David Sneyd

AS YOU WOULD expect for a businessman who built a company worth billions, Derry City chairman Philip O’Doherty has an eye for an opportunity.

Take this example from before the start of last season.

O’Doherty was at an event involving the club’s kit manufacturer, O’Neill’s, and a counterpart from Derry GAA just so happened to be in attendance. The pair got chatting and during the course of conversation it became apparent that there was a very obvious deal to be done that could suit both parties.

Derry City were still in the early stages of sourcing a secure, reliable training base – 2024 was haphazard to say the least – and the possibility to rent Derry GAA’s state-of-the-art facility in Owenbeg, 20 minutes outside the city, was broached.

A deal was signed off in January 2025 by Derry GAA’s county board, and the good relationship was evident again for this campaign when Derry City were able to secure the use of GAA stadium Celtic Park, just next door to the Ryan McBride Brandywell, for Premier Division fixtures while pitch upgrades were taking place.

Shamrock Rovers head there tonight and it is expected that the Candystripes will remain in situ until the end of May.

For someone who also has no problem making bold statements of intent, O’Doherty is patient when it comes to taking decisive action at the club he loves.

He has stepped away in recent months from the engineering company where he made his fortune, and has had no qualms over the last few years talking up his expectation that Derry City will become the standard bearers in the League of Ireland.

After Ruaidhrí Higgins guided the Candystripes to the FAI Cup in 2022, O’Doherty spoke afterwards of it being the springboard required to take them to a Premier Division title.

It didn’t happen.

Ahead of this campaign, and with a significant outlay on players, most notably former Republic of Ireland international James McClean, O’Doherty targeted deposing Rovers as champions and also being capable of retaining the title in 2027.

A look at the league table now would suggest that isn’t going to happen. Their 2-1 win away to Shelbourne last Friday ended a seven-game run without a victory that stretched back to a 4-2 win over Waterford on 27 February.

Derry have won just three of their 12 games so far and are currently fifth on 14 points. They’re six adrift of Bohemians in fourth and 11 off league leaders Rovers.

Head coach Tiernan Lynch has been under pressure because of this underperformance as he and his brother, assistant boss Seamus, oversee the dressing room.

There are plenty who speak positively about the pair’s work rate and eye for detail, not to mention their personal interactions, even if there are some doubts within the dressing room about the set-up. The nature of the beast is that because results have been poor everything that feeds into that outside of the pitch has even more spotlight.

Fans will point to the Lynch brothers being from Belfast and continuing to commute rather than establishing themselves in Derry. There are understandable reasons for that, of course, with some explaining the family and schooling situation.

The Owenbeg set-up has, ironically, proved to be another lightning rod for the disaffected. The feeling has grown that players are no longer visible around the city during the week, be it visiting coffee shops or local restaurants. Some will state there is a lack of connection, a sense of detachment, while others will point out that this is only able to fester because Derry just aren’t winning enough games.

A constant in all of this has been O’Doherty’s unwavering support for the manager. He is not an overbearing chairman or a regular presence around the training ground. He is expected to be at the match tonight but is believed to have spent part of the week away on other business in Europe.

O’Doherty doesn’t interfere when it comes to day-to-day football matters but is, without question, the man who holds all the power.

O’Doherty will be well aware that there are people who want a change in the dugout but he is not one to bow to pressure. Speak to people at the club and they will tell you he is a man who wants to offer everyone as much support as possible. He prefers to work through a problem and find a solution rather than just act in a fit of pique by getting rid of someone who is underperforming.

He has shown similar support to his previous managers but there is always a breaking point unless consistent signs of improvement are clear.

The win at Tolka Park was by no means a vintage performance but it helped to stop the rot. Building on it against Rovers before a trip to Dublin to face Bohemians and all of a sudden there could be a very different feeling about what is possible for Derry.

Fixtures (all kick-offs 7.45pm unless stated)

Premier Division – Tonight: Derry City v Shamrock Rovers (8pm, Live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Play); Waterford v Galway United; St Patrick’s Athletic v Bohemians; Shelbourne v Drogheda. Tomorrow: Sligo Rovers v Dundalk.

First Division – Tonight: Bray Wanderers v Cork City; Wexford v Cobh Ramblers; Finn Harps v Athlone Town; Treaty United v UCD. Tomorrow: Longford Town v Kerry (7.30pm).