Patrick McClean leads Derry through the media storm with a captain’s display
PATRICK McClean earned glowing praise from Derry City interim boss Mark Connolly after leading the Brandywell side to a 1-0 win over St Pat’s with a man-of-the-match display amid the controversy surrounding his brother James.
Connolly admitted he considered whether handing the 29-year-old McClean the captain’s armband in Michael Duffy’s absence would heap further pressure on the defender, given the ongoing row between his older brother and the club which continues to hit national headlines.
But any concerns proved unfounded as the Derry man produced an heroic performance at the heart of the City defence, prompting Connolly to hail his leadership and mentality.
“You’ve got to admire it, don’t you?” Connolly said when asked how Patrick had dealt with the intense scrutiny surrounding his brother’s continued exile from his hometown club.
“Paddy was made captain because he’s a leader. He’s a Derry man and plays with complete and utter pride.
“His mentality, attitude, quality – everything about him has been absolutely outstanding. I seen when he put on that armband tonight, he grew a few inches taller.
“I was watching him and some of the stuff he was doing, I was thinking, ‘How good is that as a centre-half?’ "I’m delighted for him. Overall, I’m just delighted for the whole team.”
The furore surrounding James had threatened to overshadow Monday night’s meeting with the Saints following his recent newspaper interview in which he spoke about men’s mental health.
However, Patrick kept his focus firmly on the task at hand, delivering a performance that left his manager in no doubt about his strength of character.
“You just get on with it as best you can,” Connolly said. “I don’t want to take anything away from Patrick tonight. He was incredible. His attitude — a lot of people might struggle with that.
“I obviously thought when I was putting that captain’s armband on him tonight, ‘Am I putting more pressure on him?’
“He just showed everything I absolutely love about him. His attitude since I came into the football club has been incredible and I’m so, so pleased with him.”
The Monaghan man revealed he had little need to offer his stand-in skipper any special words of encouragement ahead of the game; Patrick’s reaction to being handed the armband told its own story.
“Patrick is a very strong-minded boy as well. As you can see, I didn’t really have to speak with him. I told him just before the game, “You’re captain tonight. You deserve it,’ and there was a big smile on his face when he went out.
“I think that tells you everything you need to know about Patrick McClean.”
Connolly believes the defender’s performances are now setting the standard for his team-mates, with his commitment to the cause having a 'ripple effect' inside the dressing room.
“Paddy’s mentality and attitude and performances, and being a Derry boy - he’s showing now what it means to play for this football club, and that has a ripple effect on every player in the dressing room,” he said.
“He fully deserved to be captain tonight. When you talk about captain’s performances, I was captain here last year and I never ever put in one of those performances. I’m super proud of him. He was outstanding.”