Latest news with #Candystripes
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Belief is key to Derry City maintaining good away record against Bohemians, says Tiernan Lynch
The Candystripes are eight points behind the League leaders following last week's 2-1 loss at the Brandywell, but they still have a game in hand. Friday's encounter with Bohemians marks the halfway point of the season and is at a ground that has provided many magical memories for City fans over the years. Derry have won six and lost just one of their last nine visits, including two victories there last season, and Lynch is hoping his players can create even more special memories on Friday. 'That's got to be our mentality,' he said 'As I keep telling the players, we have to go into every game believing that we can win it. That's where we're at. "That doesn't mean it's going to be easy in any way, shape or form. There's no doubt that it's going to be extremely difficult going there, but it's a battle that we're well up for and hopefully we can get the win.' Meanwhile, Lynch doesn't believe there will be a repeat of the scenes at the Brandywell earlier this season when both he and Bohs manager Alan Reynolds were sent off. Lynch's home debut lasted barely 10 minutes back in February when referee Marc Lynch sent both bosses to the stand following a fracas on the sidelines. It was the first of two red cards the City boss has received in the first few months of his tenure, having also been dismissed at Galway United in April. 'It's just about the game on Friday night,' he insisted. 'What happened in the first game was that emotions got high and that happens in football. It's water under the bridge now as far as I'm concerned and it's a matter of moving on and Friday night is a different game. 'Hopefully we both stay in our technical areas and we both get through the game and there's no sending offs and it's an enjoyable game of football that, ideally, we can come out the right end of.' With City right in the mix near the top of the Premier Division and the summer transfer window approaching quickly, Lynch believes it adds to the excitement for the club's supporters. 'I know I can speak on behalf of all the staff when I say that we're loving every minute of it,' he said. 'It's no secret that we do want to strengthen and we do want to bring players into the team. 'That's also an exciting time, trying to find the right players now that are not only good enough to play for this football club, but have the character to play for this football club, which is also hugely important for us, so hopefully the future is bright.'
Belfast Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Derry City focused on imposing our own game to win titanic Shamrock Rovers tussle: Tiernan Lynch
First meets second in a highly-anticipated encounter between two teams who have battled head-to-head for honours in recent years, with Rovers always managing to stay one step ahead. The Candystripes have won just one of their previous 12 League games against Rovers and none of the last eight, taking just four points from 32 available. The timing of a long-overdue win against the Dublin side could not be more essential as they would close the gap on the League leaders to just two points having played a game fewer. The alternative, however, would see the Candystripes fall eight points behind Rovers if they are defeated. The implications of the result are widely varying, and Lynch knows the size of the task facing his players on Friday night. 'We always want to test ourselves to see how far away we are,' he said. 'Are there areas where we feel we need to get better at? Are there areas where we feel we're doing really well? You find that out against the top teams, and that's something we're really looking forward to. 'What's in front of us right now is a Shamrock Rovers team oozing with confidence who have a lot of players back. 'They will probably chop and change tomorrow night with a third game in a week, but we have to concentrate on what we have and what we can do and our success. 'They're a team blessed with goals at the moment, and our job is to see how we can nullify that and then worry about our own threat.' Rovers come to the Brandywell looking for a fifth successive League win and on the back of a dominant 4-0 win over title contenders St Patrick's Athletic on Monday. But Lynch, who has led his team to five wins in their previous seven games, insists his players' focus is on what they are capable of first and foremost. 'I don't think anyone needs me to tell them about Shamrock Rovers and how good a side they are,' he stated. 'On Monday night, they were very good, very clinical, very dominant. We know what we're getting. It's our job to try and stop it. 'We have to concentrate on ourselves. There's also a lot of talent in our team. Your Mickey Duffys and Gavin Whytes, Liam Boyces and Danny Mullens and Carl Winchesters, and I could keep going. 'That's the biggest thing we have to get our heads around – that you're not out to try and stop Rovers, you're out to try and impose our own game. 'They have threats like any other team in this League has, and that's no disrespect. They're a top team and we know how dangerous they can be. 'If you let them, they will hurt you, so there's two sides to this. What we do out of possession but also where we can feel we can hurt Rovers.'
