Derry City F.C.

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Derry City F.C.
Derry City FC crest
Full name Derry City Football Club
Nickname(s) The Candystripes
Founded 1928
Ground Brandywell Stadium,
Derry, Northern Ireland
Capacity 8,200 (2,900 seats)
Chairman Hugh McDaid
Manager Pat Fenlon
League eircom Premier League
2006 2nd
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
　
Home colours
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
　
Away colours

Derry City F.C. is a Northern Irish football club based in the city of Derry. The club plays in the 12-teamed Premier Division (the top tier) of the Football League of Ireland (also known as the eircom League). It is the only club in the league from Northern Ireland as opposed to the Republic of Ireland. The club, founded in 1928, plays its home matches at the Brandywell Stadium. Derry's colours are red and white in a vertically striped pattern and the club has been given the nickname, the Candystripes, as a result. Other may refer to the club as the Red and White Army, or simply, City.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The early years and security concerns in the Irish League

Derry City formerly played in the Irish Football League which, since 1922, covers only Northern Ireland. In 1949, 1954 and 1964, Derry won the IFA Cup, beating Glentoran FC in the final each time, and in 1965, the Irish League title. Up until 1969 most teams' journey to the Brandywell would have been of little consequence. However, 1969 was the year in which the Civil Rights campaign against the province's government disintegrated into communal violence, ushering in 30 years of the 'Troubles'. As Northern Ireland slowly descended into near civil war in the late 1960s, football matches between certain nationalist and unionist teams began to echo the wider trouble of the time. City's ground, the Brandywell Stadium, was located in a staunchly republican area of nationalist Derry and the club was associated with the Catholic/nationalist community in the city. Even though the club, to this day, remains to have a reputation as a nationalist-supported club with support coming in the main from Derry's nationalist community, the club itself, at odds with certain other clubs in Northern Ireland, such as Linfield FC, has never employed a Catholics-only policy (or a Protestants-only policy in the case of clubs including Linfield) and has had both Protestants and Catholics sport the club's colours throughout its history.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s the areas surrounding the Brandywell saw some of the worst violence of the 'Troubles'. The Brandywell first fell prey to this in January 1969, when a Linfield FC away match was marred by crowd trouble. The months that followed this event saw the general political situation decline into full-scale civil disorder at locations across the province, including areas in the vicinity of the Brandywell Stadium. Because of this, numerous clubs were reluctant to play matches there and some of Derry's home games were moved. Linfield declared that they would no longer travel to the city for matches on security grounds, and for the next two seasons Derry were instead forced to play 'home' games against them at Linfield's Windsor Park stadium in a staunchly Protestant area of Belfast.

Despite the social and political turmoil of the day, on the field Derry still managed to make their way to the IFA Cup final in 1971, but were beaten 3-0 by Lisburn Distillery F.C. with Martin O'Neill scoring twice for the winners. However, events off the field took an even greater turn for the worse for Derry City in September 1971. With large chunks of the city a 'no go' area for the state security forces and an IRA bombing campaign focused on the city centre, a gang of youths unconnected to football hijacked the bus of a visiting team, Ballymena United from outside the Brandywell Stadium before a league game and burnt it. As a result, most other Irish League teams joined Linfield FC in refusing to play fixtures at the Brandywell and the police further ruled that it was unsafe for matches to take place there.

As a result, Derry City were forced to travel to the unionist safe-haven of Coleraine, which was over 30 miles away from home, in order to play their 'home' games. This situation lasted until October 1972 when, faced with dwindling crowds (most Derry fans were afraid to travel to Coleraine due to the political situation) and dire finances, the club formally requested permission to return to the Brandywell. Despite an assessment by the security forces which concluded that the Brandywell was no more dangerous than any other ground in the league and the resulting lifting of the imposed ban, City's proposal fell by a single vote at the hands of their fellow Irish League teams who remained unwilling to travel there. Devastated, Derry withdrew from senior football the following day. It was the last straw for the club, which decided that continuing in senior football without a ground was not sustainable, and resigned from the league, being effectively forced out.

The club lived on as a junior team, seeking re-admission to the Irish League on a number of occasions over the following 13 years. Each time, the club nominated the Brandywell Stadium as its chosen home-ground. Each time, the Irish League refused to re-admit them, despite significant improvements in the overall security situation over the years. Suspecting that refusal was at least in part motivated by political and sectarian motives, and believing they would never gain re-admission to the Irish League, Derry decided to turn their attentions elsewhere.

