Bandon man Conor Hourihane voted captain of League One club Derby County

CONOR Hourihane has vowed to do all he can to make this a season to remember for Derby County after he was named the club’s new captain.

The Bandon man was voted the Rams’ new captain by his team-mates after last season’s skipper, Curtis Davies, left the club in the summer.

The players held a vote – and the West Cork man came out on top.

‘He was one of the strongest candidates in my mind so I am really pleased,’ Derby manager Paul Warne said.

‘He spoke to the group, he is a leader in how he plays and how he wants to play. But the way he lives his life is pretty impressive to keep himself in shape the way he does.

‘He played a lot of games last year. It is an honour to lead the team and he will get the fun stuff at the end of the season if we are successful, but it is also about how you lead the team, behave, live your life and set standards. I think that has been a driving force behind the decision the lads have made and I am really pleased they want him as the captain.’

Hourihane joined Derby in the summer of 2022 and made an impact at the League One club, even though they just missed out on the play-off spots last season. The 32-year-old, who started off his football adventure with Bandon AFC, was named on the League One Team of the Season after a campaign that saw the midfielder score seven goals and rack up ten assists. Ultra consistent, he played 53 matches for the Rams last season.

It’s not the first time Hourihane has captained a club as he previously wore the armband at Plymouth Argyle when he was just 22 years old and then Barnsley, enjoying great success with the latter including two Wemebly wins in 2016 in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final and League One play-off final. He also captained Aston Villa in a Carabao Cup tie against Barrow in August 2021, his last season at the club.

‘His leadership in the off-season and pre-season, and how he talks on the pitch, makes him a very good captain,’ boss Warne said, with Hourihane adding: ‘It’s an honour to be named captain of the club going into the new season. Will do all I can on and off the pitch to make it a season to remember.’