Eoin Toal 'honoured' to be appointed Derry City captain

Eoin Toal was handed the captain's armband at training this morning.

The 21 year-old takes up the mantle following the departure of Conor McCormack to Galway United and Devine insists he had no hesitation in handing the responsibility to his talented central defender at the start of his fifth year at the Brandywell.

"Eoin is a fantastic lad who is well respected by everyone at the club," said the City boss. "He is just 21 years of age but already has loads of experience and knows the club inside out."

"I like the leadership qualities in his style of play and believe it makes him an ideal choice for the role."

"We're looking to build a solid young base to our squad going forward and Eoin is absolutely the right person to lead that."

The new skipper admitted that he was delighted to get the nod and said it was an extra incentive in his preparations.

"Derry City is a huge club and I am honoured to be team captain. I have captained the Northern Ireland under-21's and really enjoyed the experience and I am looking forward to taking on the role at my club."

"We are putting together a great squad of lads who all know what it means to play for Derry City and it will be a real thrill to lead the team out."

Devine also confirmed that Ciaron Harkin, Ciaron Coll and Danny Lafferty will share vice-captaincy duties for 2021.