David Scullion
In many ways it is typical of how the League of Ireland season has gone, yet it is still quite sad that the final round of games in the 2009 campaign have been overshadowed by financial issues.
Derry City have plummented right to the bottom of the pile marked 'Clubs in need of a lifeline' following the recent revelations that their players have not been paid in a number of weeks and both Dungannon Swifts and Linfield are hounding them for monies owed.
Crunch meetings have been ongoing with the board trying to make sense of where it all went wrong and how their problems can be fixed. They are due in Abbotstown this weekend to discuss with the FAI what the best way forward would be.
Demotion from the Premier Division has been suggested, but the big fear now is whether the club can survive the winter. Let's hope they can because losing Derry would be a massive blow to the domestic game.
Proud history, rich support
Former Derry great Liam Coyle recently caused a stir when he tackled a taboo subject and suggested that the club should consider leaving the League of Ireland in favour of a return to the Irish League.
Chairman Pat McDaid was quick to kill off that talk by saying that they wanted to stay put. For both the club and the League of Ireland, it is essential that they stick around.
With such a long history (and quite a successful one too), Derry are so much more a just another football team. They represent a city that is often excluded from the mainstream spotlight, Cork are similar in this regard, and their victories taste all the more sweeter for their fans.
And those fans are something else. To travel all around the island following their club, being extremely vocal with their songs, chants, and support, and doing it on a consistent basis shows how much it all means to them. When Stephen Kenny returned for a second spell as manager they turned out in such great numbers that some would have been forgiven for thinking that the messiah that arose for a third time.
So to lose a such a strong club and a superbly loyal supporter base would be crippling for the league.
Building blocks already in place
If they can come up with the finance needed to pay their end-of-season bills, then Derry should be able to attract new investment as they can showcase to interested parties the solid footing that they can reshape the club around.
Besides having one of the best managers in the domestic game in the aforementioned Kenny, they also possess an excellent squad. Okay, some players may go and it is a huge shame that they did not offer new terms to Peter Hutton, but the nucelus is definitely there.
Anyone doubting the strength of their roster should take a look at their strikeforce - Mark Farren, Sammy Morrow, Thomas Stewart, Tam McManus, David McDaid. Pretty impressive, even though they didn't top the scoring charts this season.
Only a few months ago the club convinced the Derry City Council to agree to a project that would help to redevelop the Brandywell Stadium. It is a ground that certainly needs a modern facelift, but more than anything investment needs to be pumped into the club's resources.
They have shown on the pitch what they are capable of, especially in Europe, now it is time for them to get some help with the off-field matters, so that they are prolong their status as one of the top clubs in League of Ireland football.