Derry City's pre-season hype shows no signs of fading after opening day draw

City fans were swept up in a tidal wave of expectation after one of the most remarkable, high profile transfer windows in quite some time with hundreds of travelling supporters in fine voice braving the elements to make their way to Oriel Park.

And after 90 plus minutes of pulsating action that close season hype and renewed hope shows no signs of fading after a dramatic 2-2 draw against a Dundalk side which did enough to suggest they will also be amongst the runners and riders at the top end of the table this season.

As for Derry, if this performance is a sign of things to come then the Brandywell support is in for a real treat. Debutante Brandon Kavanagh showed glimpses of his undoubted attacking talent while Cameron Dummigan was composure personified and added so much to both defence and attack.

Ireland U21 international Brian Maher was preferred to Nathan Gartside in goal and while he conceded twice, he can take little blame for either. The ex-St Pat’s and Bray stopper produced several smart saves and has real confidence in his distribution and kicking abilities.

The classy Will Patching, on his second debut, showed in flashes what he brings to the table and what a fantastic sight it was to see Patrick McEleney back in the red and white when he came off the bench in the second half.

Ruaidhri Higgins has an array of attacking options at his disposal, including goalscorer Joe Thomson and James Akintunde, who produced a fine assist for the unplayable Jamie McGonigle. With Michael Duffy, missing with a hamstring injury, still to come into that equation it’s a frightening prospect for opposition defences should Higgins fit all the pieces of the jigsaw together in his favoured 3-4-3 formation.

McGonigle, Derry’s top scorer last season after just half a campaign, appears to have taken his game up a level based on Friday night and the Dungiven man, who finished with a goal and a stunning assist, could easily have been bringing the match ball back north!

Striking the crossbar twice in a matter of minutes at the death, McGonigle has proved a constant thorn in Dundalk sides with three goals against the Lilywhites in as many matches and his manager has simply run out of superlatives for the ex-Coleraine hitman.

The overall performance wasn’t perfect by any stretch but Storm Eunice played its part with snow and blustery winds blowing across the 4G pitch, while it’s only natural that it’ll take several competitive games before the new recruits settle in completely with their new teammates. Derry’s midfield, at times, was exposed and will certainly have to tighten up and protect the back four better against a more ruthless Shamrock Rovers on Friday.

Higgins insisted afterwards that ‘getting a point at Oriel Park is never a disaster’ and while McGonigle came within the width of the crossbar of clinching all three points, Maher was forced into some important saves while Ciaron Harkin made a vital last ditch tackle to deny Robbie Benson a certain goal from 12 yards.

All-in-all, Higgins felt it was a ‘fair result’. His team has taken that never-say-die attitude from last season into the new campaign as they twice fought back and Higgins was delighted with the character and resolve displayed by his troops.

“Listen, I know we’ve hit the woodwork a couple of times and could’ve won it in the end but I think a point apiece is probably fair on reflection,” he insisted.

“The most positive thing to come from the game is that we’ve come from behind twice and stuck at it and nearly won it.”

Derry earned 13 points from losing positions under Higgins last season, including three against Dundalk at Oriel Park on the final day of the campaign, and while it’s an admirable trait, the

City boss will be hoping his team can eliminate ‘sloppy goals’ like the Lilywhites’ second, scored from a Daniel Kelly corner and headed in by Mark Connolly.

“It was similar last year. The first 20 or 25 minutes of the second half was disappointing. We had the elements (in their favour) and didn’t take advantage of it. They landed on more second balls and did all the scrappy stuff better than us and it was a night for rolling up your sleeves.

“We did have moments when we looked really, really dangerous in the final third. On another day, Jamie’s one goes underneath the bar and he hits the bar just before that as well. I think it was a decent game considering the conditions.

“For their second goal, when it gets caught in the air and it can swirl around it’s a lottery but you still don’t get any joy in conceding from set-plays. We don’t want to do that, we want to eliminate that. None of the best teams concede many from set-plays. It’s a scrappy goal.

“Our goals were great goals. Jamie does brilliant, breaks down the right, puts a brilliant pass across and Joe rams it home. It was a similar goal but from the opposite side for the second but we’ve had to really earn our goals.”

Six of the last nine matches between Derry and Dundalk in all competitions have finished in 2-2 draws and while it could’ve been more for the visitors, the result ensures the early optimism and promise around Foyleside rumbles on.

And with the visit of champions Shamrock Rovers to a packed Brandywell next Friday night, that opening night performance has only served to further whet the appetite.