 | |||
| Full name | Derry City Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Candystripes | ||
| Founded | 1928 | ||
| Ground | Brandywell Stadium Derry,Northern Ireland | ||
| Capacity | 6,242 | ||
| Owner | Supporter owned | ||
| Chairman | Philip O'Doherty | ||
| Manager | Tiernan Lynch | ||
| League | League of Ireland Premier Division | ||
| 2025 | 2nd of 10 | ||
| Website | derrycityfc.net | ||
 Current season | |||
Derry City Football Club are a professionalfootball club based inDerry,Northern Ireland. They play in theLeague of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of league football in theRepublic of Ireland, and are its only member from Northern Ireland.[1] The club's home ground is theBrandywell. Derry City wear red and white striped shirts from which their nickname,the Candystripes, derives.[2] The club are also known asthe Red and White Army,Derry orCity.[3]
The club, founded in 1928, initially played in theIrish League, the domestic league in Northern Ireland, and won a title in1964–65. In 1971, security concerns related tothe Troubles meant matches could not be played at the Brandywell and the team had to play home fixtures 30 miles (48 km) away inColeraine. While security force objections to the use of the Brandywell were withdrawn the following year, the Irish League insisted that the arrangement, an unsustainable one, continue and the club withdrew from the league. After 13 years in junior football, Derry City joined the League of Ireland's new First Division for 1985–86. They won the First Division title and achieved promotion to the Premier Division in 1987, remaining there until an administrative relegation in 2009. The club won a domestictreble in1988–89.[4]
After spending the majority of its time in theLeague of Ireland in the Premier Division, the club was expelled in November 2009 when it was discovered there were unofficial secondary contracts with players. It was reinstated a few weeks later but, as punishment, was demoted to the First Division. The club eventually won its way back to the Premier Division.[5]
Founded in 1928, the club decided against using thecontroversial official title of the city – Londonderry – in its name,[6] while also deciding against continuing the name of the city's previous main club,Derry Celtic, so as to be more inclusive to all identities and football fans in the city.[7][8] Derry City was granted entry into theIrish League in 1929 as professionals and was given permission by theLondonderry Corporation to use the municipal Brandywell Stadium.[7] The club's first significant success came in 1935 when it lifted theCity Cup.[9] It repeated the feat in 1937, but did not win another major trophy until 1949, when it beatGlentoran to win its firstIrish Cup.[10] It won the Irish Cup for a second time in 1954, beating Glentoran again,[11] and for a third time in 1964 – that year also winning theGold Cup – despite the club's conversion to part-time status after theabolition of the maximum wage in 1961. This led to the club's first entry into European competition, in the1964–65 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, in which it was beaten bySteaua Bucharest 5–0 on aggregate.[12] The club won the 1964–65 Irish League and subsequently became the first Irish League team to win a European tie over two legs, beatingFK Lyn 8–6 on aggregate in the1965–66 European Cup.[13] Derry did not complete the next round, as theIrish Football Association (IFA) declared its ground was not up to standard,[7] after a game had been played there during the previous round. Derry suspectedsectarian motives,[14] as it played in a mainly nationalist city and so had come to be supported largely by Catholics. The IFA,Belfast-based, was dominated by Protestants and it was widely suspected that it would rather have been represented by a traditionallyunionist team.[15][16] Relations between the club and IFA quickly deteriorated.[17]
There had been no significant history of sectarian difficulties at matches in the first 40 years of the club's history, but in 1969 theCivil Rights campaign disintegrated into communal violence, which were followed by 30 years ofthe Troubles.[18] Despite the social and political unrest, Derry reached theIrish Cup final in 1971, in which it was beaten 3–0 byDistillery.