Derry midfielder Carl Winchester begins two-game suspension

Derry City vs. Galway United  |  Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday, 7:45pm

Carl Winchester will serve the first of a two-game suspension against Galway United tomorrow night after Derry City’s appeal against his red card was dismissed.

The midfielder was red-carded just two minutes into the second half of the Candystripes’ defeat at St. Patrick’s Athletic on Monday night, a decision which City manager Tiernan Lynch believes was unjustified.

Referee Gavin Colfer also awarded two penalties against Derry City on a controversial night on the pitch, with the defeat leaving Lynch with three defeats from his first four games.

Speaking prior to the FAI’s decision, which was reached last night, Lynch insisted the club felt it had no choice to appeal in support of their player.

“We felt it was a harsh decision, we felt it was the wrong decision, and a as club, when we reviewed the video evidence we felt it was very much an opportunity for us to challenge the decision,” he explained. “We probably don’t hold out much hope for that decision to be changed, but I think as a club, even for Carl’s sake, after a great tackle, with no malice, I think we have to show our support for him.”

Lynch now turns his attention to Galway United tomorrow night, well aware of the frustration growing due to Derry City’s poor start to the new league campaign.

“Without trying to feel sorry for ourselves. I think there were definitely big decisions in all those games which went against us,” he reflected. “We’re probably frustrated because we feel in most of those games we have probably been the better team. We’ll work hard now and Friday is another night and we’ll go again.”

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“We haven’t had any games where we’ve come away scratching our heads thinking we’re miles behind. It hasn’t been that at all. There have been very fine margins and the decisions that go with it. We just have to keep clear heads, keep believing in the process, and I do believe that with the talent that they have, the ability that they have and the work ethic that they have, that this will turn.”

Galway United took seven points from a possible 12 from Derry City last season, and still unbeaten after four games this season, they will be arguably City’s toughest test so far.

“Everyone knows what Galway is going to bring,” Lynch stated. “They are a really hard-working side under John (Caulfield), they’re not a team that’s going to be overly expansive and think about how many passes they can make with the football that they’ll play. I’m sure that they’ll come with plenty of positivity and feel that they can get a result and we have to be up for the challenge from out end.”

This is not the first time that Lynch has faced difficult circumstances in the early days of a new job, with his time at Larne beginning with nine successive away games due to construction at Inver Park back in 2017.

“It’s definitely not my first rodeo in this situation,” he agreed. “It depends where you are coming from. There were times during those first games at Larne where you were scratching your head wondering “We’re a mile off”. You’re not doing that in this situation, you’re actually getting so much confidence and I’m sure the supporters are probably getting even more frustrated when they see you’re not getting results and me maybe coming out and saying that there’s really good things that happened in that game.

“My mindset and their mindset are probably very different. I see the bigger picture, as a supporter you see here and now. That’s not criticism on my part because I very much get that, so we just have to keep believing. We just have to keep knowing that with the things that we’re doing, those results have to turn for us. It’s that old situation where, once it changes and you get a couple of results, confidence changes and you become a different team and we just need to hope and pray that that comes sooner rather than later.”