Derry City boss Tiernan Lynch relishing challenge to knock Shamrock Rovers and Shels off their perch'

The Belfast man has big plans for the Foylesiders but he's realistic and knows his record-breaking success at Larne Football Club doesn't guarantee him silverware at Derry City.

He won two Gibson Cups, one NIFL Championship, four Co. Antrim Shields and created European history during his time at Larne and now arrives at Brandywell with a burning ambition to leave behind a lasting legacy with the Candy Stripes on and off the pitch.

Creating an enjoyable environment, a professional culture and pride in the club are among his chief objectives. However, the recent heavy loss to Shamrock Rovers in the Uefa Conference League at Windsor Park last month, served to fuel his desire to bring success to Derry City. And that gulf in class on the night still keeps him awake at night.

“I actually haven't slept since that Shamrock Rovers game, and I appreciate you bringing that up again," he laughed. "One of the reasons we came here, that challenge and trying to make sure we can knock teams like Rovers off their perch and Shelbourne off their perch and bring that little bit of pride back here.

"Not something that's going to be easy, not something that I keep saying is a flick of a switch or something that's going to happen overnight. This is a journey, and it's a journey we're very much up for.

"It's a journey that I think will hopefully bring Derry City in a direction that they deserve to be in. It's a great challenge, it's a really exciting challenge, and we actually just can't wait to get started to be honest."

He's here for at least three years and knows it may take time to implement his ideas and emulate the success he's enjoyed at Inver Park.

"I don't think just because you've had success at one club that you're guaranteed success at another," he said. "I think there's no doubt that winning is contagious and our job is to make sure that we can put a winning team on the pitch here, but there's lots of other things that go with just winning football games.

“Winning football games can't be a one-off, not if you're going to try and strive for league titles. There's got to be a consistency there. There's got to be an enjoyment factor for the players, there's got to be an enjoyment factor and pride for the fans.

"There's also got to be a culture, and as was now said on a million occasions, that this is a massive football club with a massive fan base, and our job is to bring all that together, along with trying to put that pride in the city, that we can get more younger players from Derry City pulling on that shirt and running out to you on a Friday evening."

So how exactly does he plan to bridge that gap between Derry and Rovers in particular?

"I think there's a lot of opportunities to implement lots of new structures in the club. The plans the club has and direction the club wants to go, talking about new training facilities.

"Implementing things like education systems, putting new structures into the academy. Producing more of our own players. They are all things that won't be an overnight fix, it's not a flick of a switch. This is something which will take a bit of time and a collective from both the board, the fans, the players and management team.

"We know exactly what we want to do. We have our blueprint in place and today's the first day of trying to implement that."

The plans for the new training facility and the completion of the new Brandywell North Stand next February are steps in the right direction and Lynch knows the full backing of the supporters will be key.

"What we can't do here is we can't challenge and we can't build and we can't grow unless you have the supporters. The one thing I will also guarantee is this isn't going to be a straight line. There will be bumps along the way but as long as we stay together as a collective, I think the fans will see very quickly we're hugely committed and they'll get 100 per cent in everything we do,

“There will be no players who go out on that pitch who aren't committed to Derry City Football Club and take pride in the badge. As long as they see we're prepared to do that I'm hoping and praying that they'll get behind us."