[edit] Entry into the League of Ireland and since

[edit] A phoenix from the ashes

With Derry's almost annual applications to re-join the Irish League being rejected season-after-season, the club applied to join the rejuvinated Football League of Ireland (the Republic of Ireland's football league) in 1985 with the Brandywell Stadium as their home ground. After a successful series of friendlies against Irish teams, Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk FC and St. Patrick's Athletic, Derry were accepted into the newly-formed First Division, on the provision that the Irish League did not object, and FIFA would sanction such a move. The IFA stated they would not stand in the way if FIFA gave the go ahead. Neither FIFA nor thier subordinate European organisation, UEFA, objected and gave the Derry club special permission to play in the League of Ireland.

Derry City joined the Republic's league, the Football League of Ireland, in the newly-created First Division in 1985, won promotion to the Premier Division in 1987, and have stayed in the top flight ever since. Derry City has never been relegated, either in Northern Ireland or the Republic. Derry's accession to the League of Ireland was greeted with great enthusiasm in the city and the club attracted huge crowds by local standards for several years. Buoyed by this support, the club won an historic treble in 1989 - the League Cup, the League Title and the FAI Cup - under manager, Jim McLaughlin. Since then, Derry City have won another League Title in 1997, and three FAI Cups in 1995, 2002 and 2006. In 1994 and 1997 they were runners-up in the FAI Cup. In the 1995, 2005 and 2006 seasons they finished a close second in the league. The FAI League Cup competition has also brought Derry much success - they won the trophy in 1991, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2005 and 2006, as well as in the 1989 treble-winning season.

Northern Ireland internationals to have played for the club include Liam Coyle, Jobby Crossan, Felix Healy, Paul Ramsey and most recently Patrick McCourt, who made his senior international debut against Spain.

[edit] On the brink of disaster

Despite the club's successes, Derry City's path has not always been a smooth one. In 2000, the club was in a crippled position from a financial perspective and on the verge of bankruptcy due to an unpaid tax bill. Derry-born politician John Hume, then a Member of the European Parliament for the local constituency, had to use his contacts and powers of persuasion to convince four former European Cup winners to come to the Brandywell and play friendly matches to raise funds through gate receipts and save the club from extinction. Celtic FC, Manchester United FC, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF all visited Derry with star-studded teams to help the club survive. The game against FC Barcelona is fondly remembered on the Brandywell terraces as the day that firm fan-favourite and skillful club legend, Liam Coyle left the Catalan club's Carles Puyol "on his arse" as he utilised his trickery to beat the defender. The money brought through the turnstiles helped to keep the club afloat, but just about.

Although the club has never been relegated, in 2003 it came dangerously close to being so from the League of Ireland Premier Division after finishing in 9th position and having to contest a two-legged relegation/promotion play-off with local Donegal rivals, Finn Harps, who had finished second in that season's First Division. However, Derry won the game 2-1 on aggregate after extra-time in the Brandywell and remained in the top-flight. The next season - 2004 - was not much of an improvement and Derry struggled with relegation once again. This poor display led to the sacking of Gavin Dykes, who was the manager at the time. Morale was at an all-time low after a couple of dire seasons.

[edit] The introduction of professional football

The appointment of Stephen Kenny as manager in 2004 and the introduction of full-time football by the club helped Derry City regain past form. In 2005, Kenny's first full season in charge, they finished in second position in the league. The league was lost on the last day in a game against Cork City FC at Turner's Cross, which had turned out to be the title-decider. Derry went into the game in the top spot and needing anything other than a defeat to secure the title but ended up losing the game, which meant that Cork by-passed them into first place. However, Derry's finish in second place allowed them to enter the preliminary rounds of the 2006 UEFA Cup. The staggering success of the club on this stage proved just how far Derry City had come. Derry City's FAI League Cup victory in 2005 also saw the club compete in the second ever cross-border Setanta Cup in 2006. The creation of this tournament in 2005 was greatly aided by the lessening of sectarian tensions on the island of Ireland due to the Northern Ireland peace process and for the first time since their withdrawal from the Irish League in the early 1970s, Derry City hosted competitive matches against Linfield and Glentoran - teams with largely unionist fanbases.