[19] As therepublican locality surrounding the Brandywell saw some of the worst violence, numerous unionist-supported clubs were reluctant to play there. TheRoyal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) ruled the zone unsafe for fixtures. With no other feasible local ground available, Derry had to travel to the majority unionist town ofColeraine, over 30 miles (48 km) away, to play its "home" games at theShowgrounds. This situation lasted from September 1971 until October 1972 when, faced with dwindling crowds (most Derry fans were unwilling to travel to Coleraine due to the political situation and the longer journey) and dire finances, the club formally requested permission to return to the Brandywell. Despite a new assessment by the security forces concluding that the Brandywell was no longer any more dangerous than any other league ground and a lifting of the security ban, Derry's proposal fell by one vote at the hands of its fellow Irish League teams.[18] Continuing without a ground was seen as unsustainable and on 13 October 1972 Derry withdrew from the league amidst a perception that it was effectively forced out.[7][20][21]
The club continued as a junior team during the 13-year-long 'wilderness years', playing in the local Saturday morning league, and sought re-admission to the Irish League.[20] Each time, the club nominated the Brandywell as its chosen home ground but the Irish League refused re-admission. Suspecting refusal was driven by sectarianism,[14] and believing it would never gain re-admission, Derry turned its attentions elsewhere.[18]
Derry applied to join the reorganisedLeague of Ireland (the league in the Republic of Ireland) in 1985 with the Brandywell as its home. The move required special dispensation from theIFA andFIFA, but eventually Derry was admitted to the league's new First Division for 1985, joining as semi-professionals.[7] As its stadium was situated in a staunchly republican area once known as "Free Derry", with a history of scepticism towards theRUC in the local community,[18] Derry received special permission fromUEFA to steward its own games. The presence of the RUC was regarded as more likely to provoke trouble than help prevent it.[22]
Derry's first match in the new system was a 3–1League of Ireland Cup win overHome Farm ofDublin at the Brandywell on 8 September 1985.[23] The return of senior football to Derry attracted large crowds.[7] Later in the season, after turning professional, it won theLeague of Ireland First Division Shield with a 6–1 aggregate victory overLongford Town.[24] The following year – 1987 – Derry won the First Division along with promotion to the Premier Division,[25] remaining there for the subsequent 22 years. The club reached the 1988FAI Cup final, but lost toDundalk. The next season – 1988–89 – the club was financially forced to revert to semi-professional status butJim McLaughlin's side managed to win atreble; the league, theLeague Cup and the FAI Cup. Qualifying for the1989–90 European Cup, it met past winners,Benfica, in the first round.[7]
Since 1989, Derry has won theLeague of Ireland Premier Division once – in1996–97 – but has been runner-up on three occasions. It added five more FAI Cups to its tally in 1995, 2002, 2006, 2012, and 2022, and was runner-up in 1994, 1997, 2008, and 2014 and has also won ten further League Cups.[26]
The club has been beset by financial problems and was on the verge of bankruptcy due to an unpaid tax bill in 2000. An extensive fund-raising effort was undertaken by local celebrities and the city's people to save the club from extinction.[27] Derry played high-profile friendlies against clubs such asCeltic,[28]Manchester United,[29]Barcelona[30] andReal Madrid[31] to raise extra money. This helped keep the club in operation, but difficulties remained and Derry nearly lost its Premier Division place in 2003 when it finished ninth and had to contest a two-legged relegation-promotion play-off withlocal rivals,Finn Harps. Derry won 2–1 on aggregate after extra-time at the Brandywell and remained in the top flight, avoiding further damage.[32]
With finances secured, the club became the first in Ireland to be awarded a premier UEFA licence in 2004.[33] Derry re-introduced professional football and its form improved,[34] as it finished second in 2005.[35] Derry's 2005 League Cup victory also saw the club qualify for the cross-borderSetanta Cup for the first time in 2006.[36][37] It entered the2006–07 UEFA Cup's preliminary rounds, beatingIFK Göteborg andGretna to reach the first round where it facedParis Saint-Germain;[17] after a home 0–0 draw it lost 2–0 away.[38] Derry finished second again in 2006,[39] but went on to win the FAI Cup and League Cupdouble.[40][41] It qualified for the 2007Setanta Cup, as well as the preliminary rounds of the2007–08 UEFA Champions League,[42] and was accepted into the restructured Premier Division for 2007.[43] The club had a disappointing league campaign in 2007, finishing seventh despite being pre-season favourites.[44] It did manage to win its eighthLeague Cup, though, thanks to a 1–0 victory overBohemians at the Brandywell.[citation needed]
