Nicky Low: Death of his captain, glory at Aberdeen and dancing for Dobbie

"We all went to the funeral. His family wanted us to take turns of carrying the coffin. We had a big poster of him in the dressing room after we continued to play games. Everyone went up and touched it before we went out."

McBride was their colossus, a local hero to fans and a totem in the Candystripes defence. One afternoon, he skippered Derry to a 4-0 thumping of Drogheda. The next, he was gone. It was a grievous and unfathomable loss.

Low will never forget those days, nor the impression McBride made on him even in so short a time.

The 27-year-old left the club last month, joining Championship side Queen of the South. On Sunday, he faces his former side Aberdeen with a place in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals at stake.

Here, the midfielder discusses the grief that engulfed Derry, bringing silverware to Pittodrie and serenading Queens' top scorer Stephen Dobbie with S Club 7.

• Auchinleck cup hero lays down the law
• Tavernier penalty saved as Kilmarnock and Rangers draw

'He was a born winner'

Low says McBride "made me feel very welcome" when he arrived at Brandywell Park, a "born winner" who set the highest of standards.

"When I first went and played a pre-season game, I wasn't having a good game, I was just trying to get through it," he says.

"Half-time, he was was like, 'Hey you, get a grip of yourself'. I was like, it's only a friendly. That summed him up. Playing with him was amazing because he'd win every header, every tackle. He used to tell you to get aside and he would just come right through."

The day of McBride's death is etched in his memory. The missed calls. The people waiting outside his flat. The ashen faces and swimming eyes.

"It was very weird because the city was always happy, the people were happy. He (McBride) lived a minute's walk from the stadium - you kick the ball over the bar and it could go into his garden.

"We all went to the funeral. His family wanted us to take shots of carrying the coffin. A lot of tears were shed there by me and all the lads, but you can look back and say, 'I played with him, and had the pleasure of knowing him'. And what a guy.

"He sat next to me in the changing room - he was number five and I was number six. And we had a big poster of him up after we continued to play games. Everyone went up and touched it before we went out. It was mentally tough sitting in there. You just wanted to get out, in a way. And then the fans would be singing his name which was a great thing for him, an achievement."

'My wee brother is always singing Aberdeen songs'

Low spent five years at Pittodrie between 2010 and 2015, but was restricted to 39 appearances, all bar 11 of them as a substitute.

He found his path blocked by a barrage of established and experienced central midfielders.

Still, he came off the bench as Aberdeen won the 2014 League Cup final, scoring one of the penalties in the shoot-out as the club won their first trophy in 19 years, and played in Europa League qualifiers against Groningen and Real Sociedad.

"Sometimes I would be frustrated about not playing but I knew there were good players in front of me - Barry Robson, Willo Flood, Ryan Jack - and I just had to be patient," he says.

"Some of my family support Aberdeen because I was there for so long. My wee brother is always singing Aberdeen songs. It would be special to go up and win."

Dancing for Dobbie

After two years at Dundee then his sojourn with Derry, Low is back in Scottish football as Gary Naysmith's men push for promotion to the Premiership.

Spearheading their charge is 36-year-old Stephen Dobbie, the brilliant striker who has an incredible haul of 37 goals in 31 games this season.

"Dobbie's always helping young lads. He doesn't just score goals, he's big everywhere, on and off the pitch," the midfielder says.

The former Hibernian and Swansea City man scored a hat-trick as the Dumfries team thumped top-flight Dundee in the fourth round.

Queens are about much more than Dobbie but they know that in the veteran marksman, they have a priceless weapon in their arsenal - and, Low reveals, an unusual tactic for bringing out the best in him.

"Michael Doyle, he's a madman, he just doesn't have a minute's peace for anybody. He's always up to no good. He's a great lad and its players like that you need around you.

"Recently, he's been playing S Club 7 for Dobbie in the dressing room and dancing for him. Every time he's done that, Dobbie's scored. Doyley's got to get a bit of credit for Dobbie's goals."