Overview
- Derry City beat Shamrock Rovers 1-0 at Tallaght Stadium to claim the season’s curtain-raiser.
- On his second debut, 36-year-old James McClean started in central midfield and crossed for Darragh Markey’s 34th-minute winner.
- The game had a sharp edge with seven yellow cards shown and the Rovers head coach booked for remonstrating with the referee.
- Tiernan Lynch cautioned that marquee signings alone won’t deliver the title, calling the League of Ireland a very tough campaign.
- Owner Philip O'Doherty is funding an aggressive rebuild and has openly targeted the league, adding signings such as Kevin dos Santos, Darragh Markey, James Olayinka, Rob Slevin and Patrick McClean; after the match, McClean alleged sectarian abuse from Rovers fans in a social media post.