Derry county football team

The Derry county football team represents Derry GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football.[2] The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Ulster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.

Derry
Sport:Football
Irish:Doire[1]
Nickname(s):The Oak Leafers
County board:Derry GAA
Manager:Mickey Harte
Captain:Conor Glass
Home venue(s):Celtic Park, Derry[1]
Owenbeg, Dungiven[1]
Recent competitive record
Current All-Ireland status:Ulster (W) in 2023
Last championship title:1993
Current NFL Division:1
Last league title:2008
First colours
Second colours

Derry's home ground is Celtic Park. The team's manager is Rory Gallagher.

The team last won the Ulster Senior Championship in 2022, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in 1993 and the National League in 2008.

The team is nicknamed the Oak Leafers.[3][4][5]

History
The Derry starting fifteen which lost to Dublin in the 1958 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
The Derry team ahead of the 2009 National League Final

In 1947, Derry won the National Football League. The group leaders were invited to play in the League semi-finals because heavy snow had disrupted the competition. Francie Niblock scored one of the finest goals in League history in Croke Park as Derry beat Clare. In 1958, the county won its first Ulster Senior Football Championship (SFC) and secured a surprise victory in that year's All-Ireland semi-final, beating Kerry thanks to a Sean O'Connell goal three minutes from the end. In the final, Derry scored a goal ten minutes into the second half through Owen Gribben, but Dublin secured victory with goals scored by Paddy Farnan and Johnny Joyce.

In 1965, the Derry minor team won the All-Ireland Minor Championship, and three years later, at under-21 level, the bulk of that team captured the All-Ireland Under 21 Championship. Derry won the Ulster Senior Championship three times in the 1970s (1970, 1975 and 1976), but failed to advance past the All-Ireland semi-final stage on each occasion. In 1973, Anthony McGurk became the first player from Derry to receive an All Star Award.

The 1980s saw the county win two further All-Ireland Minor Championships (1983 and 1989) and their fifth Ulster Senior Championship (1987).

The 1990s proved to be the county's most successful decade. They won the county's second National League title in 1992, before winning the Ulster Championship and a first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1993. Derry won back-to-back National Leagues in 1995 and 1996, and the under-21 team won the 1997 All-Ireland Under-21 Championship. In 1998, Derry won another Ulster Senior Championship. In 2008, the Derry side of the 1990s was rated as one of the best of the previous twenty years and would have achieved more were it not for several unexpected defeats such as to Down in 1994, Tyrone in 1995 and Cavan in 1997.[6]

Derry won the 2000 National League and the county's minor team won their fourth All-Ireland Minor Championship in 2002. Derry won the 2008 National League, their sixth in all. Since then they have been overshadowed in the Ulster Senior Championship by the emergence of Tyrone and Donegal. Derry topped Division 2 of the NFL in 2013 and returned to Division 1 for the 2014 season.

Manager Damian Barton was banned after involving himself in an on-field fight in 2016.[7]

Derry were relegated to Division 4 in 2018.[8]

Joe Brolly wrote in August 2020 that Derry seriously debate whether to field a team in the Senior Football Championship as their presence in league and championship has been similar to that of Kilkenny, who concentrate on hurling instead.[9] Derry won the 2022 Ulster SFC, for the first time in 24 years, and progressed to a 2022 All-Ireland SFC semi-final for the first time in donkey's years. So much for Joe Brolly.[10][11]

