'The hardest thing I've ever had to do!'

Joe Thomson admits that leaving Derry City was the hardest thing he’s had to do in his football career.

The 25-year-old has joined Larne as part of the deal which saw Ben Doherty return to the Brandywell, bringing an end to a two-and-a-half-year spell at the club.

Thomson was brought to Derry by Declan Devine in the summer of 2020 and went on to play 79 times for the Candystripes, scoring 10 goals in the process. But he increasingly saw his playing time limited, particularly in the second half of last season, when he just started five games in the last four months of the season.

Still, the news that he was not in manager Ruaidhri Higgins’ plans came as a shock, and leaving a club he has developed a great fondness for devastated the midfielder.

“It was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my career, without a doubt,” he said. “I have been here two and a half years; I’ve lived here and I’ve become attached to the city. I said to all the lads and the staff that it was really hard leaving. You come over here and you’re not sure what to expect but you’re here two and a half years and you almost fall in love with the club. There is no other way about it, it was really tough for me.”

Thomson appeared as a substitute 15 times in total last season, and he admits he struggled to adapt to that role after being a regular at the club for so long.

“I look back on my time at Derry with great fondness, but there is no taking away that the second half of the season was a wee bit difficult for me, just coming on here and there,” he explained. “I’m not someone who enjoys coming on for 10-15 minutes, but I was happy to do it for that period of time because there was a lot at stake, and what we were trying to achieve as a team was a lot greater than my feelings or what I thought so I just kept the head down for six months and we managed to finish the season with a great day in November, winning the cup final.

“I know I said I struggled but I promise you I didn’t expect to leave. I didn’t think that game against Shelbourne would be my last time pulling on a Derry jersey. I still had every intention of finishing my contract which ran until next November. I know it came as a shock to some people, but it came as a shock to me as well.”

Nevertheless, Thomson’s time at the club was certainly appreciated by the fans, who have made their appreciation known to him ever since.

“You’re not going to please everyone as a footballer, but the majority of the comments were nice, which was nice to see,” Thomson continued. “I didn’t expect it, but these things happen. It’s the best dressing room I’ve ever been in, all the lads are brilliant and I spoke to about 95% of them after I left which just shows how tight we were as a group. In that changing room, there are some real good players, but I think the biggest strength is the togetherness in the changing room.

“Since I’ve been here, the club gave me a platform to go and play, because when I signed two and a half years ago, I hadn’t kicked a ball because I had been out with a knee injury. I was just so grateful to Derry for that opportunity. There are so many great people at the cub, not just working at the club, but the supporters as well and I was just happy to be a small part of giving back on that day of the cup final because I know how much it meant to so many people.”

Title race

Having just won his first trophy with Derry City in November past, Thomson now founds himself in the midst of an Irish League title race, with Larne locked in a fight at the top of the table with both Linfield and Cliftonville. He is hoping he can add some value to the Larne midfield ahead of a crucial period in their season.

“It was a good opportunity for me,” he said. “Before I signed I went up and had a look at the facilities and I was really taken aback and blown away by the infrastructure and everything they have in place there. It’s a really good set-up. It was a good option for me and I’m glad we could get something sorted.

“They’ve obviously not won the league before but they have been going well so from my point of view, I’m just looking to come in and add to what the lads have already achieved. They have been going well for the first half of the season and they got through the first round of the Irish Cup at the weekend. I’m coming into a good side and I’m just looking to add a wee bit to that and hopefully we can be successful.”