Candystripes welcome in-form Galway as hunt for European football heats up

Mark Connolly’s charges shared the spoils with the league’s form team Waterford at the RSC on Monday evening, as goals from Adam O’Reilly and Michael Duffy were cancelled out by Padraig Amond and Evan McLaughlin to move the Candystripes to within three points of Dundalk, who occupy the final European berth.

It has been an unlikely turnaround given the Foylesiders’ lowly standing when Tiernan Lynch parted ways with the club in early August. However, since Connolly came in on an interim basis, the Candystripes have seen a considerable uptick in form, suffering just one defeat in seven games and securing a place in the Club Orange FAI Cup semi-final against Galway to look forward to after the international break.

Galway, however, are in a rich vein of form themselves, losing just once in their previous 10 games as they await Connolly’s charges in the cup semi-final in mid-October. The only defeat each side has suffered in their previous seven games came at the hands of high-flying Bohemians, who find themselves embroiled in the table-topping title race alongside Dublin rivals Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic.

Last time out, the Westerners secured a 3-1 victory over Connacht rivals Sligo Rovers, with captain Jimmy Keohane netting a brace to leapfrog Shelbourne into sixth place. Now, just one point separates Friday’s pair, with Derry hoping to finally begin looking up the table in the run-in to the campaign.

Keohane and Stephen Walsh have been in superb form for the Tribesmen, netting six goals between them in their previous four games, while Cork native David Hurley has been the Westerners’ lynchpin in the middle of the park throughout the campaign.

City will no doubt once again be looking to the brilliance of captain Michael Duffy on Friday evening, with the Foyleside native scoring the winner against Shelbourne last week before following it up with his 11th goal of the campaign against Waterford on Monday evening.

Mark Connolly will surely be hoping another teammate can help take some of the scoring burden off the skipper in the remaining weeks to boost Derry’s chances, but Duffy’s continuing form will be vital to the success of the Candystripes’ season in the coming weeks.

Derry will continue to plan without long-term absentee Darragh Markey, who has been out of action since late June following an Achilles tendon rupture during a home game against Drogheda United. Meanwhile, Carl Winchester remains ruled out with a long-term knee injury sustained in May. Republic of Ireland centurion James McClean continues to be omitted from matchday squads, as the situation surrounding his future at the club remains unclear. John Caulfield, meanwhile, will have close to a full deck to pick from, with the only long-term absentee being Dara McGuinness, who suffered a serious injury towards the end of the 2025 campaign.

Fourth spot may not be enough to guarantee a European berth should the Club Orange FAI Cup be won by a team outside the top three, but Friday evening presents a huge opportunity for Derry to close the gap on a Dundalk team struggling for form, with the Lilywhites having won just once in five games.

Another win at the Ryan McBride Brandywell would put Derry above the Lilywhites on goal difference and into a Conference League spot should the Oriel Park men fail to overcome Shelbourne, providing a welcome boost in the closing weeks of the league. While Friday will not define the season, a win over Caulfield’s men would provide a huge psychological boost for the Candystripes and a significant blow to the Tribesmen ahead of their cup bout next month.