Dundalk FC Magazine article on Derry City’s departure from the Irish League and entry into the League of Ireland in 1985.
The full story of Derry City’s departure from the Irish League and eventual admission to the League of Ireland is worthy of a lot more space than can be afforded in the Dundalk FC Magazine. Derry in the 1960s was at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. While there was some attempts to separate sport and politics – the fact that Derry City FC was such an integral part of their community made any such attempt impossible.
The origins of the Derry’s problems is in a very poor relationship with the Irish Football Association. The most obvious example of this came in 1965 when Derry City won the Irish League and also the right to play in European Competition. Having lost to Norwegian champions FK Lyn in the 1st leg 5-3, Derry City had one of their greatest nights as they destroyed the visitors in the return leg in the Brandywell 5-1. They were drawn against Belgian champions Anderlecht in the next round. However, despite no concern being raised ahead of the Lyn match or any concerns raised by Anderlecht or UEFA – the IFA decided to ban the Brandywell for use in European competition. The problem was, apparently, that the Brandywell pitch was not good enough for European competition. When Derry contacted the IFA for advice on how they can improve their pitch the only response received was that the ban was upheld and that they must use Windsor Park. The suspicion that this decision was motivated by sectarian factors remains to this day – especially after the IFA then decided that Derry could, if they wish, play the match in the Coleraine Showgrounds. The pitch at the Showgrounds was in every bit of disrepair as the Brandywell. Derry made it clear that they would not play the match anywhere else but the Brandywell – a decision that resulted in them being banned from European Competition for two seasons after they withdrew from the competition after the 1st leg.
Over the next few years, the Brandywell was on the front-line of violence in Derry City. Tensions had been high for a number of years. The Unionist Party had maintained political control over the city despite the Catholic majority. Public housing was allocated in a manner that ensured that the Catholic population was kept in a small number of electoral areas. This gerrymandering of the city allowed the Unionists to return two candidates to the Northern Ireland parliament with only one Nationalist being elected despite achieving a majority of the poll. There was no such thing as “one-man one-vote” with only rate payers given the vote in local elections. With Protestants controlling most of the city’s wealth this allowed Unionists to control the city at local government level. By 1968 the Civil Rights Movement had begun. The Brandywell, located in the Bogside area of Derry, was at the frontline of this activity. Inevitably, as the death toll began to rise and the violence began to escalate – the matches featuring the predominantly Protestant teams in the Irish League became a flashpoint.
By January 1969, tensions had increased even more. – Mr William Wilton, representing the North-West Football Association, appealed to Irish League clubs to ensure that their fans would behave when visiting the Brandywell: “It is not our fault that there is trouble in Derry. It is interlopers who are causing the bother. I appeal to visiting clubs who may have over-enthusiastic supporters to realise that it was a serious time for Derry. Supporters on all sides should be gentlemanly and not raise any stir.”. The Derry Citizen Action Group also issued a statement regarding football matches at the Brandywell. The ground was on the border of the citizen controlled Lecky road area and there was suggestions that there may be some trouble between police and spectators at a match with Ards. The Derry Citizen Action Committee stated that they would deplore any attempt to turn a sporting occasion into a demonstration and that they had no objection to the RUC policing the match. Rumours persisted, however, that a Derry City director was involved in the incidents on the Burntollet Bridge when a Civil Rights march from Belfast to Derry had been attacked by 200 Loyalists armed with iron bars.
His appeals went unnoticed when Linfield travelled to the Brandywell on January 25th. Linfield had already won the league title. According to the newspaper reports of the time the Linfield fans that arrived by train were given a police escort to the match in an “odd looking procession” of loud Linfield fans – one of which was wearing a police helmet. There were a number of skirmishes outside the ground. Derry fans sang anti-Ian Paisley songs and “We Shall Overcome” while the Linfield fans responded with “Derry Walls”, “God Save the Queen” and “Rule Brittania”. The first major trouble broke out after Linfield fans burned a Glasgow Celtic jersey and displayed a Union Jack. The situation got worse following Derry’s goal in the 37th minute. A large group of Derry fans, according to the Irish Times report, charged the Linfield fans. Showers of bottles and stones were thrown in each direction and, at one stage, the reporters in the press box had to lower a shutter for protection. The Linfield fans were asked to leave the ground before the half-time break. It was the last time Linfield fans would be back in the stadium until the Setanta Cup match in 2005.
With no RUC now allowed in “Free Derry” – the Irish League refused to allow Derry City to play their Gold Cup match with Ards in the Brandywell. The Derry Citizens Defence Association offered the use of a group described by the press as “vigilantes” but the IFA deemed the offer unacceptable. Derry Chairman, Stephen Morgan, said: “Either we play at home against Ards or we leave the Irish League.” After much internal debate, Derry City decided to play on. With Derry City’s “home” matches against Derry and Glentoran now switched to Windsor Park and the Oval – the IFA obviously hoped that this would reduce any trouble at these matches. However, after a Derry “home” game at the Oval on August 20th 1970 – the Derry City bus was attacked by a gang of Glentoran fans. Following the incident, Derry released a statement attacking the IFA policy of forcing Derry to play matches away from the Brandywell: “We are unanimously of the opinion that it is a backward step which creates problems where none had previously existed. In the present climate we think sport plays an even more important part that it did hitherto in community relations, and the unnecessary interruption of normal sporting life can only hinder rather than help a speedy return to normal conditions.”
