derry Concede first, then score two to take the lead, then fail to see the game out and concede a late, late goal for the game to finish 2-2.

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E IS FOR EXCESS

ADAM O’RIELLY

BAGGAGE...

Which team mate takes more stuff than they need to on an away trip or overnight?

Evan Ovendale! Goalkeepers in general are bad, but he’s worse!

F IS FOR FUTURE MANAGER...

Which team mate is the most likely to become a future football manager?

I’d say Mark Connolly. I think he’s even started his badges anyway.

A IS FOR ANGRY...

B IS FOR BOOTS...

Paul McMullan! For a Scotsman, he really doesn’t like being cold!

D IS FOR DESERT ISLAND...

Which team mate would be the most use to you on a desert island?

I’d say Ben Doherty. He seems to have a good head on him and be quite intellegent!

Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far?

I’d probably say my dad you know.

J IS FOR JOB...

If football hadn’t worked out, what other career might you have followed?

I’d probably attempt to be some sort of influencer or a streamer!

K IS FOR KIT MAN...

L IS FOR LADIES MAN...

Which team mate has the worst boots?

Hard to think. Don’t know if any of them are too bad, but I’ll say currently it’s probably Jordan McEneff!

Which team mate is always complaining about being cold?

I IS FOR INFLUENCE...

Which team mate has the most annoying or specific requests for the kit man?

Brian Maher! Again, goalkeepers in general have a lot of gear!

Which team mate has anger issues on the pitch?

I Can only think of myself to be honest!

C IS FOR COLD...

match?

Not sure! Don’t think anyone is that bad really!

Which team mate thinks they’re the biggest hit with the girls?

Ronan Boyce! I think he really enjoyed being a model for the new kit during the week!

G IS FOR GOALKEEPER...

Which outfield player would you choose to go in nets if the goalkeeper is sent off and all subs have been used?

I’d say Shane McEleney. He’s tall enough and has a good throw on him as well.

H IS FOR HAIR...

Which team mate is the most likely to get annoyed if their hair fell out of place during a

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M IS FOR MUSIC...

Which team mate has the worst taste in music?

Evan Ovendale!

N IS FOR NUMBER...

What was your first ever squad number, and do you have a preferred squad number?

32 was my first professional squad number when I was younger. I’ve always preferred number 8 though.

O IS FOR OPPOSITION...

Which opposition in the world would you love to play against that you’ve never had the chance?

I’d love to test myself against the likes of Man City to see how they work the ball around when you’re on the pitch with them.

Chasing it!

Q IS FOR QUICK...

Who’s the fastest player in the squad?

I’d fancy myself for that one you know!

R IS FOR RADIO/READ...

Which team mate hates to do interviews? And who always jumps at the chance?

I’m not sure if any of the boys hate it, all I know is McJannet loves an interview!!

S IS FOR SIGNING...

Do you remember the story of you signing for Derry City came about?

Yeah, I was at St Pats on loan from Preston and had a great season there and that’s how it came about really I spoke to the gaffer here and never looked back since.

Or can you show us something yourself?

Tadhg Ryan always gets a mention for his singing! I’d say him as well! He actually is good!

U IS FOR UNRIVALLED...

Outside of Derry City, who do you think is the best player in the league?

I think Chris Forrester for St Pat’s.

V IS FOR VOICE...

Which team mate is the worst singer? And who might have a chance on X Factor?

I’m up there for worst singer anyway! Paul McMullan would definitely fancy himself up there on the big stage though!

W IS FOR WISDOM...

Who is the most intelligent player in the squad?

From what I’ve seen I’d say Colm Whelan.

X IS FOR EXCLUSIVE...

Tell us something about yourself that no one knows!

I used to be a cross country runner growing up!

Y IS FOR YOUNG...

What is your earliest memory of going to a football match?

To a big game anyway, probably when I went to Stamford bridge with my dad and grandad to watch Chelsea and Everton!

Z IS FOR ZONE...

P IS FOR PHONE...

Which team mate is never off their phone or tablet?

Ciaran Coll!

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T IS FOR TALENT...

Which team mate has a hidden talent outside of football?

Do you have any pre-match superstitions or rituals to get you in the zone?

Yeah, I always have to have a Mars bar in the car or on the bus on the way to the stadium!

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TONIGHT’S SQUADS DERRY CITY F.C.

