Derry City's Ben Doherty setting the bar high ahead of 2024 season kick-off

​Few would have predicted the Culmore man would emerge as one of Derry's most consistent and effective performers when he returned to his hometown club last January on a three-year deal but the versatile full-back always believed he would prove any doubters wrong.

It was never about proving people wrong, however, and more about proving to himself he was more than capable of excelling in the League of Ireland having shown his worth in successful spells with Glenavon, Coleraine and Irish League champions Larne.

During a season where he reached the 100 appearances milestone against Cork City in the penultimate fixture last October, you couldn't have written a better script for the 26 year-old.

The attacking left-back started the 2023 season with a hugely impressive second debut against Shamrock Rovers in the President's Cup at Brandywell and went from strength to strength, contributing nine assists and scoring five goals in 34 appearances - a tally which earned him a place in the PFAI Team of the Year.

Doherty made 59 appearances during his first three year spell on Foyleside before making the decision to leave in search of regular football when joining Glenavon on loan.

So to return and reach the century mark against Cork was a special highlight for him personally.

"The league title was the goal that evaded us last season," he said. "But to make 100 appearances was crazy. The first 59 of those appearances were before I came back and obviously it wasn't how I wanted it to go.

"It was probably the hardest decision of my career to leave at the time but it was something I knew was best for myself.

"I want to be the best version I can be and that wasn't being seen by Derry City fans at the time so I had to go and prove myself. To come back and hit the 100 appearance mark here is incredible and I'm looking forward to this year to add many more."

It'll be difficult to repeat his stellar performances and impressive statistics produced last season having set the bar so high but Doherty believes there's better to come in 2024.

Doherty's goal in the win over Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght and his stunning strike in the 1-1 draw against Shelbourne at Tolka Park were among his personal highlights and he's hoping for more memorable moments in 2024 with the league title high on the priority list.

"In terms of personal highlights it was massive this year and there's a few standouts like the Shamrock Rovers goal, the Shelbourne goal late on when we were down to 10 men to equalise.

"Even the first game back, the President's Cup. That was a massive game against Shamrock Rovers and I think we laid our marker down there at the start of the season.

"Obviously what happened after that didn't go the way we wanted in terms of injuries and some performances towards the end of the season but to come back, that was my first game back and show people I can do it at this level was good.

“I think that sort of set the tone for myself for the rest of the season.

"If I had it in my head I was coming back to prove people wrong I would end up just doing it for last season and then that's it. I'm not that sort of person. I have a high standard for myself that I want to maintain and that high achieving drive to be the best I can be, week in, week out.

"If I'm not playing the best I still want to give everything for my hometown club. For 90 minutes every week I want to be the best version that I can be for myself. It's hard to do that but that's the values I hold for myself.

"It probably exceeded a lot of peoples' expectations [his performances]. For myself I've always had that belief in myself that I could go and do that. I have a high standard for myself so for me to be able to maintain that for 95 per cent of the season was massive for me.

"Coming back and being consistent, performing week in and week out was a big thing I wanted to do. I know all the talk all year has been about me coming back and trying to prove people wrong but it's not about proving people wrong it's about proving to myself that I can play at that level.

"Hopefully this year I can go and do the same again. I'll obviously re-evaluate and set my own targets for the year ahead. I don't like to look too far ahead. I'll focus on a good preseason with the boys.

"Once the fixtures came out we all had that one goal to work towards - that first game of the season and then we'll just take it from there."

Derry's pre-season is well underway and they got their first friendly fixture under their belts with a 2-2 draw against Finn Harps at Ballybofey on Sunday afternoon. Doherty, who was denied a first half goal by a decent save from Harps keeper, Tim Hiemer, was delighted to get back on the pitch after several tough weeks of running and fitness testing.

"No one looks forward to that part but it's the part that needs to be done. We probably didn't benefit from a good enough preseason last year.

"I was only in the door so didn't experience the whole thing or this part of it anyway. I don't know how that went but I don't think it was the way the club wanted it done with the weather, games being called off, pitches. so we just didn't get the bit of luck we needed.

"This year everyone went away and did the programme and we can all hit the ground running hopefully."

Derry’s next pre-season friendly is a trip to the Sligo Showgrounds on Thursday before a clash with Glenavon at Mourneview Park on Tuesday, January 23rd.

A pre-season training camp, likely to be in Dublin, is also pencilled in ahead of a tricky start to the new campaign at home to Drogheda, away to Sligo before a double header against St Pat's and Shamrock Rovers.

"There's no easy game in the league. I know it's a cliche but there isn't. Last year we dropped points to Drogheda and Sligo which ended up costing us in the end.

"The one that sticks out is the one we went down to Sligo and needed to win to go top of the league and let it slip. Now this year, if we want to do anything those are the games we need to be winning.

“We've got a massively driven squad and it's that league title we have to set that bench for ourselves this year and that’s the number one aim."