Fatherhood has given Ciaron Harkin fresh Derry City goals for 2021

CIARON HARKIN admits he became disillusioned and questioned his passion for Derry City after his “worst season” in football last year.
Ciaron Harkin pictured with his partner Demi Gallagher and their eight weeks old daughter Indie Gallagher Harkin. Photos: George Sweeney.Ciaron Harkin pictured with his partner Demi Gallagher and their eight weeks old daughter Indie Gallagher Harkin. Photos: George Sweeney.
Ciaron Harkin pictured with his partner Demi Gallagher and their eight weeks old daughter Indie Gallagher Harkin. Photos: George Sweeney.

For a player who grew up supporting his hometown team, travelling regularly on supporters’ buses to away games, 2020 became a series of frustrations which festered a disenchantment that ultimately led to ‘Jackie’ questioning his love for the club.

The Creggan man, who was limited to just nine starts in the 21 game truncated campaign, at one point scanned the City dressing room and felt the team was ‘unrecognisable’ with few players willing to ‘fight for the badge’.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The fact the season declined into a near relegation battle wasn’t surprising given the team had seemingly lost its appetite.

Ciaron 'Jackie' Harkin enjoying being back at pre-season training last week.Ciaron 'Jackie' Harkin enjoying being back at pre-season training last week.
Ciaron 'Jackie' Harkin enjoying being back at pre-season training last week.

And having fought so hard the previous season to clinch European football, Harkin says it was a bitter pill to swallow when players fresh through the Brandywell gates were given the nod ahead of him when Derry met FK Riteriai in the one-legged Europa League qualifier in Lithuania.

However, with last season’s forgettable campaign now firmly placed in the past, Harkin is hoping to rediscover his passion and is bracing himself for the biggest season of his career. At 25 years of age, he believes he’s approaching his peak and is determined to establish himself in the Derry City midfield this year.

He became a first time father just before Christmas as his partner, Demi Gallagher gave birth to their daughter, Indie. And with his current City contract expiring at the end of the season, he’s now got an added incentive to ensure he gets offered an extension.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s what I need to get back (his passion) and what I need to remember because last year it sort of went away,” admits the midfielder.

Harkin pictured in action against Shamrock Rovers' Aaron McEneff and Ronan Finn at Brandywell during the successful 2019 season.Harkin pictured in action against Shamrock Rovers' Aaron McEneff and Ronan Finn at Brandywell during the successful 2019 season.
Harkin pictured in action against Shamrock Rovers' Aaron McEneff and Ronan Finn at Brandywell during the successful 2019 season.

“It didn’t actually feel like I was playing for Derry City anymore,” he says frankly. “I was coming in and we wanted to just get the games done and looking around the changing room, it didn’t really feel like I was playing for Derry City who I’ve supported all my life.

“That’s what I need to get back and Decky (Devine) is obviously doing his best to get that feel back into the club. Hopefully when we look around the changing room this year we see boys who want to fight for the badge.

“I know it’s easy to say I will go out and give it my all because I’m from Derry but I still need to be good enough. I still need to be the right fit for what the team needs.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Harkin proved a revelation when he was brought back to the club by Devine at the start of the 2019 season, epitomising the workrate, pride and identity Devine had made his mission to instil in the dressing room.

Harkin and his eight month old daughter Indie.Harkin and his eight month old daughter Indie.
Harkin and his eight month old daughter Indie.

And while the Covid-19 pandemic, player departures and an unprecedented campaign predictably led to inconsistency, Harkin admits he found his exclusion from the starting XI difficult to accept.

Despite just those nine starts, the midfielder did play a part in every game but he won’t be satisfied to warm the bench this season as a bit-part player.

With central midfielders Conor McCormack, Jake Dunwoody, Conor Clifford and Gerardo Bruna moving on, only Jack Malone, Joe Thomson and Harkin remain at Brandywell to battle it out for a place in the City midfield but he’s leaving nothing to chance as he looks to make an impression during pre-season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I felt I wasn’t given a proper chance to get my spot in the team last year. We had a lot of midfielders and obviously results weren’t the best and there was a lot of chopping and changing in the team but, for me, playing nine games out of 21 isn’t good enough and I hope that doesn’t happen again this year.

“I want to play all the games, never mind being on the bench for one game. Even if there are three games in a week, I want to play all three of them. That’s just the type of player I am and I feel, if I’m fit, I’m able to do that.”

Given the disappointment of last year’s European experience, he’s eager to help the club get back into the Europa League which he believes should be the target.

“The year before last we did well getting into Europe. We had a good squad and a good season where we got to the cup final as well. It was a good year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The first day back in pre-season you’re looking forward to it and players have signed because they know we’ve got European football and everyone is excited for it.

“It came around and we went to Lithuania. I wasn’t in the starting line-up for the game before that so when it was coming up to Europe I didn’t think I would be starting and I wasn’t. I was very disappointed.

“It was only one leg and I didn’t get a chance to give it a proper go in Europe. It made it even worse when we got beat. It really was disappointing considering the amount of work we put into it the year before to get there.

