James Akintunde 'devastated' at Derry City departure

James Akintunde admits he is ‘devastated’ to be leaving Derry City after almost two and a half years at the Brandywell.

The striker has not been offered a new deal by manager Ruaidhri Higgins, who has moved quickly to boost his striking options by signing former UCD forward Colm Whelan on a two-year deal.

Akintunde arrived as a relative unknown when he was signed by Declan Devine back in July 2020, but he leaves as a fans’ favourite, having made 87 appearances and scored 16 goals in just over two seasons. His final appearance came as a substitute in the FAI Cup Final win over Shelbourne at the Aviva Stadium, a day he described as the most important of his career.

“The cup final was a special day for me. It was probably the biggest day in my football career so it was a day I will never forget,” he said. “I had my family and my friends over and there were around 20,000 fans there from Derry and the whole city was backing us so to see that in the Aviva was very special.

“The last few years I was welcomed by everyone with open arms so to leave now is a bit devastating. I enjoyed it at Derry, I just felt at home. I’ve been with quite a few teams, but this was the team I settled in the most. I’ve had some memorable times at Derry and it ended with winning the cup, so to leave on a high like that is really amazing.”  

Akintunde made 68 appearances under Ruaidhri Higgins, which is only bettered by Cameron McJannet (69). This past season however, he started just 17 times and made 21 appearances off the bench, which, when compared to just two substitute appearances in the 2021 season, meant that the striker’s time was limited. Despite that, he enjoyed his most clinical spell at the club, scoring 8 goals, including last minute winners at Bohemians and Finn Harps.

“It was really difficult,” he admitted. “We had a great team this year and we finished second and won the cup so there was always good competition there. There are good players and it is a good team as well, but I can’t even complain because sometimes I would come off the bench and score last minute winners, which is just as good as starting.

“This season we created more chances as a team and we scored more goals than last year, hence why we finished second. Realistically I probably could have got more, but I did manage to get double what I got the season before.”  

The 26-year-old is now deciding on his next move, with a number of options available, but he will never forget his time in the red and white of Derry City.

“I’m just looking for the best option now because I’ve had quite a few offers so I have to look at what’s best for me,” he stated. “I still feel I have a lot to offer, and I just need to make sure that wherever I go next, I just carry on from this season. I’ll only get better, but I had an amazing time at Derry and I wouldn’t change it for the world and I’m just grateful to everyone for having that opportunity.”