A long winter ahead for managerless Derry

By GARY FERRY

Paul Hegarty’s decision to decline the offer to be the new Derry City manager came as a shock to everyone involved with the club.

After leading the Candy Stripes to safety in recent weeks, and after winning the backing of the players, Hegarty (pictured) looked set to accept the job on a full time basis.

But that all changed at the weekend as the Donegal man met with chairman Philip O’Doherty to inform him he would not be taking the role after all.

Hegarty was non-committal about his future when asked after Friday night’s game at Longford, instead expressing his disappointment that the players had produced such a poor performance on the final day of the season.

Whilst the game mattered little with safety already secured, the performance and defeat did not sit easy with the caretaker manager.

“It matters of course because you don’t want to lose football matches and you certainly don’t like to those them in the manner we lost here,” he said.

“We started the match off poorly and it just got worse from there. It looked like a lot of players were on holidays and it was disappointing to say the least.

“Once they got the second goal the game was over, but if you don’t start matches well then you don’t deserve anything, and we didn’t deserve anything. Fair play to Longford they were by far the better side.”

While there were some positives from Friday’s game, including a first senior goal for Ronan Curtis and a first start for highly-rated Patrick McClean, it was ultimately a disappointing night for Hegarty and the players, who finished in seventh place in the Premier Division.

"That would have been an acceptable finish just a few weeks ago, but considering City’s upturn in fortunes under Hegarty, it was ultimately a disappointment.

“Whenever I came in I targeted that sixth place,” he said. “I was hoping to get there and I felt we were good enough to get there but on this performance we certainly didn’t deserve to get there.

You find out about players and their character and we found out quite a few things tonight.”

Hegarty’s decision to decline the offer of management leaves the club looking for its 10th manager in ten years, including caretakers.