Derry football is in a good place - Enda Muldoon

Former Derry inter-county star Enda Muldoon believes football is in a healthy position for the Foylesiders as a new season approaches under manager Ciarán Meenagh.

Despite a difficult 2025 campaign for the Derry senior footballers, Muldoon sees reasons for optimism ahead of Meenagh’s first full season in charge. The Loughmacrory native was ratified in July 2025, succeeding Paddy Tally, who had taken over from Mickey Harte following Rory Gallagher’s departure in 2023.

Derry endured a frustrating championship last year, falling to Donegal in the Ulster preliminary quarter-final before collecting just one point in the All-Ireland group stages, finishing bottom of Pot Four. League form mirrored that struggle, with the Oak Leafers picking up just a single point and finishing bottom of Division One.

Attention now turns to the upcoming National Football League fixtures, with Derry set to face Meath away before hosting Tyrone at Celtic Park on back-to-back weekends at the end of the month. Muldoon believes the talent within the county remains strong and that, with a bit of luck and the emergence of a few new players, Derry can re-establish themselves as serious contenders.

“I think we’re in a good place. There are some great players there and some really good young players coming through as well, but over the last few years they just haven’t quite gotten over the line.

“There’s a good squad of players there at the minute, and with a few younger lads stepping up, they mightn’t be that far off it. They probably need another one or two forwards. If they can unearth one or two, we should be in a really good place.”

Muldoon also emphasised that potential alone is no longer enough. Just two years ago, a star-studded Derry side lifted the Division One National League title, with Conor Glass becoming the seventh Derryman to captain the trophy after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Dublin. However, that form failed to translate to the championship.

A much-fancied Derry side suffered a heavy defeat to Donegal in the Ulster quarter-final before stumbling into the All-Ireland series, finishing third in their group and requiring a preliminary quarter-final victory over Mayo to progress. Kerry then proved a step too far, with the Kingdom running out 0-15 to 0-10 winners in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

“They lost to Kerry a few years ago, and the wheels came off a little bit, but hopefully they’ve steadied the ship now and might knuckle down again. Some of those lads are pushing on, and there’s no reason why they can’t be competing. They are a good squad of players, so there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be challenging for an All-Ireland.

“We have good players coming through, but it might be time we start seeing them step up and deliver. There’s only so many times you can talk about potential; you have to see it happen.”

“Derry will have to be hitting a high level all year and be hoping to avoid the injuries they’ve had over the last few seasons to be successful. If they can do that, there’s no reason they can’t be competing. You saw it last year when they got a groove together; you could see they’re not that far away.”

At club level, Muldoon believes Derry football continues to thrive. The county championship has grown increasingly competitive in recent years, with Derry’s club pyramid capable of rivalling most in Ireland. Glen lifted the 2024 All-Ireland club title, while Newbridge came close to provincial success earlier this year.

“Club football here is good. There’s probably a gap between the top four or five teams and the rest, but there are a lot of young lads coming along. Newbridge have done well over the past few years, Magherafelt have a good young team, Glen have plenty of quality, and Slaughtneil will always fancy their chances. It all bodes well for Derry football.”