Despite the encouraging progress, on 10 November 2006 manager Stephen Kenny announced he would be leaving the club to join Scottish side Dunfermline Athletic F.C. at the end of the 2006 season in order to further his career. His success at Derry had raised eye-brows across the water, and especially in Scotland, after the club's 5-1 demolition of Gretna FC on Scottish soil in the Second Qualifying Round of the UEFA Cup. Early speculation linked Joe Kinnear to the soon-to-be-vacant managerial post at Derry City.[1] However, by the end of November 2006 Pat Fenlon emerged as the preferred target of the Derry board.[2] Kenny took up his position in Dunfermline on 18 November, which was the day after Derry City's last league game against Cork City FC at the Brandywell - a game which Derry won 1-0. However, Kenny's last game at the helm for Derry was when he returned from Dunfermline in an 'advisory role' to lead his red and white troops onto the hallowed turf of Lansdowne Road for battle against St. Patrick's Athletic in the FAI Cup final. The game was a positive send-off for Kenny after Derry came back from being a goal down on three separate occasions and clinched the game with a 4-3 scoreline after extra time. With the club having won the FAI League Cup earlier in the season (for the second year running), in just as exciting fashion (the game went to penalties after Derry had been reduced to 9 men), the claiming of the FAI Cup amounted to a cup double for the team. The cup-win could easily have concluded an historic second treble-winning season. However, Derry just missed out on this after having come second in the eircom League to Shelbourne FC on goal-difference prior to the FAI Cup final.

[edit] Recent developments

Since the FAI Cup final, it was announced that coach, Declan Devine, would also be on his way to Dunfermline Athletic to take up a coaching post under Kenny, while Kenny's assistant manager, Paul Hegarty, has been associated with the vacant managerial position left by Anthony Gorman at Finn Harps. Similarly, first-choice goalkeeper, David Forde, decided to move on from the Brandywell and signed with Cardiff City FC on a free transfer as he was out of contract.

Derry City were entered into the draw for the 2007 Setanta Cup (qualifying due to their successes in 2006) on 07 December 2006 and were drawn in a mouth-watering Group 1 with Drogheda United, Glentoran FC and Linfield FC.

After a period of much speculation and rumour, Pat Fenlon was appointed as manager of Derry City on 08 December 2006 for a three-year long contract to fill the void left by former boss, Stephen Kenny.[3]

[edit] Club colours, jerseys, crests, traditions and other appendages

Derry City's old crest.
Enlarge
Derry City's old crest.

When the club was first founded in 1928, it named itself 'Derry City Football Club' as opposed to using the official name of the city at the time - Londonderry - in its name. Nationalists generally referred to the city as 'Derry', while unionists often termed it 'Londonderry'.

Derry City wore black and amber jerseys for a short number of seasons after 1928. The club changed its official colours to that of the modern day in 1932. The current colours of the red and white striped jersey with black shorts are derived from an early connection with Sheffield United, who wear the identical pattern. Specifically, the colour-change should be attributed to Billy Gillespie. Billy Gillespie, a native of nearby Donegal, played for Sheffield United over a twenty-year period from 1913 until 1932, and scored over 137 league and cup goals in 492 games for the South Yorkshire side. He was the club's most capped player with 25 for Ireland. The man was held in such high regard in his home country that when he left United in 1932 to become manager of Derry City, the club changed their strip to red and white stripes in reverence to him and his time at the Blades.

Jerseys over the years, although in keeping with the red and white tradition, have varied considerably in the sense that certain seasons saw Derry wear thinner stripes while others saw blended stripes being worn by the players on the field. Derry have had their kits supplied by various manufacturers over the years, including Errea.

Commercial sponsorhip logos to appear on the belly of the shirt have included Northlands, Fruit of the Loom, Smithwick's and AssetCo.

While Derry's old crest depicts the Foyle Bridge over the River Foyle, the river which flows through Derry, Derry's current club crest was designed by a pupil at a local school in the city, St. Columb's College.

Teenage Kicks by the Undertones who hail from Derry is held as a club anthem by the fans and it receives frequent air-play over the club's PA system in the Brandywell.

Derry City has an official merchandise store at 1A, High Street, Derry.

[edit] Stadium

See Brandywell Stadium for further information.

The Brandywell; home ground of Derry City.
Enlarge
The Brandywell; home ground of Derry City.

Derry City's home ground is the Brandywell Stadium situated in the Brandywell area of Derry. It is more commonly referred to as simply, 'the Brandywell'. The stadium is also a local greyhound racing venue, with an elliptical running track encircling the football pitch. The legal owner of the stadium is the Derry City Council, which permits Derry City to make use of the grounds for training, matches and the running of its various other club affairs, such as administration and a retail outlet.

Because of Northern Ireland's extremely volatile political situation during the era of the 'Troubles' and past security fears for Protestants and those of the unionist tradition visiting the mainly nationalist city of Derry, the Brandywell has not always been the home ground of Derry City. In 1970 and 1971, Derry had to play their 'home' ties against Linfield FC at Windsor Park in Belfast - the home-ground of Linfield themselves. Similarly, from September 1971 until October 1972 Derry were forced to play all their 'home' games in the town of Coleraine, over 30 miles away, as police ruled the area surrounding the Brandywell was too unsafe for visitors from the other community. The Brandywell did not see senior football for another 13 years as the Irish Football League upheld a ban on the stadium and Derry decided to leave the league as a result. Only greyhound meetings and junior football were held at the venue during this period. Derry's admission to the League of Ireland in 1985 saw a much-welcomed return of senior games, however.