The club, by owing huge debts, was expelled from the League of Ireland by the FAI in November 2009 for breaching the Participation Agreement and dissolved, but a new Derry club using the "Derry City" name joined for 2010 – with the FAI allowing it into the First Division[5][45] By January 2010 with a new board, the new chairman, Philip O'Doherty was reported to have acquired a new kit deal with Hummel. Additionally, O'Doherty was quoted in theDerry Journal referring to the application to play in the First Division:
...I'm confident that we've provided a quality application and we're hopeful that we will secure the necessary UEFA Licence to compete in the First Division.[46]
On Monday 15 February 2010, the new Derry City was awarded a First Division licence by the Independent Club Licensing Committee, allowing it eligibility to compete in the 2010 First Division.[47]By the end of October 2010 Derry had clinched the First Division title and with it, promotion back to the premier division after winning 1–0 away at Monaghan United in the last game of the season.[48]
Derry's top goalscorer that season,Mark Farren, who finished with a tally of 20 goals, scored the winner against Monaghan before retiring from football for medical reasons as he sought to fight a benign tumour located in his brain. Farren died of cancer in February 2016 and his number 18 shirt was retired by the club.
"Twenty goals (in the season) and he's had to deal with so much going through his mind about his future health, never mind his footballing career.
He's been unbelievably courageous, I don't think people realise how brave he's been, although certainly all the players do."
Derry City woreAston Villa Football Club's famous claret and blue jerseys with white shorts for its first season – 1929–30.[49] The colours lasted until 1932, when white jerseys with black shorts were adopted.[7] This style was replaced by the now-traditional red and white "candystripes" with black shorts in 1934. The style derived fromSheffield United, who wore the pattern and, specifically,Billy Gillespie,[7] a native of nearbyCounty Donegal.[50] He played for Sheffield United from 1913 until 1932, captaining them to a 1925FA Cup win. The club's most capped player with 25 appearances forIreland,[50] he was held in such high regard in his home country that when he left Sheffield United in 1932 to become Derry'splayer-manager, they changed their strip within two years in appreciation of his career at Sheffield United.[49][51]
Derry have worn red and white stripes since, except from 1956 to 1962, when the club's players wore amber and black.[7] Jerseys since 1962 have had "candystripes" of varying thickness. The kit features white socks – originally black socks were used and occasionally red if a clash with the opposition occurred. Similarly, white shorts were adopted for a spell in the early 1970s and for 1985.[49] They are still sometimes worn if a clash occurs, as are black socks. Away jerseys have varied in colour from white, to navy and green stripes, to yellow, to white and light-blue stripes, and to black.[52]
Derry have had various kit suppliers, includingAdidas,[53]Avec,[54]Erreà,Fila,Le Coq Sportif,[55]Matchwinner,[54]Umbro,[56] SpallO'Neills,Hummel, and, currently,O'Neills.[57] Commercial sponsorship logos to appear on the shirt's front have included Northlands,[58] Warwick Wallpapers,[59]Fruit of the Loom,[54]Smithwick's[55] and AssetCo. Logos to have appeared on the sleeve have included the Trinity Hotel,[60] Tigi Bed Head and Tigi Catwalk. For 2007, the logos of local media,Q102.9 and theDerry News, appeared on the back of the shirt just below the neck, along with the logo of Meteor Electrical on the jersey's front.[61]
The club did not sport a crest on the club jersey throughout the Irish League years, nor for most of the first League of Ireland season. Instead, thecoat of arms of the city appeared on club memorabilia such as scarves, hats and badges. The symbols on the arms are a skeleton, three-towered castle, redSaint George's Cross and sword. The sword and cross are devices of theCity of London, and along with anIrish harp embedded within the cross, demonstrate the link between the two cities – the city's official name under UK law isLondonderry and the city itself was developed byThe Honourable The Irish Society, alivery company of the City of London. The castle is thought to be an old localNorman keep built in 1305 by thede Burcaclan.[62] The skeleton is believed to be that of a knight of the same clan who was starved to death in the castle dungeons in 1332.[63] This is accompanied by theLatin motto, "Vita, veritas, victoria", meaning "Life, truth, victory."
