Derry City: Agony, redemption and dramatic comebacks as Brandywell bandwagon rolls on

That's if the opening two fixtures of the season are anything to go by as Josh Thomas' 91st minute winner against Sligo Rovers and Michael Duffy's 98th minute penalty equaliser against Dundalk sent Brandywell into meltdown.

Tiernan Lynch's new-look squad has been installed as one of the favourites for the title and as the Belfast man maintains there's no 'quick fix' - understandably tempering expectations - there's signs that this could be a special year for the Candy Stripes.

Already there's been moments of brilliance; defensive frailties but a resilience and never-say-die attitude that befits a team challenging for honours.

Look no further than Patrick McClean to fit that bill as the Derry man gave his team hope against Dundalk with his first goal in a Candy Striped shirt since April 2019 before a lapse of concentration allowed the visitors in for their second of the night just 17 minutes later.

Twice they went behind but talisman Michael Duffy rescued a deserved point against the team he enjoyed two title successes with as he coolly dispatched that spotkick with the last kick of the game.

Derry should also have been awarded a stone-walled penalty decision when James Clarke was bundled over in the box before Dundalk's opener. Thomas was also taken out by a reckless challenge from Conor Kearns just outside the penalty area which could easily have resulted in the Dundalk keeper seeing red. Those incidents could've changed the entire complexity of the match.

"I actually thought the Josh Thomas one was a sending off," said Lynch. "We watched it back and he went right through. It was outside the box but the goalkeeper came and took him out. I don't understand how that's not a sending off," he added incredulously.

"The James Clarke one looked like a stone-walled penalty but it wasn't to be. I'm proud of the players for coming back the way they did."

The lateness of the goals over the past fortnight might paper over some of the early season cracks which Lynch acknowledges needs addressing.

However, there's enough promise from the last three performances which include a President's Cup Final victory over Shamrock Rovers to keep even the most pessimistic Derry fan dreaming of ending that almost 30 year wait for a league title.

Dundalk were afforded an extra week to prepare for this fixture and had the added advantage of seeing Lynch's hand against Sligo. Ciaran Kilduff played his opening hand well and his game plan was executed to near perfection until the McClean brothers combined from a set piece which Dundalk were particularly vulnerable from.

The First Division champions were seconds away from a statement win but the Co. Louth men know all about Duffy who by his own admission had a 'quiet' game until those closing minutes of stoppage time where he hit the post and then buried his spotkick into the corner.

"If there's anybody you want on it at that stage it's Mickey Duffy and great credit to him because there's a lot of pressure on him at that stage especially at the home end but Mickey does what Mickey does and cool as a cucumber, slots it into the corner," said Lynch afterwards.

The City manager opted to shuffle his pack for 'tactical' reasons with Carl Winchester, who has come up against Daryl Horgan during their respective time in the English leagues, preferred at right back to Alex Bannon who scored a spectacular goal against Sligo last week.

Brian Maher's exclusion from the squad was enforced due to a broken bone in his wrist as teenager Shea Callister came in for his debut and produced two notable saves from Danny Mullen in either half. He could've done better to close down the angle for Gbemi Arubi's close range strike but that's being overly harsh on the youngster who had the unenviable task of replacing one of the best keepers in the league.

Those personnel changes certainly affected Derry's first half performance and with Maher expected to miss the next month at least, and with no recognised right fullback, Lynch may yet be forced to dip back into the transfer market.

"Brian's in a situation where he's going to be out for a couple of weeks," said Lynch. "Shea had to step in tonight and it was a tough game for him to step in. It was a difficult night to be fair but fair play to him he ploughed on and we came away with a draw which we will take and move on.

"We obviously didn't win as many second balls tonight without 'Winny' in the middle of the park," he added when asked why Winchester slotted in at right-back. "What we got in one hand we probably took away in the other.

"It was a very tactical thing. Obviously Carl has played against the lad Horgan on a number of occasions and knows him inside out so it was just something we changed and what we got on one hand we probably lost on the other hand of 'Winny' in the midfield and that tenaciousness and putting out fires and the things he does so well."

It was another slow start, however, that gave Derry an uphill task in the second half.

"It took us to go one behind in the game before we started putting our foot on the ball and started passing it. We had a couple of really good chances we should've done better with.

"We weren't clinical enough but it's very hard to be critical of these boys at the moment; they're giving everything they have.

"There will be bad days and frustrating days like today but we have to keep working our way through this and hopefully we'll be okay.

"This isn't a quick fix. We will have situations like this. It's about trying to find a way and the character in the end but there's so many things we need to do better.

"I thought there were so many positives and so many things we will look back on and be pleased with but then they had two shots on target the whole night and scored both of them.

"That's one of the two big disappointments for us tonight was the two goals we conceded and we didn't convert the chances. It was an unbelievable piece of play down that right hand side and Carl Winchester probably should've been a goal.

"There were a couple of other chances we were disappointed we didn't take. So lots of frustration in there but as we said to the players after the game they have to stick together, get back on the training ground on Monday and we go again."

Dundalk did their utmost to run down the clock and match referee Declan Toland wasn't convinced with either of the two contentious moments in the match where Derry should've been handed an advantage.

And so it was ironic that the match result was decided in the EIGHTH minute of stoppage time by a penalty decision as Rob Cornwall's final tug of Dipo Akinyemi's shirt was one too many.

It wasn't a night for celebration for Lynch or his team but he's not getting carried away at this early stage.

"We would've wanted all six points and we were frustrated but we have to understand we're a new team and we have 10 new players and there's lots of bedding in that goes with that. It is what it is.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with us being frustrated or even a touch of disappointment. We also have to take the positives out of it and some of the stuff we did tonight. That old saying, 'if we can't win, make sure we don't lose'. So we'll take a point and go again."