European Journeys, Internal Competition and my first communion money

Sitting down to a breakfast fry in a Torshavn hotel on the morning of Derry City’s return to European football, I felt a buzz that I haven't felt since 2006. Having bowed out without a whimper at the same stage last year against Riga, this felt a little different – more optimistic.

Torshavn itself is a small fishing village in the Faroe Islands, and home to Derry’s opponents. The night before, alongside the travelling contingent, where we had a few pints in Torshavn’s only Irish bar, listening to the great Marty Healy serenading Philip O’Doherty with a song about winning the league. Priceless. It had all started so well.

Suddenly, out of the blue, the server in the cafe sits my bill in front of me. After rubbing my blood-shot eyes and bringing the bill closer and then further away, then closer again, a quick item check saw me realise that I had finally found somewhere more expensive than Dublin - €30! For a drop of tea and a fry you wouldn’t get in a petrol station at home.

After putting away what was left of my first communion money, I walked towards the Tòrsvøllur stadium. The Faroes’ national mecca is a beautifully built 6,500-seater stadium, which has likely never been packed since its development.

As I approached it, I couldn’t help but imagine how incredible something similar would look situated on the Lone Moor road - maybe one day.

In truth, the match itself was nothing more than a technical and tactical battle, resulting in a 0-0 draw. Typically, away from home in Europe, you would see that as a good result, but you could not help but feel that the hosts were there for the taking. Nonetheless, a rare Sadou Diallo header clinched progression to the next round at the return leg last week, and as is the romance that comes with European football, City fans could start to dream of a similar odyssey to that of 2006.
Derry’s next opponents may prove a more difficult test.

Finnish side, KuPS, are a decorated club – winning the Finnish top flight six times, the Finnish Cup four times and the League Cup once. However, in European competition, KuPS have been the definition of a mixed-bag since 2010, winning six, losing six and drawing five, with the highlight being reaching the third qualifying round back in 2012/13.

Currently 17 games into their league campaign, KuPS sit second, just three points behind leaders, SJK. KuPS hit a purple patch from the end of April until the end of June, recording 11 wins and losing only once, and more critically, only conceding two goals during this time.

Overall, they seem defensively sound, conceding just 11 goals in 17 games, but interestingly, have only scored 22 goals in that time.

Most recently, form has dipped, with the club winning only once in their last four outings.
The big threat for Derry will be the attacking midfielder Urho Nissila, the 27-year-old number 10 has been capped by Finland 12 times, and has found the net on six occasions for KuPS this season. Usually, Nissila would be supported by midfield partner Joona Veteli, who has five goals to his name so far, but he will miss the game through injury.

The Scandinavian leagues are known for producing solid, technical sides – and it looks as if KuPS will be no different. With Derry having the best defensive record in the League of Ireland so far this season, I can see another tense, tactical battle ahead.

For Derry City, it is exciting to finally see Ruaidhri being able to work off essentially a fully-fit squad. The likes of Patrick McEleney, Cameron Dummigan, Michael Duffy and Mark Connolly, have all missed considerable playing time this season with injuries. Having players of this quality return to fitness will undoubtedly give the whole club a boost, alongside the integration of the two recent additions – Paul McMullan and Danny Mullen.

In my opinion, the first leg in the Brandywell will be a typical European tie – two teams sussing each other out, particularly in the first half. The dilemma for the Derry Management team will face though will be if its 0-0 with 30 minutes remaining, do they push forward looking for a goal, or take their chances with scoring in Finland?

It is a dilemma that you see cropping up more and more since the removal of the away goals rule - home teams not being offensive enough when they have home advantage. It’s much easier playing on the front foot in the second leg in front of your home fans.
Should Derry progress, the reward would be a potentially mouth-watering tie against Swiss giants FC Basel, or Kazakh side Tobol Kostanay.
I can tell you one thing; I’d say the breakfast in either of those places wouldn’t be as bad as Torshavn! Will we get to find out? I hope s I see one goal separating Derry and KuPS over the two legs, with Derry progressing with a late goal on Thursday night.
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Away from Europe, there was also the small matter of launching a defence of the FAI Cup, which a much-changed Derry duly obliged with a 3-0 win over First Division side, Athlone Town.

In a game that only sprang into life in injury time, one player of note was the Athlone striker, Frantz Pierrot. The Haitian centre-forward has 15 goals in 22 games so far this season – a strong return. Having floated around leagues in the US, including the Eastern NY league for FC Westchester (I played in that league myself until 2016 – a highly competitive league with some very good players), he has ended up in the midlands by grace of Ollie Horgan-esqe scouting.

From my sources, during his time in the NY League, Pierrot was a raw 19-year-old, but displayed a great appetite for learning and improving. One to keep an eye on for as long as he stays on these shores.

But aside from the result and potentially unearthing a leading striker, other major positives to look at for Thursday’s home leg against KuPS was the match sharpness of the returning Duffy, Dummigan, McEleney and Will Patching.

The recipe for success in sports teams is something that I intend to delve into over the coming weeks, and often one element that goes unnoticed is the importance of internal competition.

This is something that I am starting to see bubbling in the Derry City changing room—a good problem for the management to have.

And speaking of problems – and contrastingly, not a good one to have - Shamrock Rovers continued their shambolic form in the FAI Cup since 2019 with a 1-0 defeat to Dundalk at Oriel Park, now leaving Rovers with just a single win in their last seven games.

Not winning a game since Derry visited Tallaght Stadium, Rovers now face Hungarian powerhouses Ferencvaros in a bid to salvage some form of European football this season.

Will a European exit help Bradley refocus his side on domestic success? Or can they cause an upset in Budapest this Thursday?

FAI Cup hopes

What a draw as Derry City take on St Patrick's Athletic in the second round of the FAI Cup in the stand-out tie. That is now six home ties in a row for Derry City, what a run. With Shamrock Rovers already knocked out, every other club will now see a pathway to the final.

The question I would ask the readers is, does whoever progress from this game automatically become the favorites, for not just the FAI Cup, but also to challenge Rovers for the title?

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