With Derry City having confirmed the departure of Tiernan Lynch as manager on Wednesday, speculation has inevitably turned to who may occupy the role on a permanent basis in future.
Former club captain Mark Connolly has been put in temporary charge of first team affairs on an interim basis and has a chance to impress the Candystripes board in the post over the coming games.
Several other candidates will likely be on the lips and minds of the supporters of the Brandywell club, who may opt to wait until the end of the present campaign before making a permanent appointment.
Any potential new boss will take up the mantle of trying to secure the club's first league success since way back in 1997, an achievement which has eluded several high-profile managers over the years.
BBC Sport NI ***** ses some of the candidates for the post.

#permanent #derry #city

Derry City have to overcome a one-goal deficit in the second leg of their Conference League second qualifying round tie as Rijeka were 1-0 victors against the Candystripes in Croatia.
The sides were goalless at the break after the hosts dominated the ball, before Michael Duffy's late effort almost had the visitors ahead.
Croatia international Toni Fruk, fresh home from the World Cup, broke the dead-lock on 52 minutes with what proved to be the winner, punishing a lapse of concentration in the Derry defence.
Tiernan Lynch's side will now host the Croatian side at the Brandywell on 30 July.
The home side dominated for the majority of the first half without really troubling Brian Maher in the Derry City goal.

#croatia #goal #dominated

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Lawyers for Pamela Smart, who is serving life in prison for orchestrating the murder of her husband by her teenage student in 1990, urged a New Hampshire judge Monday to allow her latest petition for a new trial to move forward.
Smart, 58, was a 22-year-old high school media coordinator when she began an affair with a 15-year-old boy who later fatally shot her husband, Gregory Smart, in Derry.
The shooter was freed in 2015 after serving a 25-year sentence. Though Smart denied knowledge of the plot, she was convicted of being an accomplice to first-degree murder and other crimes and was sentenced to life without parole after a trial that was one of the first in the nation to be broadcast live on television from start to finish.
Smart filed a petition for habeas corpus relief in January seeking to overturn her conviction over what her lawyers claim were several constitutional violations. The state responded with a motion to dismiss the petition, resulting in Monday's hearing, which Smart attended remotely from the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York.
Merrimack County Superior Court Judge James Kennedy took the matter under advisement. He planned to rule in 30 to 60 days.

MasterChef isn't about love — but off-screen, the judges have plenty of romance in their lives.
Season 16 of MasterChef: Global Gauntlet returned on July 15, following an extended hiatus for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The popular FOX cooking competition will bring more high-stakes culinary challenges, with Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Tiffany Derry continuing as judges.
Although the trio is known for their high standards and constructive criticism, their off-camera lives reveal a softer side.
"[Gordon] is, believe it or not, incredibly sensitive — he's a crier," Gordon's wife, Tana Ramsay, told PEOPLE in September 2023.
The celebrity chef has been married to Tana for nearly 30 years and frequently shares glimpses of their relationship in interviews and social media posts. His fellow judges have also found love: Joe married Deanna Bastianich (née Damiano) in 1995, per The New York Times, and just weeks before the cooking show's return, Tiffany announced on Instagram that she had wed William F. Johnson.

Chelsea talent Jessy Derry is close to joining Portuguese giants Sporting CP on a season-long loan.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Sporting have agreed to cover his salary with no buy option included, which suggests the move is to prioritise the young winger’s development.
Before heading to Portugal, the 19-year-old has committed his future to Chelsea by signing a new six-year contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2032.
He’s regarded as one of the Blues’ brightest talents and will hope he can do enough to earn a spot in the first team when he returns at the end of the season.
Derry came into the first team with plenty of fanfare following his impressive performances in the Chelsea academy.

