Declan Devine: We have brought in a group of players who are hungry to prove themselves

Following a 2020 season full of disruption, uncertainty, apprehension and a huge amount of unfamiliarity, Derry City manager Declan Devine has gone back to basics ahead of the new season and speaks like a man instilled with a real air of positivity and belief in his side once more ahead of their season opener against Longford Town on Saturday night.

The Candystripes ended the eighteen round league season in a lowly seventh place picking up just twenty points from a total possible of fifty four. Having enjoyed the taste of Europa League football just last August and giving a very good account of themselves against Riteriai, Devine and his talented young side all feel they have a point to prove this season. 

With a smoother build up to the new season in recent weeks and having reflected well as a group, Devine is in a much happier place facing into a new season and is excited with what he has and with where they can go as a group.

“I think it’s well documented that my feelings towards last year were that I wasn’t able to bring the group together the way I wanted,” reflected Devine in the build up to the new season kicking off this weekend.

“I felt that we had done good business and had brought a fine selection of players to the club. I must say I found it extremely difficult even as a manager to gel the group.

“When we brought the guys in we got off to a really mixed start in terms of results and with the lockdown we had guys going to so many different places all throughout the UK and you can do all the Zoom calls you like but it just isn’t the same as a proper pre season and weekly get togethers that everyone gets so used to. 

“We weren’t able to get out and around the city, we didn’t have any fans behind us, it was just like a group of men thrown together coming into the same side and that feeling reflected in our performances I felt. This was all as a result of not being able to gel the group and that was my fault, it wasn’t down to the players, it was my fault. We didn’t have that togetherness and continuity that previous squads have had and everything snowballed as a result.

“We didn’t have the best physical presence in our team, we conceded a lot of goals and lost points to a few late goals and all of those setbacks combined really affected us as a group. For me I didn’t feel the mentality or spirit of the group was right from the very outset and that was my fault.”

Listening to Devine talk just days out from the new season will have the fans excited once more. 

With a seemingly new found sense of unity and togetherness naturally bringing with it feelings of belief and confidence within the group Devine feels they are better equipped as a group to deal with whatever comes their way in the coming weeks and months.

The reflection on last season has been done extensively among the group at this stage in an attempt to come up with an agreed way forward and the best plan put in place towards restoring that unity and that togetherness that served Devine and his team so well before. 

“We had to reflect on that and had to really look at that together. We’ve looked at it now and some of the best players in Derry City’s history have come and evolved from outside this city. Most of the players that are seen as historically the best players this club have had are from outside the city but alongside that and something that is hugely important is that we have more of a home grown feel about us too. 

“That is where we are really trying to go this year with more Irish based players, Will Fitzgerald has come in to take an example so we’ve more Irish based players, we’ve more players in now that have been at the club before in some capacity such as the academy setup and I hope that will lead to an improvement in what we want to do this year.

“We’ve gone back to basics following our chat as a group and have brought in a group of players who are hungry to prove themselves as opposed to more established players. An important thing among the group now this year is that I think everybody and I include myself in that, has a point to prove. We have to prove ourselves over again and that’s what I quite like about the group of players that we have here now as that will bring with it a real hunger and togetherness.

“First and foremost as a group, what’s most important is short term goals. I think we have to hit the ground running against Longford Town. They’ve been fighting for years to get back into this division so we need to really make sure first and foremost we are ready for the fight against Longford Town as it won’t be easy.

“Our short term goal beyond that is to really try and be at the right end of the table when we get to the point where fans are allowed back into the stadium. 

"We want fans coming back into the stadium knowing that we’ve upheld our side of the bargain, we’ve got points on the board and we want the fans returning knowing deep down that we really are trying to push on and trying to achieve something this season. 

“We’re not talking about winning leagues, we’re not talking about qualifying for Europe, for the moment we just want to be right in the mix at the half way point of the season. We want to have a great platform in place and be in the best position possible when the fans come back in and really get behind us again.”

Devine also added that he is still very hopeful that despite the recent injury setback to exciting new loan signing and Manchester City academy player Joe Hodge that they will have him back and playing for Derry this season at some stage.

Derry City open their new league season with a trip to face Longford Town on Saturday, March 19th.

https://t.co/2nGpPCjbAH staff predictions - Premier Division 2021 https://t.co/nCj6bV4UnHpic.twitter.com/a3HohCDIr0

— Extratime.com (@ExtratimeNews) March 16, 2021