Current panel

Team as per Derry vs Armagh in the Ulster SFC Final, 14 May 2023

No. Player Position Club
1 Odhran Lynch Goalkeeper Magherafelt
2 Chrissy McKaigue Right corner back Slaughtneil
3 Eoin McEvoy Full back Magherafelt
4 Conor McCluskey Left corner back Magherafelt
5 Conor Doherty Right half back Newbridge
6 Gareth McKinless Centre back Ballinderry
7 Padraig McGrogan Left half back Newbridge
8 Conor Glass (c) Midfield Glen
9 Brendan Rogers Midfield Slaughtneil
23 Benny Heron Right half forward Ballinascreen
11 Paul Cassidy Centre forward Bellaghy
12 Ethan Doherty Left half forward Glen
13 Niall Toner Right corner forward Lavey
14 Shane McGuigan Full forward Slaughtneil
15 Niall Loughlin Left corner forward Greenlough
No. Player Position Club
16 Ryan Scullion Substitute Ballinascreen
17 Declan Cassidy Substitute Bellaghy
18 Ciaran McFaul Substitute Glen
19 Shea Downey Substitute St Brigid's (Antrim)
20 Lachlan Murray Substitute Desertmartin
21 Ben McCarron Substitute Steelstown
22 Paul McNeill Substitute Slaughtneil
10 Padraig Cassidy Substitute Slaughtneil
24 Conleth McGuckian Substitute Glen
25 Mark Doherty Substitute Newbridge
26 Niall O'Donnell Substitute Ballinderry

Managerial history
Dates Name Origin
????–1946 Un­known
1947 John L. Fay
1948–1957 Un­known
1958–1959 Roddy Gribbin
1960–1967 Un­known
1968–1971 Jim McKeever
1971–1972 Paddy O'Hara
1972–1974 Harry Cassidy
1975–1979 Frank Kearney
1980–1984 Mickey Moran Glen
1985 Tom Scullion
1986–1988 Tom Scullion (2)
Jim McKeever (2)
Phil Stuart
1989–1990 Tommy Diamond
1990 Fr Seán Hegarty
1991–1994 Eamonn Coleman
1995 Mickey Moran (2) Glen
1996–1998 Brian Mullins   
1999 Eamonn Coleman (2)
Adrian McGuckian
2000–2002 Eamonn Coleman (3)
2003–2005 Mickey Moran (3) Glen
2006–2008 Paddy Crozier
2009–2010 Damian Cassidy Bellaghy
2010–2012 John Brennan Lavey
2013–2015[12][13] Brian McIver   
2016–2017[14] Damian Barton Newbridge
2018–2019 Damian McErlain
2019– Rory Gallagher   

Players

Notable players
For individual player details, see List of Derry inter-county footballers.

Records

Cú Chulainn Awards

Since the 1960s there has been a tradition of annually selecting the best footballer in each position, to create a special team of the year. Between 1963 and 1967 these players received what were known as Cú Chulainn awards. Derry received one Cú Chulainn Award.

1967: Sean O'Connell

All Stars

In 1971 the Cú Chulainn Awards were formalised into the annual All Stars Awards.

Derry has 29 All Stars, as of 2022. 19 different players have won, as of 2022. No player has won more than four All Stars.

1973: Anthony McGurk
1975: Peter Stevenson, Anthony McGurk2nd, Gerry McElhinney
1984: Dermot McNicholl
1987: Tony Scullion, Brian McGilligan
1992: Tony Scullion2nd, Anthony Tohill, Enda Gormley
1993: Tony Scullion3rd, Johnny McGurk, Henry Downey, Gary Coleman, Anthony Tohill2nd, Brian McGilligan2nd, Enda Gormley2nd
1995: Tony Scullion4th, Anthony Tohill3rd
1996: Joe Brolly
1997: Joe Brolly2nd
1998: Seán Marty Lockhart
2000: Kieran McKeever, Anthony Tohill4th
2004: Enda Muldoon
2007: Kevin McCloy, Paddy Bradley
2022: Chrissy McKaigue, Conor Glass

Footballer of the Year

Two Derry players have been awarded the Texaco Footballer of the Year award. Ballymaguigan's Jim McKeever won the inaugural award in 1958, while Henry Downey of the Lavey club received player of the year for his performances in helping Derry win the 1993 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

1958: Jim McKeever
1993: Henry Downey

GPA Gaelic Football Team of the Year

From 2006 onwards, the Gaelic Players Association chose its own team of the year.

2007: Paddy Bradley

International rules representatives

A number of Derry players have been selected to play international rules football for the Ireland team against Australia; both in the test games (1984, 1986, 1987 and 1990) and since the commencement of the International Rules Series in 1998. Note that the table is incomplete.