In April 1986 the club ran a competition in local schools to design a crest for them. The winning entry was designed by John Devlin, aSt. Columb's College student, and was introduced on 5 May 1986 as Derry hostedNottingham Forest for a friendly, with Liam Nelis and Paul Gormley (on his fifth birthday) acting as mascots. The crest depicted a simplified version of the city'sFoyle Bridge, which had opened 18 months previously, the traditional red and white stripes of the jersey bordered by thin black lines, the year in which the club was founded and a football in the centre representing the club as a footballing entity. The name of the club appeared inImpact font.
With the novelty of theFoyle Bridge wearing off over time, the crest lasted until 15 July 1997, when the current one was unveiled atLansdowne Road with the meeting of Derry City andCeltic during a pre-season friendly tournament.[64] The modern crest also features a centred football, the year of founding and the club's name in a contemporarysans-serif font –Industria Solid. The famous red and white stripes are present along with a red mass of colour filling the left half of the crest, separated from the right by a white stripe. Known cultural landmarks or items associated with the city are absent from theminimalist design. The crests have always been positioned over the heart on the home jerseys.
Derry City's home ground is the municipal Brandywell Stadium, situated just south-west of theBogside in the Brandywell area ofDerry. It is often abbreviated to "the Brandywell" and is also a localgreyhound racing venue, with an ovoid track encircling the pitch. The dimensions of the pitch measure 111 by 72 yards (101 m × 66 m).[65] The legal owner is theDerry City Council which lets the ground to the club.[7] Due to health and safety regulations the stadium has a seating capacity of 2,900 for UEFA competitions,[66] although it can accommodate 7,700 on a normal match-day, terraces included.[67] The curvedcantilever all-seated "New Stand" was constructed in 1991, while development on the still-insufficient facilities has been delayed numerous times and had yet to take place as of the end of the 2016 season.[68][69][70][71][72]
Plans of Derry City's to purchase a pitch fell through after its formation due to the tight time-scale between its foundation in 1928 and the season's beginning in 1929 and so theLondonderry Corporation (now the Derry City Council) was approached for the use of the Brandywell which had been used for football up until the end of the 19th century. It agreed and the club still operates under the constraints ofThe Honourable The Irish Society charter limitations which declare that the Brandywell must be available for the recreation of the community. In effect, the club does not have private ownership and, thus, cannot develop by its own accord, with that discretion or whether to sell being left to the Derry City Council.[7][73][74][75][76]
Derry City's first game at the Brandywell was a 2–1 loss toGlentoran on 22 August 1929.[7] In 1933, the purchase of Bond's Field in theWaterside was mentioned, but it was thought to be too far away from the fan-base which had built up on the Cityside, especially in the Brandywell area. It also had first option on Derry Celtic's old ground,Celtic Park, but hesitated on a final decision and theGaelic Athletic Association bought it ten years later. It also decided against buying Meenan Park for £1,500.[7]
Because ofNorthern Ireland's volatile political situation during theTroubles and security fears for Protestants and those of the unionist tradition visiting the mainlynationalist city of Derry, the Brandywell has not always been the home ground of Derry City. In 1970 and 1971, Derry had to play its "home" ties againstLinfield atWindsor Park inBelfast – the home-ground of Linfield. From September 1971 until October 1972 Derry was forced to play all its "home" games at theShowgrounds in mainly ProtestantColeraine, over 30 miles (48 km) away, as police ruled the republican Brandywell area as too unsafe for visiting unionists, who themselves made up at least half of Derry City's own fanbase at that time. The Brandywell did not see senior football for another 13 years as theIrish Football League upheld a ban on the stadium and Derry decided to leave the league as a result.[18] Only greyhound meetings and junior football were held during this time.[14] Derry's admission to the League of Ireland in 1985 saw a return of senior games.
