https://www.derrynow.com/sport/lette...-talent/252295
Kenny Shiels has written an open letter to the youth football fraternity in the city in response to criticism as regards the lack local players.....
It raises some points as regards the impact the new underage structure may have however does not account for the loss of several young local players who had already made the first team but have subsequently left - Boyle, Daniels, Doherty etc. which is were most of the frustration stems from.
Shane McEleney - Larne
David McDaid - Larne
Josh Daniels - Glenavon
Ben Doherty - Glenavon
Niall Grace - Glenavon
Ciaron Harkin - Coleraine
Rory Patterson - Crusaders
Patrick McClean - Sligo
Patrick McEleney - Dundalk
Dean Jarvis - Dundalk
Michael Duffy - Dundalk
Aaron Barry - Cork (obviously not "local" but felt like it after a longstanding partnership with McBride)
Barry McNamee - Cork
Nathan Boyle - Finn Harps
Pat McCourt - Finn Harps
Mark Timlin - Finn Harps
Those are the type of players people in Derry would point to and would be annoyed at from recent times, although frankly we are in no position to compete with Dundalk or Cork and many of those either wouldn't be good enough or have already failed at Derry City so I sympathise with Shiels, probably the only one I'd take issue with would be Daniels (maybe Boyle). I'd of course have loved him to sign McCourt at the time but his reasons for not doing so were perfectly valid.
If he is around next season it will be interesting to see what the team looks like come February.
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