By:
Graeme Hanna
James McClean has urged his Derry City teammates to aim for the league phase of a European competition in their upcoming continental campaign.
While the focus is rightly on the imminent 2026 League of Ireland season, Europe is on the agenda following Derry’s 2nd place finish last year.
With that adventure to look forward to, James McClean has set the challenge of emulating Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne, with both of the Dublin clubs competing in the Conference League, league phase in the current 2025/26 season.
Derry City will start their European odyssey in the first qualifying round of the Europa League, due to Shamrock Rovers clinching the Premier Division and FAI Cup double.
That means the Candystripes have the ‘parachute’ of the Europa Conference League, providing a second chance to get through to the league phase.
Euro league stages would be ‘really special’
The next chapter for McClean, the return to his home city, is a family affair after his brother Patrick McClean signed for the club for a third time.
However, the older sibling wants to make his mark for Tiernan Lynch’s side, and part of that will be to contribute to qualifying for the main stage in Europe, while the boss revealed a 12-month pursuit of James McClean.
“The challenge is to get into the league stages, he told BBC NI.
“It’ll obviously be nice representing Derry in Europe but I don’t count the qualifying as European games, only when you are in the group stage, he added.
“You’ve had Shels and Rovers in the group stages the last few years, which has been brilliant for the league, and now we want to do that ourselves.
“To play European group (league) stages here (with Derry at the Brandywell) would be really special,” said James McClean.
Back to the Brandywell.
James and Patrick McClean are hoping for some special family moments as they return to the Candystripes. pic.twitter.com/BCcdYsXqUI
— UTV Live News (@UTVNews) January 26, 2026
James McClean believes in Derry City quality
The 38-year-old left Derry City back in 2011 to join Sunderland.
15 years later, he reluctantly ended his association with Wrexham after two consecutive promotions wth the Welsh club, but he insisted the plan was always to finish his career back where it started.
After their second-place finish last season, and some significant new arrivals at the Brandywell, Derry City are rightly expected to be a challenger for the Premier Division title.
They haven’t been League of Ireland champions since 1997, but James McClean believes the squad contains the quality to end the drought.
He has challenged his teammates to go the distance and prove they can handle a title race.
“I don’t think it’s a lack of quality, just a lack of belief, he said.
“The past two seasons, they have put themselves in good positions, but when push came to shove, that’s when they peeled off.
“You look at last season, they finished really strongly, but that was when the pressure was off. It’s when the pressure is on you have to stand up and be counted.
“You look around the dressing room and there’s plenty of quality. If we can combine that with belief, then we give ourselves a great chance.”
Image credit: derrycityfc/X
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