With the incoming President’s Cup fixture between Shamrock Rovers and Derry City, this weeks Airtricity/Eircom Man will look at former Derry City player Kevin McHugh.
Playing Career.
McHugh was born in January of 1980 in Letterkenny and grew up in Killea in Donegal.
Finn Harps (1998-2005)
Kevin debuted against Fanad United in the LOI Cup at age 17, where he would score. In 200 he would go out on loan to Omagh Town. Over the years at Finn Harps, he built a reputation for being one of the most clinical and scariest forwards in the league. He would go on to make 184 appearances in his time at the club, scoring 106 times. His 99th and 100th goal would come in a 5-0 belting of Longford Town at home in 2005. With Harps set to go down to the First Division again in 2005, as top scorer he attracted the attention of big clubs such as Shelbourne and Bohemians.
Derry City (2006-2008)
In January of 2006, it would be announced that McHugh would join Derry City on a two year deal. McHugh was a key player during Derry’s successful era. Here at Derry he would again be the main striker in Stephen Kenny’s side as they pushed on and won their first European advancement in over 40 years in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup. It was in this campaign when Derry would notoriously draw 0-0 at home with Paris Saint Germain. In his time at Derry, he would also win the 2006 FAI Cup and the league cup all 3 years. He made 88 appearances and scored 12 times for the Candy stripes.
Linfield (2009)
Kevin would join Linfield in January of 2009, opting for the NIFL instead of the LOI. He would score a dramatic last minute winner on his debut against Institute FC. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury would leave him sidelined for over 4 months. He made 26 appearances and scored 4 times for the Blues.
Return to Finn Harps (2010-2016)
It was announced that Kevin would come home to Donegal in February of 2010. In this spell he would enter himself into the top 10 all time scorers in the league’s history. In his first three seasons back, he would score 36 goals.
Most notably, in late 2016 at an under age training session, he jumped over a gate where his wedding ring got caught in, severing his finger. This horrific injury would be the sudden end of his playing career. In his 6 year homecoming he would make 81 appearances, scoring 56 goals.
Kevin McHugh’s Legacy.
Kevin amassed 387 appearances in his career, with 181 goals to show for it. He is known as the greatest Finn Harps player of all time, and recognized as a Derry City cult hero to this day. His prolific record in front of goal solidifies him at 5th place in the all time LOI top scorers.
Honours.
First Division POTY – 2002, 2004
First Division Top Scorer – 2002, 2003, 2004, 2012
FAI Cup – Derry City (2006)
League Cup – Derry City (2006, 2007, 2008)
First Division – Finn Harps (2004)
Managing Career.
Soon after his abrupt retirement in 2016, he would join the Finn Harps Academy set up, being named as the U-15 manager in November of 2016. Later in 2017 he would be named the head of the academy.
In 2024, Kevin would become assistant manager under Darren Murphy for the 2024 season. Murphy would later depart the club in 2025, leading for Kevin to be appointed as the first team manager for the club. McHugh’s Harps finished 8th in 2025with 36 points. His team head into the 2026 season with high hopes and optimism.
Can Kevin become as iconic as a manager as he did as a player for the Harps? Only time will tell. This weeks Airtricity/Eircom man is Kevin McHugh.