“Obviously a lot of the new lads that came into the team weren’t there the year before to put in the hard work and yet they got the start ahead of me, that made it harder to take.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I know teams change and there are a lot of players who helped get us there the year before who weren’t there but I was glad to be one of the players that was still there. I was just so disappointed not to be in the team.”

The approach of a new campaign, the return of some familiar faces in David Parkhouse, Danny Lafferty and Danny Lupano, and a different direction in terms of transfer policy at the club has brought about renewed optimism.

“It’s exciting to be back,” he said as City returned to pre-season last week. “It’s been too long and it’s great to be back in training again. Pre-season, I’m sure, will fly in and we’ll be back playing matches in no time.

“It’s a full season so I’ll be glad to get more games under my belt. It’s a full campaign rather than half a season where you don’t know what’s going on. This year will hopefully be a bit different and won’t be as stop/start.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Personally I think last year, lockdown and Covid ruined everything for everybody but for me obviously football was still going ahead, I just wasn’t getting the game-time.

“It just wasn’t a good year for me on the pitch but I’m hoping I get a lot more game time this year and get a good run at it.

“You can see how many of the players from last year have gone, some of them who played in my position. There’s only Jack Malone and Joe Thomson still here whereas last year there were four other boys who were playing in front of me.

“Even from the nine games I did play, I might have played on the right wing five times. It was just frustrating and I didn’t know where I stood. Hopefully I can get my spot and give it a good go this year.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Devine and his new look coaching staff know mistakes were made last year during what was a uniquely challenging season and Harkin expects this year to be a lot different.

"My main thing is to make sure I’m the best I can be when we go into pre-season and give him no choice. If it comes to the point where I felt I wasn’t getting the right chances then maybe it would be time to talk about it. I wouldn’t be happy to be on the bench all the time.”

While Man City starlet, Joe Hodge has been heavily linked with making a loan move to Foyleside, an addition which would make that midfield area ultra competitive, Harkin hopes he can get the chance to develop an on-field relationship with his good friend, Jack Malone this year.

“I’d like that. Myself and Jack would be very close and would like to play together. I don’t think we’ve ever got to play together before. It would work given our relationship off the pitch as well. I think the two of us would certainly give it our best.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I don’t want to be making the team just because there’s not enough players, I want to be good enough to be in the team and hopefully we do strengthen our team as we want the best chance of getting as far up the table as possible.”

Harkin won the Irish Cup during a hugely successful spell with Coleraine in the Irish League but he’s desperate to win silverware with his beloved Candy Stripes. This year he will once again share the responsibility of being the club’s vice captain and it’s a role he’s relishing.

“It’s probably the biggest season of my career. Last year was a waste of a year for me in football. It was probably the worst year I’ve ever had in football so this year I’m looking to bounce back and have the best year.

“It’s coming at a good time. I’m 25 and coming into the peak of my career and I want to be doing as best as I can. Over the next few years I need to be coming to my peak and getting the best chance possible.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With an eight week old baby in the household, Harkin’s going to have his challenges off the pitch as well but he believes his daughter has given him the inspiration to take his game onto the next level this year.

“We’re doing well and she’s amazing,” he beamed. “It probably hasn’t really hit me yet. I just wake up every day and look at her and think, ‘Is she really mine?’

“I haven’t got into a proper routine yet getting back to football so that’s what I will work on over the next week or two, getting that routine as obviously that’s my job. You need your sleep and recovery time. It’s not the kind of job you can go in and wing it. I have to perform at my best every day.

“It’s about getting into a good routine so that I can give my best in training and in games. It’s different but we will do what we can to make it work for us.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Over the past year I counted myself lucky to be under contract because I have seen people coming to the end of the season and not knowing what they were going to do, not knowing what they were going to have to do for money, whether they would have to go and find work because of Covid and stuff.

“I was lucky to be still in contract and very glad of that income considering we were having a baby. It’s something I have to consider now that I have a baby to look after.”

Improving on last season’s team performance isn’t much of a challenge but Harkin’s hoping the club can put the disappointments to bed and compete for European football again in 2021.

“I’ve been at Derry now two seasons and one has been great and one has been bad. I want to get back to how we were doing things that first year. We got top four and got into Europe. For me it was a successful season so that’s probably the least I would want. Anything lower than that isn’t good enough!

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Last year wasn’t good enough and just to try and better last year isn’t good enough for Derry City either. Getting back into European football and into the top four is the least Derry City should be looking for.”

That journey starts at Longford on March 20th next and Harkin hopes to set down an early marker.

“You need to be getting off to a good start and getting as many points as you can as quickly as you can because it flies in at the start of the season. Most of the games are during that first half of the season.

“Everyone looks forward to the first game of the season, no matter who it’s against, whether it’s the champions or the team who just came up so we will look forward to it and we have six weeks to prepare.

“From when we go in on the first day of pre-season that’s our aim, to make sure we’re at our best for Longford.”

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.