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Derry escape Drogheda with a point after late stroke of luck
Derry City boss Tiernan Lynch had one of his substitutes to thank for the point his team took away from Sullivan & Lambe Park as Dom Thomas' first Candystripes goal earned them a late draw away to Drogheda United. The clock had just entered the 90th minute of play when Thomas struck a speculative effort from range that Drogheda goalkeeper Luke Dennison looked to have covered. However, a huge deflection off Ryan Brennan saw the ball divert course and trickle into the far corner of the net with Dennison stranded. Brennan was the late hero in United's last home game but the tables had turned here. Drogheda looked set fair to bounce back from last week's disappointing defeat at Tallaght Stadium with yet another victory over City in recent times. For much of this game, it looked like they could extend their winning sequence against these opponents to four games. Elicha Ahui was Player of the Match in November's FAI Cup final against Derry, shackling Michael Duffy so impressively that day. He had also previously scored a winner against Foylesiders, a little over two years ago. He was at it again here, heading in Owen Lambe's corner five minutes before the break. Shane Farrell, United's set piece specialist, was suspended but they didn't suffer, with the Californian providing quality from the dead ball. The visitors created nothing in the opening 75 minutes of play. Dennison was untroubled and the United defence, marshalled superbly by Conor Keeley, looked solid. Lynch brought on striker Danny Mullen for makeshift wing back Ciaron Harkin at half time but it was his substitutes later in the game that proved pivotal. Pat Hoban went close to a leveller but he struck his effort into the ground rather than true. He had scored plenty of goals against Drogheda over the years, mostly for Dundalk and recently for Derry. United should have had a second but on two occasions, Thomas Oluwa couldn't score. His first shot was wide, his second effort was a header saved by Brian Maher. Kevin Doherty had earlier in the day signed a new two-year contract to commit his future to the Louth club. His day will have been spoiled somewhat by the nature of Drogs' late concession however. Scottish midfielder Thomas – another substitute - picked a perfect time to notch his first goal for the Candystripes. When Thomas took aim late on, it took a huge deflection off Drogs captain Brennan and trickled in. Drogheda United: Luke Dennison; Elicha Ahui, Conor Keeley, James Bolger; Owen Lambe, Ryan Brennan, Luke Heeney, Conor Kane; Warren Davis (Bridel Bosakani, 88); Douglas James-Taylor (Scott Brady, 75), Thomas Oluwa.
Belfast Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
In-form Derry City full of belief we can pass tricky Drogheda test: Mark Connolly
Kevin Doherty's team have had the Candystripes' number since the 2024 season, especially in the FAI Cup Final at the Aviva Stadium in November which proved to be Ruaidhri Higgins' last game in charge. That Cup win has helped fire Drogheda to the top of the League for a lengthy spell already in the 2025 season, and they frustrated Derry further with a 3-1 win at the Brandywell in April. And while they may have lost top spot following defeat to Shamrock Rovers, Connolly knows that the Candystripes will have to be at their best to continue their own good form against a team that annually causes them problems. 'First and foremost, Drogheda are a good team, and they are up there at the top end of the table for a reason,' he acknowledged. 'We know it's not going to be an easy game, and we know going there, it's going to be very difficult, but the way we've been playing recently, we're a very, very solid unit now and we have got a lot of boys working extremely hard. 'We're going there full of confidence and, hopefully, we can go there and get a win.' Connolly believes that bruised egos could be the driving force which leads Derry to greater success in the 2025 season. The Candystripes have gone from bottom of the Premier Division earlier in the season to joint top after three successive victories, and they head towards the halfway point of the season in their best form. Connolly believes that the pain of that early-season form has evolved into a winning attitude which can only lead to greater things down the line. 'They all have egos, which you need to play at the top level,' he said. 'But they are all good people, and I've said it before, it doesn't matter if you're 17 years of age or 33 or 34; if you're not playing well, it hurts, and if you are dropped or taken out of the team, it hurts. 'But if we want to be winning anything and if we want Derry City to be successful, we all need to be pulling in the same direction. 'There's a lot of hurt there when you're not playing, but you need a reaction, and the club is far bigger than any player that walks through the door. 'There are numerous players who have been in and out of the team and they keep coming back and they keep working hard, and at the moment, they are certainly getting their rewards for it and long may it continue.'
