FINN HARPS HOST Derry City in Friday night’s eagerly-awaited SSE Airtricity League of Ireland Premier Division opener at Finn Park – and the Candystripes will have some familiar faces in their squad.
There is a strong Donegal feel to the make-up of the Derry City party that will roll up on Navenny Street with four Donegal men listed in Kenny Shiels’ (pictured above) squad:
Shaun Patton
THE 20-year-old goalkeeper is returning to Finn Park as a Derry City player for the first time since he made the move to Brandywell from Harps at the start of last season.
Patton came to prominance when he won the Foyle Cup with the Donegal Schoolboys in 2011 and was snapped up by Harps’ Under-19s.
Patton was back-up goalkeeper to Ciaran Gallagher and made his debut in April 2012 when coming on for the injured Gallagher. Patton was just 16 at the time and he saved a penalty from Gary Dempsey of Waterford that afternoon.
The former Bonagee United schoolboy made six appearances last season and kept a clean sheet against Cork City.
Barry McNamee
THE Ramelton man is a nephew of former Finn Harps striker Con McLaughlin. Friday will be a big night for the McNamees with Barry’s brother, Tony, on the Harps squad.
Barry made his Derry debut in 2011 against UCD in the EA Sports Cup. The following season, he got a real chance when Declan Devine was down a number of players because of injury and McNamee never looked back.
He has pretty much been a regular feature on the Derry team since, winning the FAI Cup in 2012 and last year he signed a two-year contract at the Brandywell.
Gareth McGlynn
THE capture of McGlynn was seen as a superb piece of business by Kenny Shiels, who has brought the Inch man back for a third spell at Derry.
The now 33-year-old is back from spells in both Australia and America.
McGlynn was a regular in the Derry team from 2001 through to 2011, although he had a year away, in 2010, at Bohemians.
McGlynn played for Derry in 2011 and since then has lined out for Stirling Lions in Australia and Lansdowne Soccer Club in New York, where he won two Cosmopolitan Soccer League titles.
Ronan Curtis
THE tough St Johnston resident signed a two-year contract at Derry in November and was one of the first players tied up by Shiels.
Curtis played his schoolboy football at Kildrum Tigers and was part of a successful youth team that included Michael Duffy – on loan at Alloa from Celtic – and Shane McGinty, now at Institute.
The 19-year-old made a dozen first team appearances at Derry last season and scored his first goal in a 4-1 loss to Longford Town in the final game of the campaign.
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