In December 2010 the club introduced a new credit card type season ticket system to ensure abuse of tickets could no longer occur and additionally ensuring more accurate attendance count at matches.[77]
They played all their home matches of the 2017 season atMaginn Park inBuncrana due to renovation works at the Brandywell.[78]
In 2025, Derry City agreed to a new proposed 25 year lease to the stadium that would put the club on the path to outright ownership of Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. This new lease will allow forStormont grant funding via the Northern Ireland Football Fund to be approved and complete the second phase of development on the new stand, named after former playerMark Farren. The lease was approved unanimously by the city council with cross party support.[79]
By Irish standards, Derry City have a relatively large and loyal fan-base. The club was considered among the strongest and best-supported teams in the Irish League,[80] and upon the club's entry into the League of Ireland in 1985, crowds of nearly 10,000 attended to the Brandywell for the return of matches. More recently, Derry City became the best supported team at an FAI Cup Final ever, when over 20,000 Derry supporters attended the 2022 FAI Cup Final, in which Derry overcame Shelbourne. Derry's average home attendance of 3,127 was the highest of any team for the 2006 season.[81] The highest attendance was the last-night-of-the-season meeting between Derry andCork City at the Brandywell on Friday 17 November when 6,080 watched Derry win 1–0.[82] Domestically, Derry's supporters travel to away games in "bus-loads".[59] They gave large support in the club's 2006UEFA Cup run – around 3,000 travelled toMotherwell and "maintained a wall of sound" as Derry beatGretna 5–1 atFir Park,[83][84] and "some 3,000" went to Paris to see Derry playParis Saint-Germain in theParc des Princes.[85] During the home legs, ticketless fans desperate to see the games watched from a distance while standing on the high vantage point overlooking the Brandywell offered by the City Cemetery inCreggan and parked hireddouble-decker buses outside the stadium to help them see over the ground's perimeter.[86][87]
The club is known for its community spirit, and the supporters have played a pivotal role in the survival and successes of the club. When debts brought Derry close to extinction in the 2000–01 season, the local community responded en masse to help save the club. During the club's successful 2006 season, club captain,Peter Hutton said:
Nobody owns Derry City F.C. apart from the people of Derry. Five or six years ago the club was on its knees, on the verge of going out of business. There was no sugar-daddy, no millionaire, noRoman Abramovich to save the club. It was the people and the city who saved the club. People, fans, ordinary people; they went out and banged on doors to collect money, they went around pubs with collection buckets, they did what they could to keep the club alive. Derry is a close-knit place, a small community, they care about their club and that's why we still have a club. And every bit of success we may get this season is down to them.[88]
Likewise, formerSocial Democratic and Labour Party leader andNobel Peace Prize winnerJohn Hume, who was the club's president,[61] stated in 1998 of the club's relationship with the community:
Derry City F.C. has been the linchpin in the life of the community in Derry since its foundation in 1928. Throughout the club's history, the Candystripes have provided a sporting outlet for young people and older supporters alike. The history of the club is intertwined with that of its city. It has seen struggle and marginalisation turn to renewal and success. The pride people have in this club reflects the pride we hold in our city. Derry City players and supporters alike are superb ambassadors for the city. Today, the club, like the city, looks to the future with great hope. For all its successes, Derry City would be nothing without the people of the city.[89]
Support for the club is quite dependent on geography and crosses social boundaries. Fans come from both working class areas, such as the Brandywell area andBogside, and more affluent regions of the city, likeCulmore. The Cityside is seen as the traditional base of the club, especially the Brandywell area, although theWaterside is also home to a smaller number of supporters.[15] The club are supported mainly by Derry's nationalist community. The connection is argued to be rooted mainly ingeography, as well as social, cultural and historical circumstances, as opposed to the club or its fans pushing towards the creation of a certain identity.[15] Indeed, prior to 1969, over half of the club's support base came from the sizeable Unionist community that lived in the cityside at the time. The onset of the troubles made the Brandywell's Nationalist location too dangerous to visit and Unionist support fell away to a small minority, in keeping with the rapid Unionist depopulation of the cityside as a whole. The city's wider Protestant community, almost entirely based in the Waterside, is largely apathetic, though some unionists andloyalists see the club as a symbol of Catholicism and nationalism as a result of the sectarian divide in support.[15][90][91][92][93][94][95] Joining theRepublic of Ireland's league augmented the perception and, on occasion, Protestanthooligans have thrown missiles at Derry's supporter buses as they journeyed to or returned from games across the border.[96] Minor nationalist elements within the Derry City support-base see football as a means of reinforcingsectarian divides.[15]
With the city being a focal point of culture and activity serving the north-west region of Ireland, support stretches beyond the urban border and into the surroundingcounty;Limavady,Strabane in nearbyCounty Tyrone[97] and areas of borderingCounty Donegal contain support.[98] The club has numerous supporter clubs, along withultra fans, and support beyond Ireland – mainly emigrated city natives.Derry City Chat is a discussion website run by fans. Derry's fans share arivalry with the supporters ofFinn Harps and sing the Undertones'Teenage Kicks as a terrace anthem.