Due to health and safety regulations the stadium has a seating capacity of 2,900 for European competitions, although it can accommodate 7,700 on a normal matchday including those both standing and seated.[4][5] The Brandywell has undergone large scale redevelopment is recent years with the 'New Stand' being constructed in 1991 and the 'Jungle' being demolished in 2004. The 'Jungle' section was the home of Derry's noisier hardcore element of fans. Many of these fanatics now occupy the area of and surrounding Block J in the 'New Stand'. Furthermore, the stadium saw the construction of 400 extra seats in August 2006 in order to cope with the demand for Derry's UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round tie with Gretna FC. This development is set to continue with the building of the proposed Brandywell Complex. Plans for the complex include a 7,000 all-seater stadium (which will be expandable), new playing and training pitches, an indoor football complex, two retail units, a medical centre and a pharmacy. There are, however, no plans under the current proposals, to include a dog-racing track. The cost of this development, which it is hoped will be completed by 2012, is reportedly £15 million.[6] Work on the new complex should begin by Spring 2007. The need for new stadium facilities has never been so obvious as it is now with the old side of the stadium becoming noticably more run-down by the season. However, as the Derry City Council own the land, they ultimately hold the key to the proceeding of any planned development. An alternative idea of building a new multi-purpose stadium for the city (which would also be home to Derry City FC) on the site of a dismantled British Army post at the city's Fort George has also been aired.

The current Brandywell stadium has played host to some tremendous matches for Derry City FC, such as the 1-0 defeat of IFK Göteborg on 27 July 2006 in the UEFA Cup First Qualifying Round. However, current facilities for spectators and media simply cannot cope with the demand for these huge ties. The ground also hosted the FAI League Cup final in 2006 between Derry and Dublin rivals, Shelbourne FC. Derry won the enthralling game after it went to a penalty shoot-out.

[edit] League and location

Derry City is a unique club, due to its troubled and fluctuant history, in that it is one of the few clubs from the UK (and the only club in Northern Ireland) to play in the league of another country - the league of the Republic of Ireland in the case of Derry City.

Others within the UK are:

Another club, League of Wales side The New Saints, one of only two fully professional clubs in the Welsh league, are planning to build a new ground just across the English border.

There are similar examples from around the globe:

[edit] Honours

[edit] Domestic football

[edit] Season placings in the League of Ireland

Season Points Total Position Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against
2006[1] 62 2nd[2] 18 8 4 46 20
2005 72 2nd 22 6 5 56 25
2004 44 7th 11 11 14 23 32
2003[3] 36 9th 7 15 14 33 51
2002-03 31 8th 8 7 12 31 37
2001-02 51 5th 14 9 10 42 30
2000-01 45 6th 12 9 12 31 38
1999-00 46 7th 12 10 11 32 38
1998-99 45 5th 12 9 12 34 32
1997-98 40 9th 10 10 13 30 31
1996-97 67 1st 19 10 4 58 27
1995-96 46 6th 11 13 9 50 38
1994-95 58 2nd 16 10 7 45 30
1993-94[4] 46 5th 12 10 10 37 35
1992-93[5] 37 5th 11 15 6 26 23
1991-92 44 2nd 17 10 6 49 21
1990-91 35 7th 13 9 11 51 28
1989-90 49 2nd 20 9 4 72 18
1988-89 53 1st 25 5 4 70 21
1987-88 31 8th 13 5 15 59 44
1986-87 (1st Div.)[6] 33 1st 16 1 1 45 14
1985-86 (1st Div.) 22 4th 8 6 4 31 18
  1. ↑ League reduced from 12 to 11 teams mid-season after Dublin City FC resigned so games with them were expunged.
  2. ↑ On goal difference.[9]
  3. ↑ League changed to 'Summer season'.
  4. ↑ Changed from two points to three for a win.
  5. ↑ League split into two groups of 6 teams.
  6. ↑ Promotion from First Division.

[edit] FAI Cup final appearances

Derry City have appeared in the FAI Cup final on 7 occasions, winning 4 of those.

Season Winner Score Runner-up
1987/88 Dundalk FC 1-0 Derry City
1988/89 Derry City 0-0, 1-0 (after replay) Cork City FC
1993/94 Sligo Rovers 1-0 Derry City
1994/95 Derry City 2-1 Shelbourne FC
1996/97 Shelbourne FC 2-0 Derry City FC
2002 (2nd) Derry City 1-0 Shamrock Rovers
2006 Derry City 4-3 (a.e.t.) St. Patrick's Athletic

[edit] FAI League Cup final appearances

Derry City have appeared in the FAI League Cup final on 9 occasions, winning 7 of those.