Player Appearances Years
Seán Marty Lockhart 16 1998 (2), 1999 (2), 2000 (2), 2001 (2), 2003 (2), 2004 (2), 2005 (2), 2006 (2)
Anthony Tohill 8 1998 (2), 1999 (2), 2000 (2), 2001 (2)
Paddy Bradley 2 2008 (2)
Dermot McNicholl 9 1984 (3), 1986 (3), 1987 (3)
Brian McGilligan 6 1986 (3) 1987 (3)
Tony Scullion 4 1987 (1) 1990 (3)

Player statistics

Championship top scorers
  • End of 2019 Championship
  • 100+ Points Total
Player Debut Opposition Appearances Goals Points Final Game Opposition Total Score
Paddy Bradley 14/05/2000 Cavan 51 17 202 30/06/2012 Longford 253
Sean O'Connell 09/06/1957 Antrim 38 12 120 25/06/1976 Cavan 156
Anthony Tohill 30/06/1991 Down 52 4 128 28/06/2003 Dublin 140
Enda Gormley 01/06/1986 Tyrone 34 2 118 02/07/2000 Antrim 124
Mark Lynch 24/07/2004 Limerick 54 6 101 09/06/2018 Kildare 119
Enda Muldoon 01/06/1997 Monaghan 54 11 84 23/07/2011 Kildare 117

Championship appearances
  • End of 2019 Championship
  • 50+ Appearances
Player Debut Opposition Appearances Final Game Opposition
Enda Muldoon 01/06/1997 Monaghan 54 23/07/2011 Kildare
Mark Lynch 24/07/2004 Limerick 54 09/06/2018 Kildare
Anthony Tohill 30/06/1991 Down 52 28/06/2003 Dublin
Paddy Bradley 14/05/2000 Cavan 51 30/06/2012 Longford
Seán Marty Lockhart 02/06/1996 Armagh 50 18/07/2009 Donegal

Championship single score
  • End of 2019 Championship
  • 10+ Points Total
Player Date Opposition Goals POints Total
Paddy Bradley 05/06/2005 Monaghan 1 10 13
Paddy Bradley 15/07/2006 Longford 2 7 13
Brendan Kelly 19/06/1977 Tyrone 2 5 11
Paddy Bradley 12/06/2004 Wicklow 1 8 11
Micky Niblock 25/07/1971 Down 2 4 10

Championship season score
  • End of 2019 Championship
  • 30+ Points Total
Player First Game Opposition Appearances Goals Points Final Game Opposition Total Score
Paddy Bradley 09/05/2004 Tyrone 7 2 38 29/08/2004 Kerry 44
Paddy Bradley 05/06/2005 Monaghan 5 2 29 06/08/2005 Laois 35
Enda Muldoon 19/05/2004 Tyrone 7 3 24 29/08/2004 Kerry 33

NFL top scorers
  • End of 2019 National League
  • 100+ Points Total
Player Debut Opposition Appearances Goals Points Final Game Opposition Total Score
Paddy Bradley 31/10/1999 Mayo 85 14 324 08/04/12 Westmeath 366
Sean O'Connell 15/09/1957 Antrim 84 25 242 02/05/1976 Dublin 317
Anthony Tohill 27/10/1991 Meath 72 14 155 31/03/2002 Down 197
Enda Gormley 13/10/1985 Antrim 62 7 164 15/04/201 Fermanagh 185
Joe Brolly 07/10/1990 Cavan 63 12 138 11/04/1999 Cork 174
Mark Lynch 06/02/2005 Meath 80 8 145 25/03/2018 Sligo 169
James Kielt 01/02/2009 Mayo 54 5 125 25/03/2018 Sligo 140
Conleith Gilligan 20/05/2000 Meath 54 6 106 25/03/2012 Louth 124
Eoin Bradley 02/06/2005 Meath 56 4 106 03/04/2016 Armagh 118
Brendan Kelly 20/10/1674 Tyrone 37 5 89 02/05/1976 Dublin 104
JE Mullan 17/03/1940 Sligo 39 18 46 13/05/1955 Armagh 100

