Connolly’s Candystripes sign off home campaign in style
After the misery of the early season under Tiernan Lynch, an eighth win in twelve games rewards the patient Derry faithful.
Goals from James Clarke and Michael Duffy proved the difference at the Ryan McBride Brandywell on Friday evening as Derry City FC ended their 2026 SSE Airtricity League home campaign on a high, defeating Dundalk 2-1 on the Lone Moor Road.
It has been a difficult campaign for the Candystripes following a pre-season that promised so much. Former manager Tiernan Lynch made 14 signings ahead of the start of the league season, but after a brutal first half of the campaign, the Belfast native was relieved of his duties in early August, with Clones native Mark Connolly overseeing a remarkable turnaround as interim boss.
The Candystripes now face one final league fixture before their November 8 FAI Cup final date with Waterford in Dublin 4, with the winners securing a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.
A run of eight wins in 12 league games has seen Derry finally begin to realise some of their pre-season promise, with everything still to play for despite many supporters being eager to forget the misery of the early season. Having finished their final home fixture with a victory, Connolly was not only delighted to repay the supporters who have stuck with the Candystripes throughout the campaign but also keen for the new arrivals to understand what the Maiden City is all about.
With a final league outing against Sligo Rovers next week, followed by their Lansdowne Road showdown with Waterford a week later, a feel-good factor has returned to the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
“It’s been a very tough season, particularly the first half. It’s just not been good enough,” said Connolly. “But in the second half of the season, the boys have really dug in and worked hard, and we’ve got the results and performances back on track. I feel like the mentality has changed with these boys. We want to win every single game and put in a very good performance, and that doesn’t change no matter who we’re up against.”
“It’s been a long season, and the fans have been excellent, and they deserve our appreciation. It’s been a really tough year, and I’m so happy that the fans are starting to see what these players are capable of. The new players are seeing what Derry’s all about. This is an amazing city, full of great people who are passionate and love their club.”
“We’ll have a few days to rest and recover, and we’ll go again next week against Sligo. We want to go there and win and finish as high as we possibly can. If it’s fourth, that would be fantastic, but if it isn’t to be, then it isn’t to be. We want to finish on a high.”
There has been plenty of chopping and changing in Connolly’s starting XI over the final four fixtures. With the FAI Cup final pairing ensuring that fourth place is no longer enough to secure European football, Derry’s final four league games have effectively become dead rubbers in terms of their continental ambitions.
Nevertheless, the Candystripes have acquitted themselves well, and the freedom of knowing that their European fate rests in their own hands on November 8 has allowed Connolly to give valuable minutes to returning players and emerging talents within the squad.
Brian Maher, whose season has been plagued by injuries, made a welcome return between the sticks last time out, and Connolly now faces a number of selection headaches ahead of next month’s showpiece.
“Brian Maher came back in. He’s obviously had a really tough season with injuries. It’s probably the first time in his career that he’s had that, but it’s been a really good learning curve for him as well this year, because it’s not all plain sailing in football. He’s had injuries; he’s dealt with them now, and thankfully he’s back and ready to go.
“He’s worked hard and has been training well. He deserved to get some minutes and get his opportunity. I’ve a decision in every position, but certainly in goals. Brian has been our number one for four or five years, but he’s been injured, and Tom Norcott has come in and been excellent. It’s going to be a tough call, but that’s what you want as a manager. You want hard decisions to make.”