Football

Derry and Dublin looking good and looking up - but don't look down

Derry's Benny Heron (right) and Michael Fitzsimons of Dublin are two of the few survivors from the county's last League meeting at Celtic Park, in March 2014.
Derry's Benny Heron (right) and Michael Fitzsimons of Dublin are two of the few survivors from the county's last League meeting at Celtic Park, in March 2014. Derry's Benny Heron (right) and Michael Fitzsimons of Dublin are two of the few survivors from the county's last League meeting at Celtic Park, in March 2014.

Allianz Football League Division One, round five: Derry v Dublin (Celtic Park, 5pm today)

THE only way is up? Maybe.

At least one of these teams will surely return to the top flight for next season, probably both – but for all their recent progress Derry know not to look too far ahead. A lesson from fairly recent history will be in their minds too.

The worriers in Derry, as opposed to the warriors, have calculated that defeats against Dublin and then Cork in round seven would prevent promotion, even if the Oak Leafers beat Clare when they come to Owenbeg in the penultimate series of matches.

That’s assuming that the Rebels will win all their remaining games, to lift them onto 10 points, and then they’d be above Derry on head-to-head.

In the world of actuality and facts, with Louth and Meath still outside contenders for promotion too, Derry are in a very strong position, not least because of their scoring difference of plus 40.

Unlike last year, Derry know that 11 points would definitely elevate them. The win and draw required for that tally could come from this evening and the visit of the Banner men.

Derry can beat Dublin for starters, although that is a big ask.

The expectation is that visiting boss Dessie Farrell will bring out (more of) the big guns up in Celtic Park.

Surprisingly trailing at home – Croke Park – to Clare last weekend, the Dubs manager brought on Cormac Costello and Niall Scully for the second half, then within 10 minutes introduced Jack McCaffrey. Five minutes later on came Colm Basquel, then Eoin Murchan entered on the hour mark.

Dublin were actually six points down with 12 minutes to go but showed their famed fighting spirt of old to score seven unanswered points, with McCaffrey supplying Costello to fist the winner in the fifth minute of added time.

That’s the Dublin that Derry should expect to face tonight, a team determined to win and secure an instant return to the top flight after last season’s demotion.

Yet the Dubs will be up against the best team in this division so far, arguably in the entire country.

Admittedly, the four wins so far for Rory Gallagher’s men have come against the four weakest sides, but they’ve still all been impressive, even the victory dug out away to Louth in round two. Limerick, Meath, and Kildare have all been stuffed.

Derry defender Chrissy McKaigue after beating Kildare - and looking forward to hosting Dublin

Still…

The history lesson?

Derry beat Dublin well less than a decade ago, at Celtic Park, by 1-16 to 0-13, in 2014’s Division One to boot.

Yet in just over six weeks there was a 21-point turnaround. After that Derry victory on March 16 both counties went on to reach the final, but on April 27 Dublin destroyed them in the Croke Park decider, 3-19 to 1-10.

Dublin changed after the summer of 2014 too, but for the better, going on to enjoy a record-breaking golden age.

The Dubs completed the League and Championship double in 2015 and 2016, and again in 2018.

Even more impressively, they won an unprecedented six All-Irelands in a row between 2015 and 2020.

Dublin’s lowest finishing position in the League was fourth, in 2019, and they also reached the 2017 Final, were runners-up in 2020 and joint-winners in 2021.

Derry, in complete contrast, struggled badly in both League and Championship thereafter.

It was the devastating defeat to Donegal in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final that altered the Dubs' approach significantly, deploying a sweeper and bolstering their focus on defence.

That change was starkly illustrated in the drop-off in scores between the two Dublin-Derry meetings in Croke Park, the 2014 League Final and then the round six showdown in 2015.

From a total of 4-29 in 2014, 33 scores, 11 months later there were only 12 scores, all points, as Dublin ground out a dreadfully dour 0-8 to 0-4 win. Even the 2014 round five match up in Derry had produced 30 scores.

Derry's ultra-defensive approach that day in 2015 was a desperate attempt to save themselves from relegation. They’d only picked up one point from their first five matches, in round three at Healy Park against fellow strugglers Tyrone, but both sides would go down anyway.

Defeat in Dublin confirmed Derry’s demotion, even though they went on to beat table-toppers Cork in the final round.

That relegation set off a downward spiral for Derry.

They narrowly avoided another drop down in 2016, finishing sixth in Division Two on scoring difference, ahead of Ulster rivals Armagh.

Yet they weren’t good enough to stay up in 2017.

Nor in 2018, when they slumped into the basement division.

Within four years of being in the Division One Final the Oak Leafers were destined for Division Four.

The seven seasons from 2015 to 2021 inclusive saw Derry change division five times, going down on three occasions, two of them consecutive relegations, and heading back up twice, lifting them into their current status in Division Two.

Arguably Derry deserve to be in the top flight already.

Yet with the best panel of players in the country coming to Celtic Park, nothing is guaranteed.

Derry-Dublin recent National Football League meetings:

2015 Division One, round six: Dublin 0-8 Derry 0-4

2014 Division One Final (Croke Park): Dublin 3-19 Derry 1-10

2014 Division One, round five (Celtic Park): Derry 1-16 Dublin 0-13

2010 Division One, round two (Parnell Park): Dublin 1-11 Derry 0-7

2009 Division One, round four (Parnell Park): Dublin 1-12 Derry 0-20

Senior Football Championship clashes:

2007 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final (Croke Park): Dublin 0-18 Derry 0-15

2003 All-Ireland SFC qualifiers round two (Clones): Dublin 3-9 Derry 1-9

1993 All-Ireland SFC semi-final: Dublin 0-14 Derry 0-15

1975 All-Ireland SFC semi-final: Dublin 3-13 Derry 3-8

1958 All-Ireland SFC Final: Dublin 2-12 Derry 1-9.