Tiernan Lynch’s demand on midfielders could define Derry City’s season

Tiernan Lynch reiterated a simple message to his players this week ahead of the visit of Bohemians to the Brandywell – get into the box.

When Michael Duffy got on the end of Dom Thomas’ cross to head Derry City level at Tolka Park last week, it was exactly what the new City boss wanted to see. When one winger crosses, the other has to be in the box, with Thomas also in place when Duffy provided crosses. But still, Lynch wants to see more from his midfielders, and he has already publicly started that he wants a better goal return from Duffy this season. With just five league goals from nine overall in 2024, Duffy is already on his way. And Lynch wants others to follow suit.

It is fair to say that the Derry City supporters feel the same. The team has been lacking a midfielder wo drives into the penalty area for a few years now – not since Joe Thomson and even Jordan McEneff have there been players who will consistently run beyond for City, and that has caused problems, both with creativity and with goal returns from midfielders, who have all too often sat deep and looked to pick out passes in behind to the wingers.

This onus on midfielders to get into the box and score goals is even more prominent since Derry City won’t be able to call on Will Patching for the first time in five seasons.

While some questioned his effort, there was no doubting his quality, nor his return. No player was a bigger threat under Ruaidhri Higgins, with 35 goals and 29 assists in all competitions over four seasons. Throw in the fact that Derry City never lost a game in which Will Patching scored, and it is fair to say that the midfielder more than contributed during his time at the club. The only player coming anywhere near Patching’s numbers was Michael Duffy, who now has 23 goals and 25 assists since his return from Dundalk.

Goal-scoring wasn’t the be all and end all last season in the Premier Division – Shelbourne won the league scoring only 40 goals in 36 league games – but a new season brings new demands, and with Patching gone, others will have to step up.

Under Higgins, Derry were third top scorers last year, eclipsed only by Shamrock Rovers and St. Patrick’s Athletic, and there is no doubt that had the Candystripse not turned goal-shy in the final stage of the season, they may have got over the line for one, if not two, trophies.

After beating Drogheda United 5-1 at the Brandywell in June, Derry City scored only 9 league goals in the rest of the campaign – three of which were own goals and only one of which was scored by a midfielder – a Patching penalty at Oriel Park.

GOOD START… Michael Duffy celebrates his equaliser against Shelbourne at Tolka Park last week. (Photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)

It is now a new chapter at the club under a new manager and with new players, but the need for goals remains the same.

Pat Hoban, Danny Mullen, Liam Boyce and Sean Patton are the available striking options, but successful teams are defined by many factors, one of which is most certainly the goal return from other areas of the pitch – the strikers can rarely do it by themselves.

The goal return from City’s other regular midfielders last year were:

Michael Duffy – 9 goals in 38 appearances

Paul McMullan – 3 goals in 43 games

Daniel Kelly – 1 goal in 30 appearances

Cameron Dummigan – 1 goal in 19 appearances

Sadou Diallo – 1 goal in 28 appearances

Adam O’Reilly – 1 goal in 42 appearances

Patrick McEleney – 0 goals in 16 appearances

In recent years, Patching and Duffy aside, there has been a real scarcity of goals from midfield, with only Jordan McEneff, with 8 league goals in 2023, coming anywhere near double figures from the central area of the pitch.

LETHAL… Ronan Curtis was a regular goal-scorer from midfield under Kenny Shiels. (Photo: David Maher/Sportsfile)

The last Derry City manager to actually have regular goal-scoring midfielders was Kenny Shiels, who had an abundance of talent from the middle of the pitch, and players who made a considerable mark when it came to putting the ball in the net.

Despite the teams struggles in 2018, Aaron McEneff scored 15 goals, while Ronan Curtis hit 8. In fact, over the space of the 2017 and 2018, McEneff scored 25 goals in total from the middle, while Curtis scored 18. Throw in 10 from Barry McNamee in 2017, and that’s 53 goals combined from the middle of the park in less than two seasons.

This season Shamrock Rovers will have the likes of Jack Byrne and Graham Burke while St. Patrick’s Athletic will have Jake Mulraney, Brandon Kavanagh, Zachary Elbouzedi and Chris Forrester. Champions Shelbourne have Ellis Chapman, Harry Wood and Evan Caffrey. For Bohs, there will be Dawson Devoy, Ross Tierney, Connor Parsons and Dayle Rooney.

There is goal-scoring talent and ability everywhere in Derry City’s most dangerous opponents and it has to be matched by the players in red and white at the Brandywell.

DYNAMIC DUO… Aaron McEneff and Barry McNamee both hit double figures from midfield in 2017. (Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile)

The additions of Gavin Whyte and Dom Thomas should help in that regard, but getting players in the box, and getting those players to put the ball in the net may just determine how far Derry City go this season.

Lynch wants more, the Derry City fans want more, and the midfield players must provide.