SHAMROCK ROVERS

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 - LEON PÖHLS 2 - JOSH HONOHAN 3 - SEÁN HOARE 4 - ROBERTO LOPES 5 - LEE GRACE 6 - DANIEL CLEARY 7 - DYLAN WATTS 8 - AARON MCENEFF 9 - AARON GREENE 10 - GRAHAM BURKE 11 - SEÁN KAVANAGH 14 - CIAN BARRETT 15 - DARRAGH NUGENT 16 - GARY O’NEILL 17 - RICHIE TOWELL 18 - TREVOR CLARKE 19 - MARKUS POOM 20 - RORY GAFFNEY 21 - DARRAGH BURNS 23 - NEIL FARRUGIA 24 - JOHNNY KENNY 25 - LEE STEACY 29 - JACK BYRNE 30 - THOMAS LEITIS 34 - CONAN NOONAN

Manager: RUAIDHRÍ HIGGINS

Manager: STEPHEN BRADLEY

Tonight’s Match Sponsors: Skeoge Industrial Estate, Derry www.fasttechnologies.com Phone: 028 7135 7740 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: Paul McMullan (12) + Ben Doherty (14) - Ciaran Harkin (4) = Jordan McEneff (22) SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: 1) Ciaran Coll has disappeared on the right; 2) Referee’s watch has disappeared; 3) Derry City crest has disappeared from shorts; 4) Referee is wearing long bottoms; 5) Sponsors have disappeared from Will Patching’s sleeve

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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 Up tonight to give us his views and opinions on all things Derry City is Christopher Wade. Christopher has been supporting the Candystripes since 1985 so there are many miles on the clock supporting Derry City!

Why? His ability with a football was just amazing and it’s unfortunate that injury restricted what surely would have been an amazing career at a higher level.

Out of all the goals he scored, the one against Harps in the play off final in December 2003 in a raucous Brandywell was special!!

Best opposition player you’ve seen play?

Apart from the majority of the Barcelona team that came to the Brandywell in 2003, I’d go for Stephen Geoghan.

Name: Christopher Wade How long have you been supporting Derry City?

I’ve been supporting them since back when I was a fresh faced 11 year old when they were admitted to the League of Ireland in 1985 Where do you sit in the Brandywell?

Usually in the Mark Farren Stand, but happy to get a ticket for any part of the ground these days!!

Best Player you’ve seen playing for the Candystripes?

There have been a few in fairness. Farren, McCourt, Healy, and more recently Maher (the keepers never seem to get a mention!) to name a few – but for me it has to be Liam Coyle

Why? Was a natural goal scorer and pivotal to the great Shelbourne teams of the mid 1990’s/early 2000’s. A natural goals corer and the scourge of Derry City on a number of occasions.

What’s the best ground, apart from the Brandywell, that you’ve seen Derry play in?

It has to be the Parc de Princes.

What goal sticks out in your mind?

Clive Delaney’s late equaliser in the 2006 FAI Cup Final to take the game into extra time!

Why? Probably the most unlikely scorer ever, but I just vividly remember him rising above everyone in the St Pats penalty box, in the final minutes of a chaotic Cup Final (caused by the gale force wind and driving rain) and heading the equaliser to take the game into extra time. To

be honest I thought the game was done when Pats went 2-1 ahead, but it was to be ultimately a happy ending for us in the last ever match at the old Lansdowne Road!

Name your best Derry City team (you can pick from any era) One to Eleven with Three subs Brian Maher, Eddie McCallion, Stuart Gauld, Eoin Toal, Sean Hargan, Felix Healy, Peter Hutton, Ciaran Martyn, Jobby Crossan, Liam Coyle, Jonathan Speak Subs: Pascal Vaudequin, Mark Farren, Dougie Wood Best manager you’ve seen at Derry City?

Got the privilege of meeting the legend that is Sir Alex Ferguson when he brought Manchester United over in 1989, but if I was to pick a Derry manager it would have to be the great Jim McLaughlin. The only manager to ever win the domestic treble and a feat unlikely to ever be matched again with the demise of the League Cup Favourite half time snack?

Hard to beat a bag of chips covered in loads of salt and vinegar!

What one thing would you introduce that you feel would improve the match day experience?

A scoreboard would be a good addition to any stadium upgrade that is planned to show highlights as well as for time keeping and possibly score flashes from other games in the league.

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GREG HALFORD: FOOTBALL AND AUTISM Greg Halford has appeared for 20 teams in his career and played in nearly every position on the pitch.

His boyhood obsession for the game led to him turning professional. But, in some ways, that was the easy bit; finding his place in football became the ultimate challenge.

He featured for Colchester United, Nottingham Forest, Wolves, Cardiff, England Under-20s, to name but a few.

