Mark Connolly describes Derry City managerial debut as 'an absolute honour'

The former City skipper represented the club 115 times as a player, won an FAI Cup, scored on his debut against Oliver Bond in the cup in 2022 and marked his century of appearances with a headed goal against Waterford in his final season.

Connolly has developed a deep connection with the club and the city he now calls his home. Friday night was another milestone at the club and an occasion he says he'll be 'proud' to tell his kids about in years to come.

He's taken over from Tiernan Lynch on an interim basis and is likely to return to his role as Director of Football when the club finds a permanent successor to the Belfast man who was sacked after 18 months in charge.

If this was an audition for the managerial job, he's been bumped up the queue but it's unclear if that's his immediate intention.

The 34 year-old Monaghan man insists he's happy to fulfil whatever role is needed of him but it's clear he has the football club's best intentions at heart.

With his family present in the Brandywell stands watching him manage Derry City to victory, it was a special moment he'll cherish.

"I actually didn't think about this until just before the walk out onto the pitch," he reflected afterwards. "It was an absolute honour. "Taking that step out, even if it's just for one game I do it, it was an absolute honour. To tell your kids in years to come that you managed Derry City was incredible. Listen, all I want to do is make everyone proud and happy.

"It's been probably a mad few months with retiring, moving into Director of Football and then being asked to take over. I have a real love and passion for this football club and whatever I'm asked to do I'll do it."

The mood shift at the Lone Moor Road venue was palpable as the toxicity and tension which had permeated the stands over the past six months were replaced by a sense of relief and enjoyment.

Lynch's 18-month tenure was tumultuous and had reached the point of no return, his relationship with the fanbase seemed irreconcilable. Connolly's mission is to galvanise the club and Friday's performance was a dream start - the only caveat being Sligo were toothless and inevitably on their way to the First Division!

"It's exciting times," he beamed. "At the moment, we're looking to build a culture at the football club and put everything back together in what we're trying to do. Galvanise everybody and get the whole city behind us, behind the whole club, everyone sticking together, rolling our sleeves up and pushing forward. We have some good players so hopefully we can kick on.

"Everything has been an absolute whirlwind. It's been crazy. It's been so enjoyable. Thankfully there's a group of boys there that are good lads and good players and give absolutely everything. So for me that's easy. Behind that we have really good people at the club.

"Staff on the footballing side, people in the office, Philip O'Doherty, Patrick Simpson - so many people behind the scenes are trying to push this club forward. As a player you don't see it as much, but now I see it."

Connolly wanted his team to play with attacking freedom, express themselves, and release them from the shackles and fear of losing that has haunted a disastrous league campaign. They responded.

"It's easier standing on the pitch so it is," he laughed when asked how he felt during the game. "I think I did more running on the sidelines than I did on the pitch on a Friday night over the years. It was a good win in the end. The boys were absolutely outstanding. "Their workrate, determination and desire. The quality in the end to get the goals. I'm just super, super proud of them.

Ultimately they showed what Derry City is all about.

"We could've had two, potentially three if I'm being greedy in the first half. In the second half we scored two but could've had a few more. It's a win. Three points which is massive. As an ex-defender a clean sheet is absolutely huge," he smiled.

Given how quickly events transpired from Wednesday morning when Lynch's contract was terminated and Connolly thrust into the front lines, there was little time for the ex-Dundee United man to put his stamp on the team. Whatever was said worked.

"It's very, very difficult. I tried to minimise the amount of information yesterday because it's such a short turnaround. I just told them to play with freedom. I said 'listen boys, we have an outstanding squad. Go play with freedom. Express yourselves and show everyone what you're about with the ball. Ultimately, work your socks off. Give absolutely everything'. To a man, even the boys who came on, were incredible."

James McClean's social media posts had undermined Lynch's position and perhaps blew the fuse which put the lights out on the Belfast man's reign. His absence from not only the squad but also the stadium was telling fuelling speculation about his future at the club. It appears to be a complex matter Connolly refused to expand on when asked about the Ireland centurion's situation.

"Tonight I'll just be speaking about the players here and everything that's happened with the players tonight. I don't want to take away from that. They've been outstanding.

Connolly made four changes from the team which drew 1-1 against St Pat's in Richmond Park but how difficult did he find selecting his first ever Derry City team?

"It was difficult. I tried to say that to the boys because there will be times, for as long as I'm actually picking teams, you could be man of the match tonight and next week the game might change and might not suit the way you play so we might change it up.

"Ultimately we have a fantastic squad. There will be players disappointed. Even the players that didn't play tonight, how their reaction was and how they behaved was a breath of fresh air. That's what we're trying to build.

"I look at teams like Shamrock Rovers where someone could play three games in a row and be amazing and then might not play for three games. That's what a squad is about and what a team is about.

"That's what we're trying to build here: a culture where every single player, staff, and fan is moving in the one direction and aligned in what way we're going. We're going to need everyone from now until the end of the season and moving forward.

"It takes time. It's not ideal at times but we're going to push this club forward. We're an absolute monster of a club and we'll get there." As much as it was a perfect night for Connolly and the club, he knows they must back it up as attention turns to UCD in the FAI Cup next weekend.

"I told that to the boys. I said there's no point in thinking that's us, that's everything done. We want to push on and this is a good marker for us to do that. Sligo are a tough team. I can't remember ever having an easy game against Sligo. ”They're a good team and well setup by Darren [Purse]. I knew going into it, this would be a really tough game but ultimately it's one where we got a win, two goals and a clean sheet and we have to kick on from here."