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Cup / UEFA Champions League | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 26 | 11.11 |
| UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 30 | 45 | 26.92 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League / UEFA Conference League | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 37.50 |
| European Cup Winners' Cup / UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 16.67 |
| TOTAL | 49 | 12 | 9 | 28 | 47 | 91 | 24.49 |
Derry City'sUEFA coefficient accumulates to a total value of 4.000 as of August 2023.[99]
Current club ranking
Aris LimassolAEL Limassol
Dila Gori
Derry City FC
FCV Farul Constanța
FK Panevėžys
FC Ordabasyhttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/data/method5/trank2024.html
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
5 – in honour ofRyan McBride
18 – in honour ofMark Farren
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Tiernan Lynch |
| Assistant manager | Seamus Lynch |
| First-team coach | Andy Mitchell |
| Professional Development coach | Mark McChrystal |
| Goalkeeping coach | Anthony Fennelly |
| Strength & Conditioning coach | Danny Doherty |
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(March 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Manager | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Joe McCleery | 1929 | 1932 |
| Billy Gillespie[i] | 1932 | 1940 |
| Management Team Committee (MTC) | 1940 | 1942 |
| Willie Ross[i] | 1942 | 1953 |
| MTC | 1953 | 1958 |
| Tommy Houston[i] | 1958 | 1959 |
| Matt Doherty | 1959 | 1961 |
| Willie Ross | 1961 | 1968 |
| Jimmy Hill[i] | 1968 | 1971 |
| Doug Wood | 1971 | 1972 |
| Willie Ross | 1972 | 1972 |
| Jim Crossan | 1985 | 1985 |
| Noel King[i] | 1985 | 1987 |
| Jim McLaughlin | 1987 | 1991 |
| Roy Coyle | 1991 | 1993 |
| Tony O'Doherty | 1993 | 1994 |
| Felix Healy | 1994 | 1998 |
| Kevin Mahon | 1998 | 2003 |
| Dermot Keely | 2003 | 2003 |
| Gavin Dykes | 2003 | 2004 |
| Peter Hutton[i] | 2004 | 2004 |
| Stephen Kenny[100] | 2004 | 2006 |
| Pat Fenlon[101] | December 2006 | May 2007 |
| Peter Hutton[i] | May 2007 | July 2007 |
| John Robertson[102] | 2 July 2007 | 28 December 2007 |
| Stephen Kenny[103] | 28 December 2007 | 24 December 2011 |
| Declan Devine[104] | 1 January 2012 | 27 October 2013 |
| Roddy Collins[105] | 19 November 2013 | 12 May 2014 |
| Peter Hutton[106] | 13 May 2014 | 15 September 2015 |
| Paul Hegarty[107] | 16 September 2015 | 29 October 2015 |
| Kenny Shiels[108] | 5 November 2015 | 27 October 2018 |
| Declan Devine[109] | 12 November 2018 | 22 April 2021 |
| Ruaidhrí Higgins | 23 April 2021 | 15 November 2024 |
| Tiernan Lynch[110] | 20 November 2024 | Present |
Peter Hutton holds the club record for matches played in League of Ireland football with a total of more than 660 appearances for Derry City, a club record.[116] As of 16 July 2007,[update]Paul Curran has made the second highest number of appearances for the club in the League of Ireland with 518, followed bySean Hargan with 408 since 1995.
