Paul Hegarty (right) is caretaker manager of Derry City
PAUL Hegarty is not looking after further than the end of the season before he decides on whether to jump from caretaker boss to Derry City manager.
The team is in a relegation dog fight which just six matches to go in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Divison.
Hegarty takes charge of the struggling Candystripes until the end of the season.
He takes over in a temporary capacity after Peter Hutton quit as manger on Tuesday night by mutual consent with Derry’s board.
His first game in charge will tomorrow night’s clash at the Brandywell against Shamrock Rovers (Friday, September 18 at 7.45 pm).
Club chairman Philip O’Doherty said yesterday that he hoped Hegarty will still be in charge next season.
Former Institute boss Hegarty is playing his cards close to his chest over his future plans at the Brandywell.
He was appointed as assistant manager in July – his time in the role at the club – to help out Hutton.
He told Radio Foyle today: “I had a conversation with Philip last night and I appreciate the offer.
“But as it stands at the minute, I’m looking nothing further than the Shamrock Rovers match and the other games before the end of the season.
“If things go well, we can sit down and assess matters at the end of the season.”
Hegarty spoke to Hutton after Tuesday night’s development and said he “was very down” following his departure.
“But you have to move on and he understands that himself,” Hegarty said in his Radio Foyle interview.
“It will be tough for him for a few weeks to get his head around it but that’s the way football is.”
Derry have won just six of their 27 league games this season and are just three points clear of basement side Limerick.
Hutton’s final match in charge came on Monday in the 3-0 FAI quarter-final replay defeat away to Cork.
The club chairman said the straw that broke the Hutton’s back was the sides defeat to Drogheda United.
He also told Radio Foyle: “We basically surrendered.
“It was probably the most important game of the season which if we won would probably have left us safe,” the Derry chairman told BBC Radio Foyle.
“You could argue whether it could have been done sooner or if it could have been done later.
“We wanted to give him the chance to win against Cork in the Cup game. It would have got us into the semi-finals and it was our last chance for European qualification.
“We were left with no other option. With six games to go we have six Cup finals now over the next few weeks.”
Derry City’s last six games are:
September 18, 2015
Derry City
Shamrock Rovers7:45 pmSSE Airtricity League Premier Division
September 25, 2015
Cork CityDerry City7:45 pmSSE Airtricity League Premier Division
October 9, 2015Derry City
Bray Wanderers7:45 pmSSE Airtricity League Premier Division
October 17, 2015
Limerick FCDerry City7:00 pmSSE Airtricity League Premier Division
October 23, 2015Derry City
Bohemians7:45 pmSSE Airtricity League Premier Division
October 30, 2015
Longford TownDerry City7:45 pmSSE Airtricity League Premier Division