The 42
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'I have that picture in my head' - Michael Duffy's dream of his son lifting the LOI trophy
MICHAEL DUFFY WILL tell you he is a worrier. A worrier with a positive outlook on life. His fiancée Emily will say the same. She slags him enough about it. The kids are a centre piece of concern. Eli is five – going on 15 – and Georgie is two. Not quite terrible but earning his stripes. 'Leave him down and turn your back, gone in a second,' Duffy says. The middle of the night is no different. There was a time, not so long ago but feeling increasingly like another lifetime, when Duffy would gladly spend his evenings playing Call of Duty or Fifa on the computer. No more. Now his worries kick in. 'What's that noise?' has become a catchphrase. Quickly followed by 'I'll check on the boys.' The TV is constantly paused. 'I'll be sitting staring at the monitor, when they were both younger I couldn't settle at night at all,' Duffy says. Advertisement Even the false alarms will ring true. 'The way they're on my mind, I could hear any little noise and think it's about them. I don't know what it is, just a bit of panic in me.' And when he and Emily are in bed and eventually do nod off there is no respite. Georgie will sleep through but Eli will always find comfort between his parents. The morning wellness checks that Duffy and his Derry teammates must now fill out when they arrive for training before 9am will ask about the quality of sleep, as well as a range of other personal issues that try and determine each player's state of mind and ability to train. Duffy is – still – Derry's hometown hero. Of the starting XI for the 2-1 win over Cork City last weekend he was the only Derry-born player in the side. Not that anyone has an issue with that given the Candystripes are on a run of five wins from their last six games that has them level on 26 points with Premier Division leaders Shamrock Rovers but off the top of the table on goal difference as they head to Drogheda United tonight. The one defeat in that run was away to Waterford, a loss that came at the end of a week in which they won away to Galway, then at home to Sligo a few days later before the trip to Munster. Tonight's fixture with Drogheda now has an added resonance after last season's FAI Cup final defeat to Kevin Doherty's side at Aviva Stadium, a result that was the catalyst for Ruaidhrí Higgins' departure as manager after also seeing their title challenge falter when it was in their own hands entering the final month. That's when the positive side of his personality came through. 'I knew it was going to be very different, on the pitch and off the pitch, but it was exciting. I just looked at it as it's exciting. And sort of using last year as an extra bit of drive, like how much it hurt at the end of last season. I think it's sort of kicked me on a bit. It's made me want to win even more, even though I don't feel like I needed that, but it's just maybe that wee bit extra. Because I think the way it ended was probably the toughest in my career to take. 'I don't give up and think 'we're not going to do it after last year'. It nearly gives you [more belief] . . . We're getting closer, and then all these changes. Maybe it's a good thing that it needed to happen.' Still, there were tears in the Duffy household, poor Eli now of an age when he understands what success and failure means. There is no escape from expectation and demand for Duffy. 'I love how positive he is about football now too, seeing him look at some of my goals on YouTube, seeing him smiling watching and then coming to me to ask about it, I think I can see how proud he is and that just makes me want to be even more successful for my kids and my family.' When Duffy drops him down to his father in law to be minded before heading to training talk will be of the match, who they're playing that week and what the celebration might be. But Eli also wants to win the league, especially after not being impressed by having to watch Shelbourne lift the trophy at the Ryan McBride Brandywell last November. 'That's how mad about Derry he is. He knows the craic with the league, he says it is the main thing he wants and is always talking about the trophy and getting to lift it. I have that picture of him doing it in my head too. It (the league) is what I want to win.' When Eli got to be mascot for a recent game he had only one demand: matching boots with his Daddy. Michael Duffy with his son Eli as mascot recently. Michael Duffy Michael Duffy They are both Arsenal, fans, too, and while he is Derry City by birth the Gunners won't be forced on him. 'Once he's not Manchester United I don't mind,' Duffy smiles. The way new boss Tiernan Lynch works also allows for family time to be planned each weekend. When fixtures are Friday to Friday – as they are for the games with Drogheda, Rovers and Bohemians before the mid-season break from 30 May – the Derry players train Monday to Thursday and then have Saturday and Sunday off to spend with their families. It's the first time Duffy has experience such leeway at weekends. By the time the new Premier League season kicks off on 16 August, father and son might even make it over to the Emirates. By that stage of the League of Ireland season – with no European football this season either – Duffy intends to be in the mix for his first league title with his local club. He will turn 31 on 28 July – sandwiched between games against Bohs and Rovers – and is feeling rejuvenated, especially after a leg break in 2022. 'This is the best I've felt since I was back, I'm in a good place.' That's reinforced every day at the Derry GAA centre of excellence in Owenbeg, where the Candystripes now call home after not having a permanent base previously. 'It's amazing, the pitches were like GAA ones at the start but for the last few weeks they've been brilliant, and the atmosphere and togetherness of all the lads is great. Fats (Patrick McEleney) is in with us coaching every day working on set-pieces with Andy Mitchell, they're loving it. 'The club's a lot more professional this year. I feel like we're probably a professional team at the minute, and I think it's starting to show in the last month or so.' The feelgood factor definitely is, and even on weeks like this with a tough trip to Drogheda family life is centred around football. 'I was with Eli down in the Brandywell for a wee match last night. He's a little leftie, he's come out of his shell and loves it now, he didn't want to be tackle at first but now he's dribbling around enjoying himself.' Wonder where he gets it from?