The club's all-time highest goal-scorer isJimmy Kelly with 363 goals between 1930 and 1951.[117] Since the entry of the club into League of Ireland football,Mark Farren is Derry's top scorer with 114 goals after 209 competitive appearances for the club between 2003 and 2012.[118] Derry's first ever scorer wasPeter Burke at home toGlentoran on 22 August 1929 as the club lost 2–1.[119] Two days later,Sammy Curran had the honour of scoring Derry's firsthat-trick, as the club came back from 5 to 1 down away toPortadown, only to lose 6–5 to a late goal.[119] Barry McCreadie was Derry's first scorer in the League of Ireland as he scored during a 3–1 home win overHome Farm on 8 September 1985.[119] Derry's first hat-trick in the League of Ireland was scored by Kevin Mahon away toFinn Harps on 15 December 1985.[119] Derry's 1000th league goal was scored byConor Sammon on 9 May 2008 againstShamrock Rovers. A number[quantify] of capped internationals[who?] have also played for Derry.
Derry's record League of Ireland defeat was toLongford Town in January 1986 – the score was 5–1.[61] The club's record League of Ireland win was 9–1 againstGalway United in October 1986.[61] The club has only suffered relegation in the Irish League due to a breach of regulations, in 2009. Derry are the only League of Ireland team to have completed a treble, in the 1988–89 season. Derry's 5–1 away win againstGretna atFir Park,Motherwell in the2006–07 UEFA Cup second qualifying round is the largest away winning margin for any League of Ireland team in European competition. Derry played a record number of 54 games in the whole2006 season, including all competitions. Previously, the record had been the 49 games played in all competitions during the treble-winning 1988–89 season.[120]
The Brandywell's record attendance in the League of Ireland system is 9,800 people who attended an FAI Cup second round tie between Derry andFinn Harps on 23 February 1986.[65] In the Irish League, a crowd of 12,000 attended the 1929–30 season home game againstLinfield.[121]
Derry City have made numerous appearances in popular culture. In the world of music, the club was given exposure by Derrypunk band,The Undertones, which had the cover of its 1980 hit single, "My Perfect Cousin", feature aSubbuteo figure sporting the colours of Derry City. The song's video included the group's front-man,Feargal Sharkey, kicking and leaping to head a ball while wearing the red and white jersey.[122] Similarly, on the cover of its second ever single,Get Over You, the words "Derry City F.C." can be seen.[123]
The club have also featured on popular television. Due to the fact that it is a club based in Northern Ireland playing in the league of the Republic of Ireland, it often receives the attention of broadcasters in both jurisdictions. In theBBC documentary seriesWho Do You Think You Are? shown the night before Derry's clash withParis St. Germain in the2006–07 UEFA Cup first round, it was highlighted thatArchie McLeod, the grandfather ofDoctor Who actorDavid Tennant, was a Derry City player. Derry had supplied a lucrative signing-on fee and had enticed him over fromScotland.[124] Likewise, features about the club were run byFootball Focus prior to and after the same UEFA Cup game. Irish television has also featured the club. Derry City played in the first League of Ireland match ever to be shown live on television when it visitedTolka Park to playShelbourne during the 1996–97 season. The game was broadcast onRTÉ'sNetwork 2 and finished 1–1 withGary Beckett scoring for Derry.
Another medium to play host to the club has been the radio. On 20 April 2005, Derry City featured in an audio documentaryThe Blues and the Candy Stripes onRTÉ Radio 1'sDocumentary on One. The documentary was produced in the aftermath of the historic friendly game between Derry andLinfield that took place on 22 February 2005 – the first between the two teams to occur since a game on 25 January 1969 during which Linfield's fans had to be evacuated from the Brandywell by police at half-time due to civil unrest and ugly scenes within the ground.[125] The 2005 match was organised as a kind of security test in the run-up to the likely possibility that both teams, with socially polar fan-bases, qualified for and be drawn against one another in aSetanta Cup competition.[18]
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