Season Winner Score Runner-up
1988/89 Derry City 4-0 Cork City FC
1989/90 Dundalk FC (Dundalk won on pens.) 1-1 Derry City
1990/91 Derry City 2-0 Limerick
1991/92 Derry City 1-0 Bohemian FC
1993/94 Derry City 1-0 (agg. score after 2 legs) Shelbourne FC
1999/00 Derry City 5-2 (agg. score after 2 legs) Athlone Town FC
2001/02 Limerick (Limerick won on pens.) 2-2 (agg. score after 2 legs) Derry City
2005 Derry City 2-1 UCD
2006 Derry City (Derry City won on pens.) 0-0 Shelbourne FC

[edit] IFA Cup final appearances

Derry City have appeared in the IFA Cup on 6 occasions, winning 3 of those.

Season Winner Score Runner-up
1935/36 Linfield FC 2-0 Derry City
1948/49 Derry City 1-0 Glentoran FC
1953/54 Derry City 2-2, 0-0, 1-0 (after replays) Glentoran FC
1956/57 Glenavon FC 2-0 Derry City
1963/64 Derry City 2-0 Glentoran FC
1970/71 Lisburn Distillery 3-0 Derry City

[edit] Setanta Cup appearances

Derry City have appeared in the cross-border Setanta Cup on one occasion - 2006. They will also take part in 2007's competition.

[edit] 2006

Group 2

Team Played Won Drew Lost For Against Points
Linfield FC 6 2 4 0 12 4 10
Shelbourne FC 6 2 3 1 7 3 9
Derry City FC 6 1 4 1 5 4 7
Glentoran FC 6 1 1 4 5 18 4

[edit] 2007

Group 1

Team Played Won Drew Lost For Against Points
Derry City FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Drogheda United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Glentoran FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Linfield FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Still to play. Matches are scheduled to commence on Monday 26 February 2007.

[edit] European football

[edit] History in European competition

[edit] Frustration and little advancement

Derry City have qualified for European football several times throughout the club's history, and more so in recent years. Following the League title win in the 1996/97 season, Derry represented the league in the UEFA Champions League. However, in the First Qualifying Round, they were knocked out by NK Maribor of Slovenia. The club's only win on the European stage previous to this had been in the 1965/66 season when they defeated F.C. Lyn Oslo by an 8-6 aggregate scoreline in the European Cup.

After the NK Maribor experience, it would take 7 more years until Derry would again compete in European football. However, this time in the 2002/03 season, it would be in the UEFA Cup following their FAI Cup victory in 2002. The club failed to progress once more, knocked out by Cypriot side APOEL FC on this occasion.

[edit] Progress at last

Derry once again qualified for the UEFA Cup for 2006/07 season after finishing runners-up in the Premier Division in the 2005 season. On 13 July 2006, Derry overcame two time winners IFK Göteborg in the UEFA Cup first Qualifying round by an aggregate score of 2-0. A 79th-minute header from Sean Hargan was enough to give Derry a shock win[10] in the first leg, and Stephen O'Flynn ensured a 1-0 home victory from the penalty spot. Manager Stephen Kenny was delighted with the win stating:

   
Derry City F.C.
 They have won the UEFA Cup twice and only a few years ago were in the group stages of the Champions League so this is a great night for everyone connected with Derry City. We were worthy winners. It is not as if we got a goal and held on. I think we played the better football[11].
   
Derry City F.C.

This marked Derry City's first progression in European football since defeating Lyn Oslo more than 40 years ago.

Derry City were subsequently drawn against Scottish second-level side Gretna in the second qualifying round. On August 10, 2006, Derry claimed a 5-1 away win to gain a considerable advantage going into the home leg. This result is the largest away winning margin for a League of Ireland team in Europe.[12] Following a 2-2 home draw with Gretna F.C. in the second leg and a 7-3 win on aggregate, Derry advanced to the UEFA Cup First Round. In the draw, held on 25 August 2006, Derry City were handed a tough tie against Paris Saint-Germain FC.

The first leg was played at home at Brandywell Stadium on the evening of 14 September and ended in a 0-0 draw. The second leg was played at Parc des Princes on 28 September. Paris St. Germain won the second leg 2-0 with first-half goals deriving from sloppy set-piece defending in the first-half. Edouard Cisse and Pauleta were the goal-scorers. Thus, 2-0 was the overall aggregate score of the tie.

By finishing second in the eircom League Premier Division in 2006, Derry have, once again, secured the return of UEFA Cup football to the Brandywell for the forthcoming 2007/08 European season. This year, Derry will enter the First Qualifying Round draw as a seeded team, having had their UEFA coefficients boosted heavily after their successful run in 2006.

