Connolly commends Candystripe character following Brandywell bounce-back

The Candystripes returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over St Patrick’s Athletic in Derry City’s penultimate home SSE Airtricity League encounter of the season at the Ryan McBride Brandywell on Monday evening.

Having returned to league action three days earlier against Drogheda United, Mark Connolly’s charges suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat on Boyneside, just over a week after booking their place in the Club Orange FAI Cup final.

Derry City FC will now face Waterford in the showpiece at the Aviva Stadium on November 8, with the winners securing European football next season. As a result, a fourth-place league finish will no longer be enough to earn a European berth for the 2027 campaign, leaving the final round of league fixtures effectively as dead rubbers.

Although the league is no longer a viable route to continental qualification, Connolly faces the task of managing his squad over the remaining weeks to sustain the momentum and confidence that have seen Derry win seven of their previous 11 games since the Clones native took the helm.

Speaking on Monday’s victory, Connolly was keen to see a reaction from his charges following Friday’s reversal against Drogheda.

“A win is huge for momentum. Our priority tonight was to put in a good performance and a reaction to Friday night. I thought for large spells on Friday that we played really well.”

“Ultimately, we conceded two sloppy goals against Drogheda, and, when we watched it back, it was exactly that. Drogheda defended really well, but we just didn’t do enough to get anything out of the game, so the response that we’ve gotten tonight is fantastic.”

With two league games remaining, the Candystripes will play in front of their home support for the final time in 2026 when they take on Dundalk on Friday evening. They will then travel to already-relegated Sligo Rovers before turning their attention to the cup showdown with Waterford on November 8.

In the coming weeks, Connolly’s focus will almost certainly be on ensuring his squad is in peak condition for that season-defining fixture at the Aviva Stadium, particularly with key players Adam O’Reilly and captain Michael Duffy currently sidelined through injury.

With three weeks remaining before the final, Connolly is hopeful that competition within the squad, in the wake of those absences, will help drive performances as players make their cases for a place in the starting XI.

“Michael and Adam O’Reilly have both picked up injuries. I wish that I could play both of them, but unfortunately they are both injured. On the other side of it, it gives other boys now the opportunity to come in and stake a claim for potentially a cup final spot, but we still named a very strong team out there today.”

“Boys are playing for places, so you have to give everything, especially when you are playing for a club like Derry City. You can’t pick and choose when you want to turn up and play well. It is difficult enough to manage that, but as a player I’d be looking at this and saying, ‘How do I play well enough and get myself into the team?’

“I hope that they are thinking to themselves, when I’m on the pitch tonight or in any of the remaining games, I need to show what I’m about.”