Shane Ferguson with new Derry City manager Tiernan Lynch
Derry were left red-faced by how their season fizzled out in 2024, with hopes for a double ending with the trophy being lifted by another team on their turf.
With their new manager at the helm, Derry City have assembled a squad with huge experience at a high level, including ex-internationals, while keeping some of the big names from the previous era.
If Lynch can put together a hungry side, they could enter the title race from the start.
On Shels, Lynch says: “They’re a top side, who work extremely hard, have good players and have a good manager,” he stated.
“They’re league champions for a reason and we’ll totally respect that, but we’re not going to make Friday night just about Shelbourne.
“There’s two teams going out onto the pitch and it’s important that we concentrate very much on the thing that we think we’re capable of doing and how we can impose our side and our talent and our qualities on Shelbourne.
“I watch my team every day and I think there’s so much to offer from this team. There’s real quality in the group of players.
“Look, winning against Shelbourne, losing against Shelbourne [or] drawing against Shelbourne, won’t make or break our season.
“I’ve been asked 50 times already where we’ll finish this year in the League.
“These are things that you’ll never ever get off of me.
“All we’ll concentrate on will be Shelbourne.”
Speaking ahead of the league opener, Shels boss Damien Duff said: “We won the league last season, we had a highly competitive squad. Do we have a bigger squad? Do we have a better squad? Do we have a squad with more quality? Yes, but it’s important that the lads become a team now, work hard together, and play for each other.
“That’s the foundation we’re built on since day one.
“Picking teams will get more difficult as the season goes on. Having that headache is a good problem to have, especially when we’ve got players on the bench who can come on around the 60–70 minute mark, and we know they have the ability to change the game.
“It was a very good performance against Drogheda, impressing a lot of people, myself, the staff. The demands we place are very high.
“Of course, we want more. We know there’s more in the tank moving forward. It was an impressive, professional display, the perfect game. We want to see that and more tonight.”
Tyreke Wilson and Daniel Kelly are out injured for the home side.
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