Eye on Bohs

Pol O’Hare casts a glance over tonight’s opposition and what might City fans expect from Alan Reynolds and his side.  You can find Pol’s writing, and lots more beside – in tonight’s match programme.  Available from sellers around the ground and in the club shop, you can pick it up for £3

Derry City v Bohemians (February 2026)

With European football on the horizon for the first time since 2021, Bohemian FC boss Alan
Reynolds will be hoping for a memorable year in Phibsborough. 2026 will be the last season
of League of Ireland football played at Dalymount Park in its current guise, while the Bohs
faithful will be eager to better last season’s fourth placed finish. Both unbeaten so far,
Friday’s game between Derry City and Bohemians is a fixture which never passes by quietly.

Outgoings, Incomings & Ones to Watch:

Outgoings

• James Clarke (Derry City)
• Rob Cornwall (Dundalk)
• Keith Buckley (Dundalk)
• Archie Meekison (Sligo Rovers)
• Alex Lacey (released)
• Declan Osagie (Bray Wanderers – loan)
• Rhys Brennan (Bray Wanderers – loan)
• John Mountney (Glenavon)

Incomings

• Sam Todd (Derry City)
• Sadou Diallo (Derry City)
• Darragh Power (Cheltenham Town)
• Senan Mullen (Torino – loan)
• Harry Vaughan (Hull City – loan)
• Hugh Martin (UCD)
• Patrick Hickey (Galway United)
• Paul Walters (FC Cincinnati – loan)
• Ryan Burke (Waterford)

Following the departures of James Clarke, who scored eight and assisted three in the league
last year, and midfielder Archie Meekison, Bohemians have looked toward Harry Vaughan
and Hugh Martin to bolster the frontline. Vaughan is an Ireland U21 international winger who
has experience in England playing with Oldham Athletic, Hull City and Bristol Rovers. 16
year old forward Martin is a highly thought of centre forward who made his UCD debut as a
15 year old and scored for Ireland’s U17s recently.

With defensive stalwarts Rob Cornwall, Keith Buckley and John Mountney leaving for
Dundalk and Glenavon, Bohemians moved swiftly for former Derry City centre back Sam
Todd, as well as signing Senan Mullen on loan from Torino. Todd was one of City’s standout
performers in 2025, playing on the left of three centre backs. Mullen gained first team
experience with Torino last summer and spent time on loan at Serie B side Mantova. Former
Waterford fullback Darragh Power has signed from Cheltenham in League Two to fill the void
at right back, while Ryan Burke has come in at left back.

21 year old goalkeeper Paul Walters joins on loan from FC Cinncinnati, replacing the
outgoing James Talbot and providing competition to Polish shot stopper Kacper Chorazka,
who has impressed between the sticks in the past few years. Patrick Hickey and Sadou
Diallo may prove to be two astute signings from Galway United and Derry City. Hickey is a
versatile player who can play anywhere through the middle of the pitch. At 6’6”, he’s a goal
threat and defensive presence. Sadou Diallo, as Derry fans know, is a classy operator and
made 108 appearances in red and white after joining in 2022.

Midfield duo Ross Tierney and Dawson Devoy are two the finest footballers in the Premier
Division, while James McManus returns to Bohs after impressing on loan at Sligo Rovers.
Devoy was a PFAI Player of the Year nominee in 2025 too. Harry Vaughan adds to the
trickery of Connor Parsons, Dayle Rooney and Rhys Brennan on the Bohemian flanks.

Striker Colm Whelan has scored three hattricks for Bohemians since joining from Derry City
in late 2024. The most recent was a thirteen minute trio in a 4-0 away win to Sligo Rovers,
with the others coming against Waterford and Killester Donnycarney. With Douglas James-
Taylor and new addition Hugh Martin up front, he’ll be hoping for big season after suffering two injury hit years while at the Brandywell. James-Taylor shone on loan at Drogheda United
in 2024 and managed to score seven league goals despite an injury-disrupted 2025 at Bohs.

Head to Head:
In the past ten league and cup meetings between Derry City and Bohemians, the
Candystripes have picked up five wins, with three being draws and the other two wins for the
Dublin side. Last season’s 4-3 classic and 2024’s FAI Cup semi-final victory will stick out in
the mind for City supporters, while Bohs scored after two minutes to hold out for a 1-0 victory
back in May last year. Six of the last ten matches between these two on Foyleside have
ended in draws, with the visitors leaving victorious just once. Derry City have seen a man
sent of in two of the last three meetings, meanwhile Grant Horton’s dismissal for Bohemians
in May 2023 was the first red card in this fixture since April 2018.

Form:
Bohemians kicked off their 2026 campaign with a 0-0 draw in front of more than 21,000
spectators in the Aviva Stadium two Sundays ago before hammering Sligo Rovers 4-0 in the
Showgrounds last weekend. Alan Reynolds’ side have conceded in league action this year.
Bohs ended last year in patchy form though, winning three of their last ten matches. Despite
that, their emphatic 4-1 win away to Drogheda United on the final day was enough to secure
a fourth placed finish, seeing them qualify for Europe. In preseason action, Bohs won 4-1
against Waterford, drew with Wexford (0-0), Shelbourne (2-2) and Drogheda United (1-1)
and lost against Finglas United (1-0) and Bray Wanderers (3-1).