The Candy Stripes are coming to Maginn Park!

Derry City Chairman Philip O'Doherty has confirmed that their senior side will relocate to Maginn Park in Buncrana while work is being carried out on Brandywell Stadium. While the exact fixtures that will be hosted at Inishowen League remain unclear, it is expected that up to six league and cup games could be played there at the end of this season. "We looked at Institute’s ground at the Riverside but they have a very busy youth club on a Friday night and it probably wouldn’t have suited us to play our games on a Saturday so Maginn Park is the choice," Mr O'Doherty told BBC Radio Foyle's Eric White this morning. "The programme is ready to start in June with the relocation of the dog track. The work on the pitch is due to start in July, it may be delayed to suit us and if some of the contractors can do that in a shorter time we may have less games to play in Maginn Park." As revealed by the Inish Times last month, the Inishowen League prepared a list of the costs of the necessary upgrades at the ground after a meeting with Derry City in January. The club have agreed to meet those costs and the Chairman revealed that the temporary seating installed to bring the ground up to League of Ireland standards will remain there when the Candy Stripes return to their redeveloped home ground. "We are going to take the temporary seating that has been at the Brandywell since 2007, that’s going to be donated to us by Derry and Strabane District Council, we’re going to install that at Maginn Park and leave it there when we are finished. "It has hosted League of Ireland cup games before successfully, there’s going to be a few changes around exit lighting and some emergency lights in the stand. "It’s not a lot of work but the club has to pay for it."