'Bittersweet' Brandywell return for Declan Devine who calls for Derry City fans to unite behind Ruaidhri Higgins

The Creggan man made a winning return to his hometown club with top of the table Bohemians on Easter Monday thanks to a controversial Dean Williams penalty in the second half and the Bohs boss claimed it was a 'bittersweet' feeling.

The narrow win inflicted further misery on Higgins' charges who have failed to win any of their last four home fixtures, scoring just one goal at the Lone Moor Road venue during that run which has seen them slip six points behind the Gypsies.

Dropping 10 points at home from their opening five home matches of the season is a concern for City fans if the club harbour hopes of challenging for the league title this season but Devine reckons his successor will rectify that home form.

"They're a very good side whether that's on grass or on astro," he said when asked if the plastic pitch was holding Derry back. "There were times tonight where they were very open and expansive.

"Look, I think the crowd just have to stay with them. It's so important continuity in terms of everyone pulling together. Ruaidhri is doing a fantastic job, winning an FAI Cup last year.

"Be careful of what you wish for because Derry are a fantastic side with fantastic players and really big players to come back in. So I wouldn't get carried away at this moment in time because there will be a lot of twists and turns as the season evolves."

Devine received a welcome reception from fans in the Mark Farren Stand as he took his place in the opposition dugout for the first time. He served as manager on two occasions at Brandywell and as assistant boss during a hugely successful period for the club under Stephen Kenny.

The former City goalkeeper admits the club has been a significant part of his life as a fan, player and coach but he managed to strip back all the emotions heading into Monday's game despite having that 'weird' feeling of being on the opposition side at a ground where he has so many fantastic memories.

"I've been here for 18 or 19 years of my life. I've had probably every role at the club you could imagine but my life has changed. I've gone to another huge football club in Bohemians and I'm very proud to manage the club. My sole focus is them now.

"A lot of my life memories are built around this ground. It's weird but I have to concentrate on what's best for Bohemians now and that's to be hard to beat and give a good display and try and take three points and thankfully we were able to do that.

"People are brilliant here, they've been a huge part of my life," added Devine. "It's bittersweet leaving here with three points but it's my job. It's what I have to do. I wish Derry all the best, that's the bottom line. It's been a huge part of my life, a huge part of my heart but now I have to take care of what's right for Bohemians Football Club. It's great to see a lot of faces again. They just have to get behind Ruaidhri now and help move the club on."

When parting ways with Derry after a poor run of results in May 2021, Devine took some time out of the game to reflect but he insists he always backed himself to bounce back.

"I'm a good manager. I've been involved in the game all my life. I haven't had another job. I'm a very good manager and whether it was at Bohs or elsewhere I believe in myself," he added. "I built good teams and play a good style of football. It was a brilliant opportunity to work at a top club but I back myself, I always have. I have had a fantastic career to date and I don't plan on going anywhere soon."

Bohemians bounced back from a home defeat of their own at the hands of champions Shamrock Rovers last Friday but Devine isn't getting carried away with his team's excellent start to the season.

"It's a huge win for us. I think it's been a long time, since 2019, that Bohs have beaten Derry but more importantly it was a massive response to our defeat on Friday night. We showed tremendous character. They did things that we asked them to do. We showed real moments in games where we had to dig deep and a way of defending.

"We're just starting and want to continue to improve but this will certainly give the boys a lot of confidence to come to a venue like this. That's here, we went to Inchicore, we went to Turner's Cross, so we've gone to difficult venues and picked up wins and that's testament to the players."

There's no doubting the controversial penalty decision awarded by Neil Doyle for a foul on Kris Twardek was a bitter pill to swallow for City players but Devine backed the official, claiming he was 'one of the best' in the country.

"Listen, we're all annoyed when things go against us. We had a player sent off at Shelbourne that was never a sending off. What I will say is that Neil Doyle is one of the best referees in the country and I back him 100 per cent. I think he's an outstanding referee. I always think when he's doing the game he'll do it fairly. I haven't seen it back so I can't really comment on it.”