Grimsby Town defender Cameron McJannet has extended his contract through to the end of the 2027-28 season.
The 27-year-old centre-back has made 87 league appearances for the Mariners since joining from Derry City in June 2024.
"He had the option year for this coming season and we think he's an extremely good player and we didn't want to lose him," boss Dave Artell told BBC Radio Humberside.
"He's outstanding on the ball and he's a proper defender. Whenever you've got those qualities you've got a chance."
All the latest Grimsby Town news

Chelsea youngster Jesse Derry will spend the 2026/27 season on loan in Portugal with Sporting CP.
The news was first reported by Portuguese outlet Record and has since been confirmed by our sister site zerozero with Derry set to spend the season with Sporting after an agreement between both parties – a move that does not include an option to buy.
A product of Crystal Palace's academy, Derry then went on to join Chelsea making three appearances for the Blues last season. Primarily, it was at under-21 and under-19 level where the teenager really stood out — 12 goals in 30 matches across those two age groups.
Regarded as one of his country's biggest prospects, Derry will be the 11th English player to feature for the side now led by Rui Borges.
In the opposite direction, Geovany Quenda will move to Chelsea this summer, after spending last season back at Sporting on loan from the Blues.

Jesse Derry is set to join Sporting Lisbon on a season-long loan, in a move designed to fast-track the teenager’s development.
The Chelsea forward will spend the 2026-27 campaign in Portugal, Fabrizio Romano reports, before returning to Stamford Bridge in June 2027.
The loan follows a fresh commitment to the club. Derry signed a new long-term contract at Chelsea only this week, ending speculation over his future.
Bayern Munich and Juventus had both circled the 19-year-old, but the extension ended any prospect of an immediate exit.
The terms suit all parties. Chelsea will cover Derry’s wages in full, while there is no option to buy attached to the deal.

Academy youngster Jesse Derry (who joined our setup from Crystal Palace last summer) made a pretty good impression in his occasional first-team appearances last season, showing that he’s certainly ready for much more than what youth football — or just cameos off the bench at senior level, for that matter — can offer him.
Along those lines, a loan is surely the best next step in his development. He’s chosen a fairly big step however, with Fabrizio Romano among those reporting that Chelsea and Sporting CP have agreed a season-long loan for the 19-year-old winger.
Sporting finished second in the Portuguese top division last year, ahead of José Mourinho’s Benfica but six points behind champions FC Porto. Sporting did lead the league in scoring, though they are losing a key piece of that attack to Chelsea, with Geovany Quenda joining the Blues on a pre-arranged transfer. One would imagine that Derry should have the opportunity to take step into the void left by fellow teenager Quenda, and, if he can rise to that challenge, have himself a very productive season for his development.

Jesse Derry is close to signing a new contract at Chelsea as a reward for his recent first-team breakthrough.
The 19-year-old winger made his senior debut and first Premier League start last season and attracted interest from a number of European clubs, including Bayern Munich.
However, Chelsea are close to agreeing for the attacker to extend his stay on improved terms.
The England youth international enjoyed an impressive first campaign in Chelsea's academy after joining from London rivals Crystal Palace last summer.
Derry has made three first-team appearances to date, but his season ended early following a head injury suffered in his first start against Nottingham Forest. He has since recovered.

Irish defender Christy Grogan has left Stockport County to join League of Ireland side Derry City.
Grogan, 20, moves for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance.
He joined Stockport from Stoke City last summer after 10 years with the Potters.
Grogan struggled to break through at Stockport and joined National League side Aldershot Town on loan in December after being restricted to just two appearances in the EFL Trophy.
County recalled him from his loan in April because of an injury crisis and he played two league games for the League One side.

Cliftonville and Glentoran are back in the Women's League Cup final at Seaview in a repeat of last year's thrilling decider.
The Reds came from behind to triumph 4-2 against the Glens to win the competition for a third year in a row.
This will be the first meeting between the two sides who sit first and second in the Women's Premiership table in the current campaign and it promises to be an intriguing battle as always.
Ahead of Sunday's final, BBC Sport NI looks at all you need to know about both teams.
Cliftonville began their defence of the trophy with a 3-1 away win against Derry City in April with Carla Devine netting twice either side of a Caitlin McGuinness goal.

'It's worse than Covid,' says principal as 170 pupils off sick in one day

The principal of a County Londonderry school has said it is like "being back in Covid times" after 170 pupils were off sick on one day alone.
Brian Guthrie of Ebrington Primary School said some children had to attend hospital and a small number were admitted for treatment last week.
Confirmed flu cases among adults and children across Northern Ireland have more than trebled in the last two weeks, rising from 273 to 954, official figures show.
Numbers are expected to rise, according to the Director of Public Health