Derry City boss Lynch delighted with battling win

Derry City boss Tiernan Lynch admitted he was delighted with his side’s battling 2–1 victory over 2024 champions Shelbourne at Tolka Park on Friday evening.
The Belfast native had come under increasing scrutiny following a difficult run of results that had left the Candystripes without a win since February. However, the impressive result on the road has helped to reignite Derry’s season, with the Foylesiders climbing to fifth place in the table, now just six points behind Bohemians in the final European qualification spot.
A demanding sequence of four consecutive away fixtures followed what many viewed as a favourable opening to the campaign, with Derry playing six of their first nine matches on home soil. That run, which had been expected to provide a platform for a strong start, instead yielded just nine points from a possible 27.
The seven-game winless streak was finally ended by goals from winter signing Barry Cotter and powerful attacker Dipo Akinyemi, who has now scored in two consecutive games, securing a vital three points ahead of upcoming fixtures against Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians. Lynch will now hope to build momentum after steady recent performances, including draws away to Dundalk and Sligo Rovers prior to the Shelbourne trip.
“We’ve kept telling them that it was only a matter of time,” Lynch said. “That probably went on longer than we would have liked or expected, but sometimes all it takes is one win. We have to go and build on this now.
“The last three games we’ve had two difficult draws and a huge three points here against Shelbourne, all away from home, so they deserve enormous credit for what they have done, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.
“Normally when things aren’t going your way, the hardest thing is lifting players’ heads and keeping them on board, but that has never been the case. It’s an unbelievable changing room, and they are a terrific group. They work unbelievably hard every single day, which probably made the run even more frustrating.”
Shelbourne had drawn level shortly after the interval through a superb strike from John Martin, and what followed was a sustained spell of pressure from the hosts during which on-loan goalkeeper Edward Beach produced several crucial saves.
However, against the run of play, Akinyemi struck to restore Derry’s advantage and ultimately secure a vital victory.

Narrow Margins
Lynch was quick to emphasise how narrow the margins are across the league, highlighting the quality present throughout the division.
“It was definitely a hard-fought game, but that’s what this league is all about,” he said.
“There are just no easy games, and you can really feel that when things aren’t going your way. There are so many good teams and so many difficult away grounds to come to, and tonight was no different.”
“Shelbourne are a terrific side with top players, and you saw that tonight, but I think our boys deserve great credit. It was a gutsy performance. Maybe we haven’t been getting the results so far this year, but that's not to say that we’ve not been rolling our sleeves up and showing how much that shirt means to us.”
“Great credit to the boys. They galvanised and showed real resilience to weather the storm. Once we made a few changes, we had more energy and became more of a threat on the counter-attack.”
Now facing the challenge of hosting Shamrock Rovers at Celtic Park next week, Lynch is keen to continue building momentum with a squad that included thirteen new arrivals during the off-season.
The Belfast native has stressed the importance of patience throughout the campaign as the group continues to settle, and supporters will hope this result marks the beginning of a sustained improvement as the Candystripes return to Foyleside.
“It’ll be good to get back to our adopted home and get back in front of our own fans again,” Lynch added.
“Hopefully we can build on tonight. I couldn’t ask any more from the players; their work rate and commitment have been outstanding, so now let’s see if we can keep building from here.”