[edit] Overall record

UEFA Champions League

Appearances Played Won Drawn Lost For Against
3 7 1 0 6 9 24

UEFA Cup

Appearances Played Won Drawn Lost For Against
4 12 3 3 6 11 16

Cup Winners' Cup

Appearances Played Won Drawn Lost For Against
3 6 1 1 4 1 11

[edit] Past opponents

Season Competition Country Team Score
1964/65 Cup Winners' Cup Round 1 Romania Steaua Bucureşti 0-5 agg.
1965/66 European Cup Preliminary Round Norway F.C. Lyn Oslo 8-6 agg.
1965/66 European Cup Round 1 Belgium RSC Anderlecht 0-9, 2nd leg w/o.
1988/89 Cup Winners' Cup Round 1 Wales Cardiff City F.C. 0-4 agg.
1989/90 European Cup Round 1 Portugal SL Benfica 1-6 agg.
1990/91 UEFA Cup Round 1 Netherlands Vitesse Arnhem 0-1 agg.
1992/93 UEFA Cup Round 1 Netherlands Vitesse Arnhem 1-5 agg.
1995/96 Cup Winners' Cup Qual. Round Bulgaria PFC Lokomotiv Sofia 1-2 agg.
1997/98 Champions League Qual. Round 1 Slovenia NK Maribor 0-3 agg.
2002/03 UEFA Cup Qual. Round Cyprus APOEL FC 1-5 agg.
2006/07 UEFA Cup Qual. Round 1 Sweden IFK Göteborg 2-0 agg.
2006/07 UEFA Cup Qual. Round 2 Scotland Gretna F.C. 7-3 agg.
2006/07 UEFA Cup Round 1 France Paris Saint-Germain FC 0-2 agg.

[edit] UEFA coefficient and ranking

Derry City's UEFA coefficient accumulates to a total value of 3.145 as of their 2006/07 European season (now completed as the club has been knocked out).

[edit] Current club ranking

Note 1: Shelbourne has an identical coefficient value to that of Derry City.

[edit] Current national system ranking

Note 2: Liechenstein has no properly recognised league championship. Therefore, the country has no UEFA Champions League entrants, although the cup winners enter the UEFA Cup.

[edit] Background information

Ireland's national league coefficient has been steadily improving in recent years. The eircom League's move to 'Summer football', which is seen to be beneficial for team fitness and coherency when the qualifying campaigns come round, and the introduction of full-time professional football by a number of top sides, including Derry City, has aided this promising progress. Due to the swift development in the past few years, combined with the fact that UEFA accords its coefficient values based on results over five previous seasons, Irish clubs' coefficients give a somewhat inaccurate impression of the current standard of play in the eircom League, with many believing that an accurate representation of the standard of play would see Irish clubs ranked higher. Signs of the vast improvement are evident in the fact that League of Ireland clubs have consistently overcome sides from the Swedish league (ranked 28th by UEFA) in recent years. Cork City FC, for example, went past Djurgårdens IF in 2005 after having earlier beaten Malmo FF 4-1 on aggregate in 2004, while Derry City, of course, beat IFK Göteborg 2-0 on aggregate in 2006. They then went on to defeat Gretna F.C., a side from the Scottish system (ranked 11th by UEFA), 7-3 on aggregate.

The poor ranking of 35th has led to arrogant under-estimation of the league's standard and before Derry City's game with IFK Göteborg, Niclas Alexandersson rather misguidedly suggested that his team could take a holiday and still walk over the League of Ireland side.[13]

[edit] Players

[edit] Current first-team squad

No. Position Player
2 Northern Ireland DF Eddie McCallion
3 Northern Ireland DF Sean Hargan
4 Northern Ireland DF Peter "Pizza" Hutton (Captain)
5 Republic of Ireland DF Clive Delaney
7 Northern Ireland MF Ruaidhri Higgins
8 Republic of Ireland MF Ciaran Martyn
9 Northern Ireland FW Gary Beckett
10 Republic of Ireland FW Kevin McHugh
11 Republic of Ireland MF Killian Brennan
12 Republic of Ireland DF Ken Oman
14 Republic of Ireland MF Gareth McGlynn
No. Position Player
15 Republic of Ireland MF Kevin Deery
16 England GK Pat Jennings Jr.
17 Northern Ireland MF Barry Molloy
18 Republic of Ireland FW Mark Farren
19 Republic of Ireland FW Stephen O'Flynn
21 Northern Ireland DF Mark McChrystal
22 Northern Ireland DF Shaun Holmes
23 Northern Ireland MF Patrick McCourt
24 Northern Ireland DF Darren Kelly
31 Republic of Ireland MF Neil McCafferty

[edit] Reserve and youth squads

Derry City currently has an academy team as well as an under-21 reserve team who play in the Under 21 Football League of Ireland. These teams have also competed in international youth tournaments, including the Foyle Cup and The Umbro Galway Cup. In 2006 the academy team was victorious in the The Umbro Galway Cup. Although many youth players come from the local youth league, the Derry and District League, Derry have branched out their scouting network and have since promoted players from all around Ireland.