NFL appearances
  • End of 2019 NFL
  • 80+ Appearances
Player Debut Opposition Appearances Final Game Opposition
Tony Scullion 13/02/1983 Armagh 95 05/05/1996 Donegal
Kieran McKeever 31/01/1988 Monaghan 89 08/04/2001 Cavan
Paddy Bradley 31/10/1999 Mayo 85 08/04/2012 Westmeath
Sean O'Connell 15/09/1957 Mayo 84 02/05/1976 Dublin
Mark Lynch 06/02/2005 Meath 80 25/03/2018 Sligo

NFL single score
  • End of 2019 League
  • 10+ Points Total
Player Date Opposition Goals Points Total
Paddy Bradley 07/03/2004 Waterford 3 9 18
Paddy Bradley 03/04/2005 Tipperary 1 13 16
Matt Regan 29/10/1939 Tyrone 5 0 15
Sean O'Connell 12/03/1967 Armagh 4 3 15
JE Mullan 16/09/1951 Fermanagh 2 5 11
Paddy Bradley 23/02/2003 Monaghan 3 2 11
Mark Lynch 16/03/2014 Dublin 1 8 11
Emmett Bradley 18/02/2018 Offaly 1 8 11
Shane McGuigan 16/03/2019 Leitrim 2 5 11
Sean O'Connell 05/02/1967 Down 3 1 10
Shane McGuigan 23/02/2020 Louth 1 7 10

NFL season score
  • End of 2019 National League
  • 50+ Points Total
Player First Game Opposition Appearances Goals Points Final Game Opposition Total Score
Paddy Bradley 06/02/2005 Meath 8 2 44 24/04/2005 Monaghan 50
Mark Lynch 01/02/2014 Tyrone 8 2 44 27/04/2014 Dublin 50

Current management team

Honours
Official honours, with additions noted.[1]
Former Derry manager Paddy Crozier and Kevin McCloy celebrate winning the 2008 National League.

For more details on this topic including team line-ups, see here

National

Provincial
?

References
  1. "Derry — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  2. Barry, Stephen (30 January 2018). "'It will not happen again': BBC apologise for Londonderry GAA reference". Irish Examiner.
  3. "Derry football boss anticipates mid-March League start". 27 January 2021. If the Oak Leafers fail to get out of Division Three and don't clinch an unlikely Ulster Championship triumph...
  4. "'If we're going to compete we need to iron out the flaws' - McKaigue". 30 May 2021. The Oak Leafers saw off the Breffinimen 1-16 to 2-11 at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday.
  5. "Tribesmen win with ease on the road against Derry in Division 2". RTÉ. 28 February 2016. The Oak Leafers had manager Damian Barton serving a touchline suspension and suffered badly in a game they rarely looked like making a contest out of.
  6. Rodgers, Alan (10 October 2008). "Experts say Tyrone rank among the best". Gaelic Life. pp. 20–21.
  7. Damian Barton: Derry football manager handed eight-week ban BBC
  8. Derry relegated to Division 4 just four years after reaching Division 1 final The42.ie
  9. Brolly, Joe (23 August 2020). "The possibility of not entering a senior team in the championship may sound radical, but it is the inevitable". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 23 August 2020. In Derry, the board is currently in serious discussions about whether to enter a senior team into next year's championship… if Derry had not fielded a team in league or championship over the last five years, our absence would have been as memorable as Kilkenny's footballers…
  10. O'Brien, Kevin (9 July 2022). "Brilliant Comer leads Galway past Derry to first All-Ireland final in 21 years: The full-forward gunned down Derry with two second-half goals". The42.ie.
  11. Keane, Paul (25 June 2022). "All Ireland SFC QF: Impressive Derry cruise to victory".
  12. "Brian McIver is appointed as the new Derry football boss". BBC. 6 September 2012.
  13. "Brian McIver lambasts referee as he quits Derry after Galway defeat". BBC. 18 July 2015.
  14. "Damian Barton named as new Derry football manager". BBC. 22 September 2015.
  15. "Tyrone's Conor McKenna on verge of making history in All-Ireland decider". 11 September 2021.
  16. Dr McKenna Cup: Thrilling final that was worth the wait Belfast Telegraph
  17. "Ulster MFC: Well drilled Derry capture title in style". Hogan Stand. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
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