During Halford’s 18-month stint with Rotherham between 2015 and 2017, his son was diagnosed as autistic.

Many autistic people see themselves not as disabled but differently wired, with different behavioural traits to the majority.

“My son was diagnosed when he was six years old,” says Halford.

“It got me thinking. I was exactly the same as him at that age, so I wanted to go and discover who I really was and that’s what I did.

“I always knew I was different. I just didn’t know how or why. But I’m glad this has happened and I can only say thank you to my son for that.”

It was at his next club - a Cardiff side chasing promotion from the Championship - that Halford shared his own autistic diagnosis with manager Neil Warnock and captain Sean Morrison.

“It was a relief,” Halford says. “I knew Neil would be fine with it and he wouldn’t treat me any differently and he didn’t. We had a relationship for two and a half years and that didn’t affect anything.

“When it came to Sean, the captain, I felt comfortable because we spent a lot of time together in and out of football and he was the type of person that I could trust if I wanted him to keep it to himself.

“It was nice that I was able to finally open up about something that was

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By Martin Holmes

so close to me and there wouldn’t be any consequences towards it.

“That’s ideally what I wanted in the first place. Even if I did know earlier in my career, I wouldn’t have told anyone.”

To his relief, Halford got his timing right. The 39-year-old has received widespread support since disclosing his neurotype and seems happier than ever.

Halford started his career at Colchester in the early 2000s, rising through the youth academy to help the first team get promoted to the Championship.

During a five-year spell close to his hometown of Chelmsford, Halford found the structure and routine autistic people love.

His Premier League break came at Reading, becoming their record signing in January 2007.

However, a first transfer was always going to be tricky.

“It was the first move to Reading where I’d finish training and I’d literally go home after that - I didn’t want to go into the cafeteria, I didn’t want to have lunch, I didn’t want to chat with people,” Halford remembers.

“Ultimately that was the reason I was sold from Reading because they told me that I didn’t fit in personality wise, which was tough.

But it was something that I learned from.”

Reading’s then director of football Nicky Hammond said at the time that Halford hadn’t made the impact he and the club would have liked and that “players do move on quite quickly if it’s felt that the fit isn’t quite right”.

“This is absolutely no reflection on Greg as a person or a player and he has been a very good professional during his short time with us,” Hammond added.

In a new statement, Reading said Halford joined at one of the most successful times in the club’s history and, as such, “not all of the players in the squad got as much game time as they would’ve wanted”.

Determined to improve his social skills at new club Sunderland, Halford pushed himself out of his comfort zone.

“I made a conscious effort to go into the cafeteria after training, try and sit down and have conversations with people,” he says.

“I had a bit of anxiety with it, but it built me as a person.

“I’ve always said any mistakes I make are what I want to do to grow as a person.”

Perhaps the biggest of those mistakes came in Halford’s first meeting with his new manager, Roy Keane. Halford was told by his agent to ask Keane which other players might be coming to the Stadium of Light during the trans-

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GREG HALFORD: FOOTBALL AND AUTISM continued... fer window.

Halford posed the question. Keane didn’t take kindly to it.

“I didn’t like the way he sat down,” Keane wrote of Halford in his 2014 autobiography. “He was crouched. I didn’t like him after that. I thought, ‘Not for me.’” After just nine games, Halford was heading to Charlton on loan.

At each new club, it was during away trips that he would invariably be faced with an initiation.

What would Greg be singing, his new team-mates would ponder.

“We’d be in a hotel, we would go down for dinner and that’s when it would happen,” he says.

“It wasn’t just the players and the staff that were there, it would be the staff of the hotel, who were serving us dinner and stuff.

“These were people that I knew even less, from outside of the football world, which made it difficult.

It was the anticipation; I’d get the shakes.

“Obviously the more times I paid the fine [instead of singing an initiation song], the easier it became. I didn’t want to be one of those people that just came into a new club and dismissed the traditions of being part of the changing room, but it was something that I felt I had to do.

“As for people’s reactions, nothing was really said to my face. Players were probably a bit more standoffish at the beginning.”

“Cardiff was the icing on the cake,” Halford says.

“Everyone from the chefs to the manager, to the players, to the fans - it had everything that you could ever want for a job, and obviously to top that off, we got promoted.”

It was while with the Bluebirds that Halford discovered he, like his son, had a different neurological oper-

ating system from most.

Despite the late diagnosis, Halford has no regrets looking back on his career.

He believes constant change, new environments and new people have made him as versatile off the pitch as he is on it.

“It was a chance for me to be able to grow and understand how people tick,” he says.

