Jamie McGonigle insists there's 'no bad blood' with Derry City but striker has one regret

​The 27 year-old Dungiven man admits last season 'hurt' but insists there's 'no bad blood' between Ruaidhri Higgins and himself and he's excited to prove his worth once more at Coleraine - the team which helped launch his senior career 10 years ago.

He scored 65 goals in 178 appearances during his first spell at the Showgrounds before joining Crusaders for a record-breaking Irish League transfer fee [£60,000] back in 2019.

He was quickly amongst the goals in his first season at Derry, scoring eight times in 18 games when arriving from Seaview as one of Ruaidhri Higgins' first signings in the summer of 2021.

The striker went on to net a total of 28 in 92 appearances during a two-and-a-half year spell on Foyleside, including the opening goal in the 2022 FAI Cup Final victory over Shelbourne at the Aviva Stadium.

Last year, however, was a 'frustrating' one as the former N. Ireland U21 international endured a three month barren spell in front of goal and found himself in and out of the team due to injury and an apparent crises of confidence. He finished the year with just five goals, making just 16 league starts.

McGonigle admits he was reluctant to leave at first but after open and transparent talks with Higgins at the end of the season, it became clear his game time would be limited in 2024 with the imminent arrival of a new No. 9.

It was an amicable departure but McGonigle admits his one regret from a memorable and successful spell at Derry was his unselfish approach and the blunting of his ruthless edge in front of goals.

"My only regret would be that over the past year I wasn't as selfish as I used to be,"said the striker. "Not in a bad way but more demanding of myself and getting into the box to score goals.

"I was probably too focussed on what the team needed rather than being a bit selfish which, to be honest as a striker you probably need to be.

"It was definitely frustrating because since I started my senior career at Coleraine, I've always been involved in goals. I played more in a wide position at the start but I was still chipping in with double figures.

"I started hitting 20 goals a season and then went to Crusaders. That was the Covid year which was cut short and I scored something like 22 or 23 goals up until that point. So I always scored goals.

"Even when I went to Derry I scored eight in that half season. I scored 15 the next full season and last year hurt me more than anything else because it was something I was so used to doing. “All of a sudden it just wasn't happening so it was difficult in that sense.

"Because of what Derry were trying to do and trying to win the league I just wasn’t selfish. I just got on with it and did the job I was asked to do.

"I didn’t score enough goals and went out of the team. Once you're out of the team it's really hard to get back in because if you are thrown on you're not really match sharp. It just didn't happen for me.”

He's determined to rectify that on Friday night should his international clearance come through in time for the Bannsiders' Irish Cup fifth round tie against Cliftonville as he aims to provide the solution to Coleraine's current goal scoring problems.

"All throughout my career I've always been described as a shoot-on-sight person. I'll keep trying and keep shooting from everywhere. This past year I nearly lost that trait and I really should've been more selfish but there's nothing I can do about it now. I can just try and rectify it now for Coleraine.

"I would say that's my only regret from my time at Derry, that I wasn't selfish enough but definitely everything else is all fond memories, good times and I made friends with good people who I will probably be friends with for a long time.

"There's no bad blood there.There's no fall-out. I still get on with everybody. It was all on good terms," he insisted.

McGonigle had another year left on his contract at Derry but that flagging self-belief which comes when a striker goes through a goal drought, affected his game and he believes a fresh start at a club he knows well and a manager he knows inside out, Oran Kearney, was his best move.

He refused to entertain interest in the summer but an approach from Coleraine finally turned his head and after a frantic 36 hours it was done and dusted.

There were other suitors but with a five month-old son and a new house with partner Cara, he was keen to stay in the locality once he realised his Derry days were numbered.

"There were a couple of clubs in the summer showing an interest and obviously Derry still had the European games coming up and I felt I still had a part to play in the season.

"Obviously we were still in the cup at that stage and still well in the title race so it wasn't really ideal to be going anywhere else at that stage.

"So I didn't listen to any offers and when I had an open and honest conversation with Ruaidhri at the end of the season it was made clear Derry were going to sign a striker.

"There was League of Ireland interest over the summer and towards the end of the year because in the conversation I had with Ruaidhri he asked me if I was interested in moving away if I did want to go and play football.

"With me buying a house and having a young kid it wasn't really a feasible option for me to be honest.

"It was obvious, there weren't enough goals scored last season and I would've obviously liked to have contributed a lot more. I wanted to stay and try to prove the doubters wrong.

"I did my work during the off season and all of a sudden then I started to think at my age I need to be playing games and I don't want to waste a year or two of my career if I was to sit on the bench and make an appearance here and there.

"A couple of clubs came in again and literally within the space of 24 or 36 hours it all took off and it was done."

McGonigle believes he returns to Coleraine a more rounded player thanks to his experience with Derry.

“Definitely I feel I'm more of an all-rounded player now whereas when I was at Coleraine at the start it was literally run in behind and that's it. There were no other attributes to my game.

"Now I know positions I should be in defensively to stop a team playing out or breaking lines, I've learned those sorts of things over the past few years.

”With this investment coming into Coleraine and them looking towards full time next year, it was a good choice.

"And everything that comes with it. I've been here before. I know I've scored goals there. Working with Oran again who has worked well with me in the past and it's in the locality.

"So everything sort of fitted into place and I knew it was the place for me to go.

“Hopefully I can hit the ground running. Coming off the back of a frustrating season you want to try and get back up and running as soon as possible because if it lingers on doubts can start to creep in.

"So it was important to work with someone like Oran who knows what pushes my buttons so hopefully we can pick up where we left off and I can start banging them in again.”

It was always his ambition to play for Derry City and he’s grateful for the experience. And McGonigle expects to be back at Brandywell in the coming season as a spectator when he gets the opportunity.

"I'll still be going back to the Brandywell when I can. I used to go loads before but nobody really knew me at that point.

"I used to go loads and I've been with ‘Jackie’ a few times. Hopefully I shouldn't have any problems getting tickets now, hopefully someone can sort me out to get back in.

"I still have friends there and will be keeping in touch with boys, whether that's for games of golf or catching up for a night out or food or whatever but I'll definitely be back at Brandywell.”