Derry City have moved swiftly to appoint Ruaidhrí Higgins’ successor with Tiernan Lynch signing a three-year deal.
The 44-year-old, will be in his new surroundings of the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium tonight as he takes charge of Larne for one last time when they face Institute in the Bet McLean Cup (7.45pm).
Lynch will be joined in the Brandywell dug-out by his brother and assistant Seamus next season after the Foylesiders agreed a compensation package with the Inver Park club.
It’s believed discussions between Lynch and the Candystripes took place over the weekend and the deal was signed and sealed yesterday.
Lynch steered Larne to back-to-back NIFL Premiership titles, with the Inver Park side also currently competing in the league phase of the Uefa Conference League.
The Brandywell club acted quickly following Higgins’s departure on Friday, with City’s CEO Sean Barrett last night confirming the new man’s arrival.
“We met with Tiernan at the weekend and we were impressed by his vision and energy to take Derry City Football Club forward,” said Barrett.
“He has overseen a massive development programme at Larne over the past few seasons and we are delighted that he was very keen to come to the Brandywell. There is a lot of work to do over the coming weeks in preparation for next season and we are very much looking forward to starting work with Tiernan later this week.”
Lynch only recently turned down a chance to manage Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone. It is understood he felt the Scottish strugglers’ ambitions didn’t match his own.
City chairman Philip O’Doherty backed had Higgins massively in the transfer market and off the pitch he continues to fund Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium improvements. What also will have impressed Lynch is the Candystripes’ fan-base.
Despite what was a disappointing 2024 season, City took 20,000 fans to the Aviva Stadium for their Sports Direct FAI Cup final loss to Drogheda United. The potential to make Derry the biggest club in Ireland is something which will excite the new boss.