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Paddy Leonard, 28 Sep
The man who won league titles with both Derry City and Shelbourne
believes that the players should not need team talks at this stage of
the season, with the end goal now in sight.
Peter Hutton, who made 663 appearances for Derry City, was the last man
to captain the club to the Championship 27 years ago. On April 19,
1997, Hutton scored in a 2-0 win over St. Patrick’s Athletic at the
Brandywell on a night which ended with him lifting the title for only
the second time in the club’s short League of Ireland history.
Hutton won the league just four years later, but wearing different
colours, as he helped Shelbourne back to the top of Irish football.
Now both clubs are back at the top fighting for the title, with just
three points separating them with six games to go. Shamrock Rovers are
still in the mix also in what promise to be a nerve-wrecking end to the
season for fans of all three clubs.
“Whoever can remain cool and keep concentrated and focused just to get
the business done will do it,” Hutton said. “It seems as if no-one
really wants to grasp their reins and take the initiative. It's a
strange season. There’s nobody who has consistently stood out over the
course of the season. Teams have flirted with a bit of consistency, and
then when you think that they're on a run, they've blown it then or
threw away easy points, so it's just been a very, very strange season,
to say the least.
“Now, when you’re into the last five or six games, anybody who shows
any type of consistency will win it.”
Derry City and Shelbourne have historically been huge rivals, with the
clubs last on this position in 2006, when the Candystripes won both cup
competitions, but lost out on a treble on goa difference to the Dublin
side.
“We had some real battles with Shelbourne over the years, and some
great games,” he acknowledged. “There were two really strong teams over
the years, when Rovers weren't at themselves. When they had no home and
they were going from ground to ground.
“But now Shels are back up there, and I feel as though Damien Duff has
done incredible work in terms of galvanising the club and getting them
into the position they're in now. I don't think they’re as easy on the
eye as Derry would be; they are very resilient and dogged and they
grind out results. But they've given themselves an opportunity now to
go and win the league, and so I'm sure they're looking forward to these
games coming up now too. Damien Duff will have them well prepared.”
[IDNT_26-9-24_Pizza_3-1727351840685.jpg]
Damien Duff is hoping to spoil Derry City’s hopes of a third league
title. (Photo: Ben McShane/Sportsfile)
What unique aspect of this title race is that the managers of the top
two are relatively inexperienced, with neither in this position before
in their managerial careers.
“Damien Duff has obviously played in the Premier League under serious
managers, so I'm sure he's picked up a lot of things on his way,”
Hutton continued. “Ruaidhri’s now in his third season, and he's
obviously had spells just under good coaches as well, with Stephen
(Kenny), and places like Coleraine and Dundalk.
“They've been around that management set-up for a number of years now
so I wouldn't say they're rookies; in terms of winning the league, they
obviously are. I'm not saying they're enjoying it, but I would say
they'd rather have that than what Kevin Doherty and John Daly are going
through.”
‘Enjoy it’
Hutton experienced the pressure and expectation of several title
run-ins during his time as a player, and while the weight of 27 barren
years weighs heavy on the current squad, the former captain and manager
of the club believes the players should savour these moments.
“I think it's there to be enjoyed, because Derry for a number of years,
have languished in that table, and not been involved,” he explained.
“It's a blessing, and it's there to be enjoyed. It's not every day, as
we know ourselves, that you'd be up there challenging for titles, so,
you grasp the initiative and run with it. At this stage now, Ruaidhri
and Paul Hegarty really shouldn't have anything to say, or need to say
anything.
“It should be the players driving each other, because every player will
want to play in these last five or six games, be that in the Cup
semi-final, or these remaining league games. First and foremost, every
player wants to play, and be in that starting eleven. In terms of the
training and the build-up to games, for me anyway, that's what I really
enjoyed, those training sessions, because there was a real intensity to
those training sessions, and everybody upped their game, because
everybody wanted to play. So, I'm sure they wouldn't have to say much
to the players now, in their remaining games.”
Derry and Shels are set to face each other at the Brandywell on the
final day of the season, for what could well be a last-day
title-decider. Hutton has been in that position before, losing the
league on the final day three times; in 1995 at Athlone, in 2005 at
Cork City and 2006 against Bohemians. He has never forgotten the pain
of those losses.
[IDNT_26-9-24_Pizza_4-1727351779329.jpg]
Peter Hutton won the league with Shelbourne back in 2001.
“I've experienced both sides of it,” he acknowledged. “It's obviously
not a nice feeling because you've worked your socks off all year, and
to just come up short in the final game, there's nothing worse. It's
very, very bittersweet, because you've done well all season, but you've
really nothing to show for it, because nobody remembers who comes
second.”
The memories of winning are more important however, and Hutton will
forever appreciate that he was able to get his hands on the league
title during his playing days, especially for this home town team.
Next Read: IN PICTURES: Derry City fans enjoy night of late drama at
the Brandywell
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” he stated. “We had a really good
year. At the start of the season I think people thought we’d be up
there or thereabouts challenging, but we really dealt with it really
well. We had a good mixture in the squad in terms of youth and
experience and balance all over the park n terms of wide players and
midfield. We had people complementing each other all over the park so
there was a really good squad.
“You think that this is going to happen every year. But then, the
following season, in 98, we were languishing near the bottom and
mid-table, so, it can fall away very, very quickly if you're not
careful. “It was a very, very special night that night we won it
against St. Pat’s in the Brandywell. I'm sure for Ruaidhri and Paul,
there'd be no better feeling if they won it on the night at home to
Shels in the Brandywell. You talk to people, and for some there’s a
feeling that it's written in the stars, but I'm sure Damien Duff will
have something to say about that, and obviously Stephen Bradley too.”