Are Derry City supporters finally getting what they’ve asked for?

Only time will tell but given the challenges presented by Covid, this could be an opportune time to reboot and place a greater emphasis on the club’s youth academy while a closer knit squad can bring its own advantages.

It’s agreed the Brandywell club can’t continuously rely so heavily on the generous investment of its chairman and the powers that be have elected to take a different approach which means cutting its cloth accordingly this year.

A 30% increase in the playing budget ahead of the 2020 season is in stark contrast to the funds made available this term which will have hampered Devine in his search for new blood.

Fans of the club have been calling for pride in the jersey, the return of local players and for youth players to be given their chance in the first team at the expense of questionable foreign recruits. They’ve also demanded longer contracts for players who have shown their value to the team.

This season those wishes have been granted with the likes of Patrick Ferry and Ronan Boyce elevated into the senior ranks while Danny Lafferty, David Parkhouse, Nathan Gartside and Ciaran Coll have all signed long term deals.

The management team admitted costly mistakes were made last season, particularly on the transfer front, as the club diced with relegation in the closing weeks of the season.

With no European monies to fall back on this season and as a result of chairman Philip O’Doherty’s so-called ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting which involved advice from a previous member of the coaching staff, drastic changes have been made.

There has been greater scrutiny on recruitment, cuts to the playing budget and a changing of the guard in terms of the first team coaching staff.

Now it’s about short term sacrifices for long term gains and ultimately self-sustainability as the club, first and foremost, aim to become more viable as a business.

This can’t, however, come at a cost of missing out on challenging for Europe where the real money is to be made!

While Devine’s job has been made a lot more difficult to attract players to the club and while he’s been forced to trim down his squad accordingly, it has to be said he’s been shrewd with his signings.

The return of Parkhouse, who played a major role in the club’s qualification for Europe during the 2019 campaign, will bring an attacking threat which was so badly missed last year. Walter Figueira and James Akintunde shared the club’s top scorer accolade with four goals apiece in 2020!

And Akintunde, with a full pre-season behind him, promises to be an exciting foil for Parkhouse in attack should Devine play with two up top. Lafferty, who won the First Division title with his hometown club back in 2010, is no doubt a major coup for the City boss and his leadership qualities, professionalism and winning mentality will certainly enhance the group.

Defensively the team looks solid with Darren Cole, Cameron McJannett, Eoin Toal, Danny Lupano, Coll, Lafferty and Boyce providing strength in depth and it will be interesting to see the team operate with two attacking wing-backs this season.

The team doesn’t have the same midfield options in terms of numbers this season with Conor Clifford, Conor McCormack, Jake Dunwoody and Gerardo Bruna all gone but with Jack Malone and Ciaron Harkin, Devine knows the local duo bring workrate, passion and ability to the team.

The arrival of Jack Hodge on loan from Manchester City has also whet the appetite of fans ahead of the new season and it was a sensational coup for Devine.

The Brandywell boss was keen to protect and take the pressure off the 18 year-old’s shoulders and while some fans will have understandably got carried away with pipping League of Ireland rivals for his signature, we must be careful not to expect too much from the Ireland underage star who’s ultimately taking his first steps into senior football.

The fact Man City’s ‘Scholar of the Year’ chose Foyleside to improve his game is something I’m sure Derry will be keen to take advantage of.

Should he do well during his six month loan spell it could perhaps open up further opportunities to strike up a relationship with the English Premiership giants.

The Candy Stripes have already shown the club has real potential for nurturing young talent and providing a platform for promising players to play senior football with Sheffield United, Hull City and Colchester United said to have been impressed with the performances of Parkhouse, Lupano and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe respectively, in recent campaigns.

Devine has said he wants to explore the loan market further and the present situation may breed a more creative kind of scouting as Derry are unable to compete financially with their rivals.

Devine currently has 17 players on his first team panel, including player/coach, Mark McChrystal and it’s understood the playing budget allocated has effectively been used up but he still hopes to add one or two more before the transfer deadline. A smaller squad brings its challenges and Devine will need a certain element of luck when it comes to avoiding injuries.

However, last year the City management found it difficult to form a cohesive group and develop relationships due to Covid restrictions.

A tight knit group who will be better prepared for the challenges they face this season will hopefully benefit the club and create a seige mentality which has worked in the past.

Derry’s biggest handicap last season was the loss of supporters at Brandywell. We still don’t know when fans will be allowed in and indeed how many fans will be permitted in the stands when they are eventually given the green light.

Fans can still play their part, however, with further investment in the club’s Membership Scheme which will hopefully involve some sort of match streaming package in the coming weeks. It will give Devine a stronger footing to build his squad, perhaps in the summer window.

It’s difficult to predict how the season will go. Boylesport have the Candy Stripes at 25/1 for the title behind favourites Shamrock Rovers (4/5), Dundalk (15/8), Bohs (8/1), St Pat’s (12/1) and Sligo (16/1).

Challenging for the title might be wishful thinking but no doubt Devine and his team will be aiming high with European qualification on the agenda, against all the odds.