Derry assistant hails "life and death" defending as City end losing streak

Under-pressure Derry City halted their slide with a hard-earned point in Inchicore on Monday night, frustrating one of the league’s in-form attacks as they held St Patrick’s Athletic to a 0–0 draw at Richmond Park.

The Candystripes arrived in Dublin on the back of two consecutive defeats to capital opposition and with mounting scrutiny surrounding manager Tiernan Lynch after a stuttering start to the SSE Airtricity League campaign. But by shutting out a Saints side that had scored 12 goals in their previous four matches, Derry at least produced the defensive response their supporters had been craving.

Second-placed St Pat’s had been one of the division’s most potent attacking forces in recent weeks, making the clean sheet a welcome boost for Lynch and his reshaped squad.

The Belfast native will hope the result can provide a platform for his side to finally build momentum after a turbulent opening to the season.

Expectations have been high around the Ryan McBride Brandywell following a winter of ambitious recruitment, with twelve new faces arriving on Foyleside ahead of Lynch’s second year in charge. Yet the early optimism of supporters anticipating a title challenge has yet to translate onto the pitch during the opening rounds of fixtures.

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Defeats to European rivals Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians and Shelbourne, coupled with unconvincing late wins over relegation candidates Waterford and Sligo Rovers, have seen the pressure steadily increase on the Derry boss.

Speaking after the game on Monday evening, assistant manager Andy Mitchell said the performance, particularly the defensive resilience shown late on, could act as a springboard for the Candystripes as they attempt to steady their campaign.

“From our point of view, we have to take the positives from it, most importantly a clean sheet first and foremost,” Mitchell said. “The boys showed real heart and desire towards the end as well. It’s not great, but it’s something to build on. We can’t celebrate a point. We want to win every game we go into. There’s a lot of expectation on us, and that’s fair.

“We’ve brought in a lot of good signings, and we keep saying that this might take a little bit of time to gel, and it has.

“We haven’t started the season how we wanted it, and that’s me being brutally honest, but this is a great point for us.

“We’re by no means playing well, but you saw it there tonight. We dug in for each other, putting our bodies on the line. It really meant something tonight, and the last couple of weeks it didn’t feel like life and death in both boxes for us, but tonight it really did.”

Of the twelve new recruits who arrived over the winter, the most notable was undoubtedly Creggan native and Republic of Ireland captain and centurion James McClean, who returned to his hometown club after fifteen years away.

McClean, who has operated primarily as a left winger or left-back throughout his career, has come under scrutiny for his performances since returning to the Brandywell — particularly as he has been deployed in central midfield rather than in the wide roles that defined much of his decorated career.

Despite the criticism, Assistant Manager Andy Mitchell was quick to praise the 35-year-old and believes the experienced international is continuing to grow into both his position and his role within the squad.

“That was one of Jimmy’s better games,” Mitchell said. “There’s a lot of talk about James, and we know personally in that changing room what he brings to us.

“We don’t have to shout and scream about him, but we know his qualities. He’s a great lad and a great player to have in our dressing room. His heart and desire for Derry; he wants to win.

“He bleeds for the club, and he knows what it’s all about. So we’re happy with him in midfield. He’s doing superbly for us, and we’ll keep building on it.”