Derry's under-21 side finished 3rd in the 2006 Dr. Tony O'Neill League Northern Section and therefore qualified for the knock-out stages, contested between qualifiers from the four provincial sections. In the second round, the side met Shelbourne F.C.'s under-21 team and knocked them out, winning 3-1. However, the side were then beaten in the quarter-final by the under-21 team of Sligo Rovers F.C.

The reserve and youth squads include promising talent such as:

No. Position Player
n/a Northern Ireland GK Eugene Ferry
n/a Republic of Ireland DF Marc Mukendi (on loan to Finn Harps)
n/a Northern Ireland DF John Carlin
n/a Northern Ireland DF Martin Doherty
n/a Northern Ireland DF Mark Hamilton
n/a Northern Ireland DF Darragh McGee
n/a Northern Ireland MF Gareth Harkin
No. Position Player
n/a Northern Ireland MF Paul King
n/a Northern Ireland MF Patrick McDonald
n/a Northern Ireland MF Ryan McGarvey
n/a Northern Ireland MF Mark Brolly
n/a Northern Ireland MF Davy McLaughlin
n/a Northern Ireland FW Gerard McLaughlin
n/a Northern Ireland FW Seamus Browne

[edit] Notable former players

[edit] Managers

Name Nationality From To Record
P W D L F A %W
Kevin Mahon Republic of Ireland 2001 2003 ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Dermot Keely Republic of Ireland 2003 2003 ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Gavin Dykes Republic of Ireland 2003 2004 ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Peter Hutton Northern Ireland 2004 2004 11 5 3 3 12 7 45
Stephen Kenny Republic of Ireland 2004 2006 60 37 12 11 92 46 60
Pat Fenlon Republic of Ireland 2006 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Statistics only refer to league results as of 11/08/06.

[edit] Non-playing staff

  • Commercial Director: Jim Roddy[19]
  • Board of Directors: Hugh McDaid (Chairman), Liam Hegarty, Eamonn Crossan, Michael Burns, Johnny Brown, Peter Leonard
  • Assistant Manager: Paul Hegarty
  • Coaches: vacant
  • Physio: Declan McCarron
  • Club Doctor: Joe McEvoy
  • Scout: Callum "Johnny Come" Leightley

[edit] Supporters

Derry City's fans.
Enlarge
Derry City's fans.

Derry's fans are widely regarded as being one of the noisiest and most colourful groups following a team in the eircom League [20] [21]. Derry's average home attendance of 3,127 was the highest of any league team for the 2006 season and they are known to bring large numbers to away games, despite their isolation in the north-west. Furthermore, the highest attendance in the Premier Division was the last-night-of-the-season meeting between Derry City and Cork City FC at the Brandywell on Friday 17 November when 6,080 watched Derry exact some measure of revenge for their defeat in the reverse of the fixture last season (which incidentally was also the highest attendance in 2005). Derry City Chat is a supporters' discussion forum website run by fans of the club. The club itself has from time-to-time made announcements on this forum.

[edit] Supporters' clubs

There are a number of supporter groups following Derry City, including:

  • The 89ers
  • Brandywell Pride
  • Dublin Supporters Club
  • Post Office Supporters Club
  • The Pride of Northside Supporters Club
  • Queen's University Belfast Supporters Club
  • The Tr3ble Army

[edit] Notable supporters

Notable fans of Derry City and famous public faces seen supporting the club in the Brandywell have included:

[edit] Rivalry

Finn Harps share a local rivalry with Derry. North-West derby meetings between the clubs at the Brandywell are notoriously dangerous affairs for farmers and rural dwellers in the possession of ruminant mammals of the genus ovis, or those of the family bovidae, living on the outskirts of Derry city. Although the two teams now sit in different divisions and games contested between them are scarcer than they once were there is no end to the hate. After the derby game of the 1997 season, Finn Harps fans really lost the run of themselves when local Derry police pronounced 38 sheep in the local area shagged. The return game in Ballybofey later in the season turned out to be a bloody affair after a number of Derry fans brought their greyhounds for the purpose of mauling sheep in the Donegal town.

