LONG BEFORE HIS Europa League odyssey with Dundalk, Stephen Kenny led another of the League of Ireland’s glorious European adventures.
In Episode 3 of the Rise of Kenny pod, available now to all of The42 Members, Garry Doyle joins presenter Kevin Brannigan to reflect on Kenny’s first spell as manager of Derry City, which culminated in an unforgettable Uefa Cup campaign in 2006.
After beating IFK Gothenburg and Gretna in the qualifying rounds, Kenny’s Candystripes were handed a plum draw against French giants Paris Saint-Germain, battling to a 0-0 draw in the Brandywell before ultimately losing 2-0 in the Parc des Princes.
“Outside the ground, they were selling berets for the French match and they were calling them Londonberets,” Garry recalls of the build-up and anticipation ahead of the first leg. “There was a real good carnival atmosphere around.
“John Hume was at the game, Martin McGuinness was at the game. You couldn’t get a ticket for that match for love nor money. It was just an extraordinary build up and the sense around town all day was that it was a really special game that you were going to.
“Like Gothenburg, PSG had two players who played in the World Cup that year in their team. They had internationals from France, Brazil, Portugal, Colombia, Nigeria, the Czech Republic whereas you’d eight Derry players of the 14 players that featured that night at the Brandywell who were born within five miles of the ground, so you had this kind of localised, smaller version of the 1967 Lisbon Lions.”
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