“Maybe the one thing that I may have changed would have been to become part of little cliques, so I would have been able to go and hang out with two or three people outside of the changing room walls and been able to discuss things a bit more in depth in terms of personal life and stuff like that.

“When it comes to the general atmosphere and the situations that football has put me in, I wouldn’t change anything.”

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

Firstly, the 4-1 home victory over Dundalk was our 600th home game in the premier division. In those 600 games we have won 282, drawn 170 and lost 148, scoring 889 goals and conceding 503, while keeping 269 clean sheets.

Our first home game in the premier division came in Sept 1987, when we played out a scoreless draw against Bray Wanderers.

For the record, our 4th goal was our 100th league and premier division goal against Dundalk.

The game was also our 50th home game against Dundalk. In those 50 games, we have won 15, drawn 12 and lost 23, scor-

By Brian Dunleavy ing 61 goals and conceding 65, while keeping 16 clean sheets.

Dundalk’s goal in that game was the 700th home goal that we have conceded and it was also the 1600th goal we have conceded in all competitions.

At home we have conceded 700 goals against 47 different sides, with Dundalk the highest scorers against us with 65 goals, followed by Cork City with 59 and St Patrick’s Athletic with 58, while Sligo, Shels and Bohs have all scored over 50 goals against us at home.

In all competitions, we have conceded 1600 goal against 57 different sides, with most goals against us coming from St Patrick’s Athletic 143, followed by Dundalk 140 and Cork City 138,

while Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, Bohemians and Shelbourne have all scored a century of goals against us.

Also in the Dundalk game, Michael Duffy made his 100th league appearance, becoming the 41st 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 weeks later by Paul Curran, and the following month by Felix Healy. The most recent player to reach this landmark was Ronan Boyce earlier this season, while Cameron McJannet and Ciaran Coll reached a century of league games last season.

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CANDYSTRIPES & HOOPS: PLAYED FOR BOTH Brandon Kavanagh: The off-season departure of Brandon Kavanagh to St. Patrick’s Athletic means that are no players in the current Derry City squad who once plied their trade for Shamrock Rovers. City signed the Dubliner, who came through the ranks at Bray Wanderers before signing for Bohemians in 2016, from Rovers prior to the 2022 season. After impressing back on loan at Bray in 2021 alongside Brian Maher, Ruaidhrí Higgins swooped to sign the then 21 year old on a three year contract. He made more than 70 appearances in red and white, scoring ten goals, before transferring to Pats ahead of the current campaign.

Aaron McEneff: Derry native Aaron McEneff began his footballing career at local clubs Don Boscos, Maiden City and Institute before signing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2013.

Tim Sherwood likened the midfielder to a “young Roy Keane”, but McEneff’s contract wasn’t renewed and he left the club in 2015. He then joined Derry City, becoming a key player for the Candystripes and making over 100 appearances before leaving for Shamrock Rovers prior to the 2019 season. After winning the EA Sports Cup with City, McEneff won an FAI Cup and league title with Rovers.

He joined Scottish side Hearts in 2021, and after more than a year playing for Perth Glory in Australia, the midfielder is back on loan at Rovers for the season. The 28 year old was included in the Republic of Ire-

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By Pól O’Hare

land senior squad for a Nations League game against Bulgaria back in 2020, whilst his younger brother Jordan is a current Derry player.

Daniel Lafferty: Another Derry man, Danny Lafferty joined Celtic in 2006 from Oxford United, also playing for Ayr United on loan. He signed for Derry City in 2010 after being released by Celtic and made 12 appearances as the Candystripes won the First Division.

After a further 34 appearances in red and white, Championship side Burnley snapped up the left-back for £150,000 and gave him the number 3 shirt.

He made 40 appearances for the Clarets, also playing for Rotherham United, Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United on loan. Sheffield signed him permanently in 2017 and loaned him to Peterborough United in 2019. He returned to Ireland that summer, signing for Shamrock Rovers. Lafferty won the FAI Cup that November, and the

Premier Division title in 2020.

Declan Devine brought him back to Derry ahead of the 2021 season, and Lafferty left for Sligo Rovers in 2023 after winning the FAI Cup with his hometown club. Aged 34, the former Northern Ireland international lines out for Institute as they push for promotion back to the Irish League Premiership. Éamon Zayed: Although he only played for both City and Rovers for one season each, Éamon Zayed is remembered fondly, particularly by Derry fans. Born in Dublin, Zayed played youth football for Leicester City before signing for Bray Wanderers in 2002. Despite spending the 2004 and 2005 seasons on loan, he scored an impressive 54 goals in 105 games for Bray.

