Traditions of Derry City F.C. - Rivalries

Rivalries

A friendly rivalry is currently maintained with local Donegal club, Finn Harps. While both have encountered times of financial trouble in recent years, they have often been helped by the other in this regard. Their success cannot be said to have occurred without this. Finn Harps were one of the major proponents of Derry's joining of the League of Ireland in 1985. Phil Coulter is known as a fan of both sides, and has been instrumental in keeping them as operational football clubs. With Derry now consistently staying in the top-tier and Finn Harps having a hard time maintaining top-flight status, their much-anticipated Northwest derby is now a rarer affair than it once was. Derry also share a northwest derby game with Sligo Rovers, although Sligo is not in as close proximity to Derry as Ballybofey is.

The mid-eighties saw Derry's biggest rivalry coming in the form of Dublin's St. Patrick's Athletic - a side which contained former Republic of Ireland international and Middlesbrough defender, Curtis Fleming, TV3 pundit Paul Osam and ex Derry manager, Pat Fenlon. In recent years, Dublin's Shelbourne FC were seen as top-of-the-table rivals with games between the two often being crucial to the ultimate winning of the league. In turn, these games were often very exciting six-pointers.

There is another club in Derry known as Institute FC, but because the clubs play under different associations no intense footballing rivalry exists, although Institute generally take their support from the city's Protestant or unionist community, as opposed to Derry City, who generally take theirs from the Catholic or nationalist one.

During Derry's time in the Irish League, south Belfast's successful Linfield FC were commonly viewed as the team to beat. Derry also enjoyed an intense rivalry with fellow North West club Coleraine FC. A number of Protestants from Derry follow Coleraine. In 1995 Coleraine and Derry played a two-legged, cross-association Irish News Cup semi-final. Coleraine won the first leg at the Brandywell 2-0 before a scoreless draw in the second leg at Coleraine. Coleraine brought a huge support to the Brandywell but Derry fans chose to boycott the return leg at the Showgrounds for one reason or another.