Stuart Byrne column: No hiding place for Derry City anymore as they host Shamrock Rovers

Enough of the false dawns, Derry City have to announce themselves as serious title contenders tonight.

They host Shamrock Rovers at the Brandywell and this is the game we’ve all been keeping an eye on for a while.

We expected these two to be up there, and that’s the case at this early stage. What we didn’t know was there would be a couple of others who look capable of staying the pace.

But tonight’s game will give an insight as to where Derry City and Shamrock Rovers are in a league yet to take off.

Teams are still striving for consistency, which is unusual considering it’s almost May - but it’s entertaining,

When Rovers won the first of their four-in-a-row titles, they conceded just seven goals in that Covid-hit 2020 season, reduced to 18 games.

After 10 games this season, the top five have already conceded more than that which suggests defending is a dying art form.

More and more of the smaller clubs are pulling off results against bigger teams - think of Drogheda against Derry last week. Nobody fears the big clubs anymore.

You see it in England too, with the less fashionable Premier League clubs sticking out their chest and having a go. You won’t get an easy game in the League of Ireland either, which is the way it should be.

Derry's Danny Mullen and Dave Webster of Drogheda
(Image: ©INPHO/Tom Maher)

But tonight’s game is a proper litmus test.

I was at the Brandywell for the corresponding fixture last season when - on May 1 - Rovers beat Derry 2-0. Richie Towell scored and Jack Byrne ran the show before getting on the scoresheet himself.

Watching that game unfold, I knew Derry wouldn’t be title contenders. Their body language screamed as much. And that rubs off on everyone, from supporters to players.

If you’re not putting out the message that you’re serious title contenders, it has a negative effect on everyone.

Expectation is huge at any club but you need that pressure to fuel you. You can’t win anything without pressure and that’s why Derry must put their title credentials on the line tonight. Not just for their fans, but for themselves.

When a team wins a league title, they can point back to one or two games over the season where the mindset changed and you started to believe. You might think it’s too early for that, but it’s not.

Derry have to show up tonight because all of the draws and goals they are shipping will catch up with them eventually.

Drawing four and losing two of your opening 10 games is hardly inspiring stuff yet they sit second in the table. Ruaidhri Higgins’ men are getting away with it because all the other teams are taking points off each other.

Rovers are starting to pick through the gears so Derry need to up their performance levels before it’s too late. Whether they have it in them is the question.

IT'S ALL A BIT CRICKET

Ollie Byrne would be turning in his grave at the thought of Shels fans donating to Galway United.

I’m referring to the virtual ticket initiative that my old club launched during the week, at the cost of €10 each.

Galway, the club owned by billionaire brothers, are out of pocket as there will be no away fans at tonight’s game. That’s because of the stadium ban slapped on Shels after the pyro incident up in Drogheda.

I’ve no issue with the supporter ban. You have to take your medicine. But in a game where winning is everything, there’s a danger of everyone being a little too nice to each other.

It’s all a bit cricket, isn’t it?

We’re supposed to hate each other!

In the old days, Shels fans would have gone down to Galway on the wind up, opened a few cans outside the ground and sang songs about Galway not getting their money.

PROTEST WITHOUT A POINT

I was annoyed by the referee protest last week.

First, it was poorly executed. Just so feeble. It was like a big secret as nobody had any clarity as to why they were delaying kick-off across the league for five minutes.

Send out a press statement, or put a spokesperson forward during the day. Explain what you're doing.

It eventually transpired that safety concerns and pay issues were at the heart of it.

Now, I understand that the pyro incidents we’ve all seen are unacceptable and there needs to be some effort to protect everyone involved.

But a player was hit by a flare at Richmond Park yet you don’t see players ducking out of games.

I came from an era where we fought tooth and nail for better pay and conditions - even food after matches. But we didn’t strike or put games in jeopardy.

If a football team did what the referees did, they would be fined straight away - so how do the match officials get away with it?

Players serve suspensions when they collect five yellow cards. They serve suspensions when they get red cards, and there’s a fine.Referees get away with an awful lot so please, cry me a river.

There has to be a better way of getting your message across than organising a protest that nobody knows anything about. That just smacks of a group who can’t get their house in order.

SINKING FEELING ALL TOO FAMILIAR

The FAI finds itself in yet another state of flux and we are going nowhere fast. The whole episode is thoroughly depressing.

I don’t think Jonathan Hill will be any loss at chief executive. I struggle to see how he made Irish football any better after three-and-a-half years in charge.

We still don’t have a manager, for goodness sake.

Ireland is experiencing the Celtic Tiger ‘Part 2’. We’ve a strong, vibrant economy and it’s a country where you can get things down. Ireland is laced with opportunity - and money. But Hills FAI failed to tap into any of that.

The FAI’s Facilities plan and Football Pathways venture were nicely put together and well intentioned. But surprise, surprise! They’re gathering dust on the shelf because of poor leadership from the top.

And yet again it's the League of Ireland and grassroots football that pays the price.

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