In September 1971, Ballymena United’s team bus was burnt out during a match at the Brandywell. Under pressure from other Irish League clubs, Derry City were forced to play all of their “home” games thirty miles away in Coleraine. This was to have disastrous consequences on the club’s finances. Many believed it was purely an attempt to drive the club out of existence.
By September 1972, Derry City had launched a “back to the Brandywell” campaign. The IFA had informed Derry City FC that the Coleraine Showgrounds would remain their “home” ground. Two clubs, thought to have been Glentoran and Linfield, had stated that they would not travel to the Brandywell.
The security authorities gave the go-ahead for matches to resume at the Brandywell in September 1972. Since that decision Derry refused to play their “home” games in the Ulster Cup aginst Bangor in Coleraine in Coleraine’s ground 30 miles away. Despite initial optimism, on 9th October 1972, the Irish League management committee refused to allow Derry to return to the Brandywell to play their home games. At a meeting a motion proposed by Portadown FC to allow Derry to resume their home matches at the Brandywell was rejected by a single vote.
Derry City decided that enough was enough at a meeting of their board of directors on Friday 13th October 1972. A statement said : “We had to consider all the relevant matters and, in particular, the fact that the Irish League Management Committee had seen fit not to accept the recommendations and, indeed, the encouragement of the security authorities that a return to the Brandywell was desirable”. The statement also mentioned that the directors of the club had kept Derry in the league “in the interests of the Irish League and the community at large in the most difficult circumstances” over the past three years.
Mr Harry Cavan, president of the IFA, said: “I would sincerely hope that their leaving of the league is just a temporary measure. I sincerely regret this move, but it is not a decision of the making of the Irish League, and, in fact, has been forced on Derry through the very circumstances of their surroundings. I will most certainly support any move for Derry to return to the league if and when possible.”
Derry officials stated that the club would not go out of existence but would not play any competitive football. It was suggested, at this early stage, that a future in the League of Ireland was also a realistic possibility.
By March 1974 Derry’s return to senior football was still seen as two or three years away. Efforts to include a new ground for Derry City on the site of a new development on the Buncrana Road was blocked. By May 1975, there was strong hopes of Derry City returning to the Irish League for the 1976/77 season. Derry’s intention was to return to the Brandywell as a temporary measure until they find a new ground. The Derry City Council Amenities and Leisure Committee worked with the club to investigate possible new venues. In November 1977, a newly formed club, Derry United, had applied for a place in the Irish League after also applying for planning permission for a new stadium at Culmore Road. Derry City remained hopeful of a return. But still, year after year, the IFA refused to allow Derry City back into the Irish League on the basis that the Brandywell was deemed “unsafe” for visiting teams. During these “wilderness years” Derry City played junior level football on Saturday mornings.
League of Ireland Intentions
Derry made their application to join the League of Ireland on March 28th 1984. There was considerable debate as to whether their application would gain the support of other League of Ireland ground. There was a suggestion that FIFA would also block the move and that Derry City FC might move the club’s base to Buncrana in Co Donegal – but the obvious first choice was to register the Brandywell as their home ground. The League of Ireland also had received applications for membership from Cork Hibernians, Cork City, Avondale, Limerick United, Thurles Town and Longford Town. On June 26th 1984, the officials from Derry came to Dublin to state their case for inclusion in the league. Secretary Eddie Mahon, Treasurer Terry Harkin and team manager Tony O’Doherty were met by senior political figures. Dublin Lord Mayor Michael Keating said: “It’s a reasonable request for Derry to want to play football and it’s an obligation from the bodies both North and South to do something for them.” This added further political clout to the Derry cause that had already been taken up by John Hume. Another major obstacle was removed by the decision of the IFA not to object to Derry’s inclusion in the League of Ireland. Derry had received encouragement from clubs such as Dundalk and Finn Harps.
By November 1984, the first discussions on the new First Division championship to be introduced at the start of the 1985/86 season had begun. On November 23rd1984, Derry City’s application was rubber-stamped by the League of Ireland management committee. However, it was not an easy passage. The meeting was dominated by a duel between League President Fran Fields, a Donegal man, and Limerick City delegate Noel Murphy. Fields reported that the league had studied the Brandywell’s suitability and that they had no concerns. Murphy was not to be won over easily. He brought up areas such as security for the players entering the area, questions of insurance, and the fact that that players travelling to play in Derry on a Sunday would miss work on a Monday morning. Fran Fields answered: “The RUC are free to go in and out of Derry and the RUC have already informed the League of Ireland that they would have no objection to Derry entering the League. Dundalk’s Enda McGuill, an insurance broker himself, assured the meeting that there was no concern in that regard, giving travelling players a complete assurance.” Eventually, Fields received back-up from the representatives from Dundalk, Waterford and Shamrock Rovers. League secretary Eamon Morris also pointed out that GAA teams visited Derry regularly on Sundays without any problems with crowd trouble or work absences. The motion was passed with only Limerick City, St Patrick’s Athletic and Shelbourne objecting to Derry’s entry.
So, eventually, on 8th September 1985, 8000 spectators witnessed Derry City’s return to senior football. Home Farm were the visitors for their League Cup fixture. Former Manchester City star Denis Tueart was the star of the show as he masterminded a 3-1 victory.
Colm Murphy
Dundalk FC Magazine, October 2009.