He joined Drogheda United in 2006, scoring 47 times in 71 outings, and was key to their 2007 Premier Division winning squad. After a spell at Sporting Fingal, Zayed joined Derry

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CANDYSTRIPES & HOOPS: PLAYED FOR BOTH continued...

City in 2011, scoring 22 times in 36 appearances. He also won the PFAI Players’ Player of the Year award that season. He left Derry for Iranian side Persepolis in 2012, scoring a hat-trick on his debut in the Tehran Derby to earn legendary status as his side overturned a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. He scored another hat-trick a month later, against Al-Shabab in the AFC Champions League. Zayed returned to Ireland with Shamrock Rovers in 2013, scoring 4 goals before being loaned to Sligo Rovers.

After a year in Malaysia, Zayed had a spell playing in the NASL and USL in America before retiring. He made 8 appearances for the Libyan national team and is now manager of NASL side Northern Colorado Hailstorm.

local football in Dublin, Madden was signed by Leeds United from Shelbourne’s academy.

He made one appearance for Leeds before signing for Shamrock Rovers in 2008. Madden spent a year with Darlington after leaving Rovers in 2009, but left after his new club was relegated from League Two. He made 51 appearances for Dundalk upon his return from England before signing for Derry City in 2012. In two seasons with the Candystripes, Madden won the 2012 FAI Cup and was named in the RTÉ Team of the Year in 2013. He signed for Rovers again in 2014, playing 130 games and winning their Player of the Year award in 2016, before leaving for St. Pat’s in 2018.

He played 73 games for the Saints and retired in 2020.

2018. After making 13 appearances for Rovers, he signed for Derry in 2019 and played 39 times in two seasons. Gilchrist signed for Shelbourne in the First Division ahead of the 2021 season and is currently a free agent after suffering relegation with Cork City in 2023.

Honourable mentions: Patrick Kavanagh: Signed for Shamrock Rovers midway through the 2009 season after impressing for Bray Wanderers and won the Premier Division in 2010. He also lined out twice against Juventus in the Europa League. Kavanagh left Rovers in 2011 and signed for Derry in 2013 following a season at Shelbourne. He scored once in 16 games for City and helped Declan Devine’s men finish in the European spots.

Simon Madden: One of the best League of Ireland full backs in recent times, Simon Madden had successful spells for both Derry City and Shamrock Rovers. After playing

Ally Gilchrist: Edinburgh native who came through the St. Johnstone youth ranks. He played for Elgin City and Peterhead before signing for Shamrock Rovers in

Rob Cornwall: Spent time at both St. Pat’s and Shelbourne before signing for Shamrock Rovers in 2013, where he made 35 appearances. Rovers loaned Cornwall to Derry City in 2015, scoring once in 14 games before leaving for Bohemians in 2016. He left Bohs after 5 years to become the first signing for Éamon Zayed’s Northern Colorado Hailstorm in their inaugural season in the USL League One. He’s now back at Bohemians, but a nasty ACL injury earlier in the year will force him to miss the 2024 campaign.

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This week... Derry City fan... RYAN MCCALLION 1. Which player is top scorer this season so far in Spain’s LaLiga?

4.

2. Before Julián Álvarez (Argentina 2022) who was the last Man City player to bring a World Cup winners medal back to the Etihad?

3. Seamus Coleman has been Everton captain now since 2019, but who was the captain before him?

4. Name the former Derby, West Ham and Man City player pictured on the right.

5. Former Manchester United player Darren Fletcher

5. ended his career at which club?

6. How many players from both of tonight’s teams once played for the opposition?

7. Who was the last Shamrock Rovers player to score a goal here at the Brandywell?

8. Former West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United, and Everton player Salomón Rondón represented which country internationally?

RYAN’S ANSWERS: 1) I’d have to guess at Vinicius Jnr?; 2) It was France in 2018, what French players do they have? Can’t think!

Mendy?!; 3) No idea. Phil Neville!; 4) Wanchope?; 5) Stoke City; 6) One?; 7) Rory Gaffney; 8) Don’t know. Costa Rica?

RYAN’S SCORE: 3 out of 8! Can you beat it?

ANSWERS: 1) Artem Dovbyk (Girona); 2) Benjamin Mendy​(France 2018) 3) Phil Jagielka (2013-19); 4) Paulo Wanchope; 5) Stoke City; 6) One (Aaron McEneff ); 7) Graham Burke (1-1 draw on 15/9/23); 8) Venezuela

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BE THE CHALLENGER! CONTACT ANDREW@DERRYCITYFC.NET

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