Passing of Danny Hale

Derry City are saddened to mark the passing of former player, Danny Hale.

Hale was a legendary striker for the Candystripes in the Irish League period, and the grandfather of former players Ronan and Rory Hale.

Danny joined City from Dundalk in the summer of 1968 and hit the ground running with a record breaking campaign. Hale was to fill the boots of Fay Coyle who had finished up at the end of the previous season,  but Hale was to make his own mark on the City front line, and in the memories of the Red and White Army.

The striker had won the League  with Dundalk and had been the top scorer in the 1966-67 season.  The goals followed him to Brandywell and his lethal finishing particularly in the six yard box quickly made him a fans favourite.

He scored 45 goals in all competitions that season for City, which remains the club record to this day.  Unsurprisingly, he scooped the Golden Boot Award for the season, notching up 21 League goals.  In his three season for the Candystripes he scored more than 100 times and is still spoken off fondly by older supporters for his ability to grab key goals.

He left City to play for Ards and brought and end to his career in the early 1970s.

With his grandsons turning out for the Candystripes he had been back at the Brandywell and we got his thoughts on his favourite goal back in 2018 – video

Everyone at Brandywell extends our condolences to the Hale familty and his many friends in and outside of football at this very sad time. May he rest in peace.