Shamrock Rovers 0-1 Derry City
With many of their new signings very much to the fore, Derry City threw down a marker for the season ahead as a goal from Darragh Markey brought the President’s Cup back to Foyleside. They impressively saw off double winners Shamrock Rovers in the domestic game's curtain-raiser at Tallaght Stadium.
As was the case last year, Tiernan Lynch’s 2025 runners-up will begin the new campaign as Rovers’ main rivals for their league crown having invested heavily in the close season.
The Candystripes started six of their eight new signings here, chief among them 103-cap former Republic of Ireland international winger James McClean, who returns to the hometown club where his career took off 15 years ago.
Rovers welcomed Jack Byrne back from the oddity of his loan move to Dubai and he started along with new signing Jake Mulraney, while defender Enda Stevens, back at the club following a 15-year hiatus, was on the bench.
Hoops’ head coach Stephen Bradley started three 17-year-olds in goalkeeper Alex Noonan, Max Kovalevskis and Arsenal-bound Victor Ozhianvuna, with striker Michael Noonan, negotiating a potential move to Bundesliga club Hoffenheim, among their substitutes.
Full of intent, Derry came to play and their positive approach duly mined the first sight of goal on two minutes.
It was all his own work as Welsh recruit Josh Thomas burst past Rovers’ skipper Roberto Lopes on halfway to skip clear. Having closed in on Noonan, the shot, taken under pressure from the backtracking Adam Matthews, hadn’t the venom to trouble the young Rovers goalkeeper.
Maintaining the early pressure, Derry forced a couple of corners courtesy of James McClean and Brandon Fleming as Rovers bided their time to get a foothold in the game.
That soon arrived from the attacking threat of Mulraney. First the ex-St Patrick’s Athletic man had a shot blocked by Patrick McClean before Brian Maher scurried across his line to scoop the ball to safety after another Mulraney effort deflected off left-back Fleming.
Just when it looked as if Rovers were gaining momentum, Derry struck for their goal on 33 minutes from their seventh corner of the evening.
Skipper Michael Duffy played it short to James McClean with the wily veteran skipping a little too easily past Kovalevskis to the end line. The low cross was touched back by James Clarke into the path of midfielder Markey who finished a side-footed shot to the roof of the net with aplomb.
With Rovers looking rattled from the concession of the lead, Derry regained their initial dominance to finish the half on top.
Though Rovers injected more impetus to their game from the resumption following four changes, it was Derry who should have doubled their lead on the counterattack five minutes in.
Clarke cleverly flicked the ball through for the run of Derry’s half-time substitute Adam O’Reilly. The midfielder looked set to score but for a superb save from Hoops’ number one Ed McGinty who had replaced Noonan.
That signalled Derry regaining general control as Rovers laboured to create chances.
Indeed, the Dubliners needed another fine stop from McGinty to thwart Derry again on 66 minutes.
A misplaced header by Lopes gifted the pacy Thomas a run on goal. McGinty was again to the rescue to save one-on-one.
Try as they might, Rovers couldn’t get back into the game, troubling Maher just once throughout the second half.
McGinty then had to make his third big save of the game in stoppage time to deny Kevin Dos Santos as Derry ran out deserved winners to make their statement ahead of next weekend’s big league kick off.
Shamrock Rovers: Alex Noonan (Ed McGinty, h-t); Dan Cleary, Roberto Lopes, Adam Matthews (Adam Brennan 63); Connor Malley (Matt Healy h-t), Jack Byrne (Dylan Watts h-t); Max Kovalevskis (Danny Grant, h-t), Victor Ozhianvuna, Cory O’Sullivan; Jake Mulraney, John McGovern.
Derry City: Brian Maher; Alex Bannon (Ben Doherty 80), Patrick McClean, Rob Slevin, Brandon Fleming; Carl Winchester (Alex O’Reilly h-t), James McClean; Darragh Markey, James Clarke (Kevin Dos Santos 80), Michael Duffy; Josh Thomas (Henry Rylah 89).
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan (Cork).