[edit] Current kit provider and shirt sponsors

Kit provider

Main shirt sponsor

Secondary shirt sponsor

Secondary shirt sponser


[edit] Trivia and other records

  • Terry Kelly, who captained Derry City in 1985, was the first football player in the world to play for the same club in two different national leagues.
  • Due to the political situation in Northern Ireland, the fact that the Brandywell Stadium is situated in a largely nationalist area, and the existence of a degree of scepticism within that community towards a police service perceived as being a continuation of the controversial Royal Ulster Constabulary, Derry's home games are unique in that they are not policed by a state security force (the PSNI) - rather, Derry City employs its own voluntary and private stewards to overlook matches. Every other club in the League of Ireland has a Garda presence (the Republic of Ireland's police force) at their stadiums. Derry had to receive special dispensation from UEFA back in 1985 as it was felt that the presence of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in areas like the Brandywell would be more likely to provoke trouble than help prevent it. This policy has proven effective, and for the last 20 years the Brandywell has peacefully entertained crowds of up to 10,000 - including games against the likes of FC Barcelona, Celtic FC, Manchester United and Real Madrid - without a single police officer present. However, the policy has also had the effect of further solidifying Derry's identity as a nationalist club and further alienated a number of its original or potential Protestant supporters. Nevertheless, the political situation in Northern Ireland is improving, largely due to the Good Friday Agreement, and recent games against teams with unionist fanbases - such as Linfield FC - have passed off without major incident.[22]
  • In 2005, Kevin McHugh became one of just five current players to join the 38-strong group of players who have scored 100 or more League of Ireland goals in the modern era.
  • Derry have never been relegated from any of the divisions they have played in.

[edit] Address and contact information

Brandywell Stadium,
Lone Moor Road,
Derry,
BT48 9HZ.
Telephone: 028 7128 1333
Fax: 028 7128 1334

[edit] References

  1. ^ Derry City FC announcement on Kenny's resignation Derry City FC Online, 10 November 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2006.
  2. ^ Fenlon keeps Candystripes waiting BBC Sport Online, 28 November 2006. Retrieved 4 December.
  3. ^ Fenlon is new Candystripes boss BBC Sport Online, 8 December 2006. Retrieved 8 December 2006.
  4. ^ Brandywell gets seating increase BBC Sport Online, 9 August 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2006.
  5. ^ Brandywell Stadium The Stadium Guide. Retrieved 3 October 2006.
  6. ^ Brandywell revamp plan unveiled BBC Sport Online, 15 June 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2006.
  7. ^ Derry see off St Pat's in decider BBC Sport Online. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
  8. ^ Derry win Eircom League Cup final BBC Sport Online. 18 September 2006.
  9. ^ Derry lose to Shels in title race BBC Sport Online 17 November 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2006.
  10. ^ IFK Gothenburg 0-1 Derry City BBC Sport Online, 13 July 2006.
  11. ^ Kenny salutes his Derry heroes BBC Sport Online, 14 July 2006.
  12. ^ Slack Gretna given cruel lesson by five-star Derry Stephen Halliday, The Scotsman, 11 August 2006.
  13. ^ Candystripes spurred by comments Eleven-a-side.com, 13 July 2006.
  14. ^ Past Players - Luther Blissett Watford Football Club Online.
  15. ^ Derry legend Coyle retires BBC Sport Online, 16 January 2004.
  16. ^ a b c My team - Derry City by Martin McGuinness The Guardian, 08 April 2001.
  17. ^ Death of Jose Mokendi Derry City FC Online, 22 August 2006.
  18. ^ Where are they now? - Alan Sunderland Derry City FC Online, 22 May 2005.
  19. ^ Vive La Derry! Mayor congratulates Derry City on excellent performance Derry City Council press release, 15 September 2006.
  20. ^ Kenny elated after Derry triumph BBC Sport Online, 10 August 2006.
  21. ^ Video recording of Derry City fans during their club's FAI Cup semi-final tie away to Sligo Rovers YouTube, 29 October 2006.
  22. ^ Football's last great taboo? Steve Bradley, ESPN, 22 February 2005.
  23. ^ Derry edge a thriller Paul O'Hehir, The Irish Times (Ireland.com), 3 December 2006. Retrieved 4 December 2006.

[edit] External links

UEFA Cup 2006/07

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Football League of Ireland 2006
Premier League
Bohemians | Bray Wanderers | Cork City | Derry City | Drogheda United | Longford Town
Shelbourne | Sligo Rovers | St. Patrick's Athletic | UCD | Waterford United |
First Division
Athlone Town | Cobh Ramblers | Dundalk | Finn Harps | Galway United | Kildare County
Kilkenny City | Limerick | Monaghan United | Shamrock Rovers
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