Derry City can go FOUR points clear with victory at Sligo Rovers tonight

Mark Connolly and Patrick McEleney will both be available for Derry City for tonight's game at Sligo Rovers. (7:45pm)

The pair, so important to the Candystripes’ title hopes this season, have overcome long-term injury problems and could go straight back into the starting eleven as City aim to make it five successive league wins.

Connolly injured his hamstring in the 0-0 draw with Dundalk at the Brandywell on March 10, and has missed 12 league games since. McEleney, meanwhile, suffered an Achilles problem during the game against Bohemians at the Brandywell on April 10, and missed the eight games since then.

The importance of both players cannot be underestimated, with manager Ruaidhri Higgins highlighting their value, even when they are not playing. 

“People underestimate how much of a leader Patrick McEleney is,” he said. “It’s amazing. I find that when there’s a creative footballer, people don’t connect leadership to them; they rather connect leadership to someone who’s in your face and aggressive. We have different types of leaders and Patrick, believe me, is a big a winner as you’ll ever see.

“Mark Connolly is the same. Even though they haven’t been playing, the intensity they bring, even in training, is evident. They lift the levels of those around them. We’ve got leaders right through the group. I think born leaders are a dying breed in the game but we’re lucky that we have a few of them.”

City failed to win in two visits to the Sligo Showgrounds last season, and despite the hosts losing four of their last five, Higgins is expecting a real challenge again.

“We’re in good form while Sligo have had a dip. Sligo play on Saturday nights, so I’ve been fortunate enough to go down to a few of their home games this season, and I can assure you that without a doubt they are in a false position,” he insisted.

“They have had a few injuries lately but a lot of them seem to be coming back, and as much as they have lost a couple, it can turn very quickly and I expect them to climb the table because they have good players, but hopefully we can keep our momentum going. We have six wins and two draws on the road so far this season and we’re very proud of that record and we want to keep it going.”

Resilience

While the team sits top of the Premier Division with four successive wins, goals have been scarce among the club strikers, with Jamie McGonigle in particular hoping that his luck will change soon. Since scoring the winner at Shamrock Rovers in March, the striker has made 10 appearances without a goal, but Higgins has not lost any faith in the 27-year-old.

“The number one thing for me to succeed on football is resilience,” he explained. “To really succeed as a player, coach or manager, you need resilience, because there are going to be tough times where you get stick, where you’re loved.

“Football is a mental game; it’s so up and down and resilience is the number one thing. When the chips are down, stick your chest out and fight back.

“We signed Jamie in the summer of ’21 and I don’t believe we get into Europe if we don’t sign him because his goals catapulted us up the league. Last year he got 15 goals which, in League of Ireland terms, is a really good return.

“He is having a tough spell, there’s no doubt about it, but Jamie knows what I think about him. We have a lot of time for Jamie and a lot of respect for him, but he needs to keep fighting and digging.

“He’s probably questioning his luck, but in these moments he just needs to keep working hard. He just needs to stay focused and stay driven and it will turn for him. One will hit his back side and go in and it will be a release for him. I have no doubt he will get his goal and kick on.”

Graydon future

Derry City have been in the headlines again this week after news emerged that Fleetwood Town had what the club described as a ‘derisory’ bid turned down for winger Ryan Graydon.

Graydon, signed from Longford Town last summer, has made just 38 appearances for the Candystripes, scoring five goals and providing nine assists to date, and Higgins insisted that neither the 24-year-old or any of his team mates, will be going anywhere unless their valuation is met.

“We turned down a bid that was unacceptable and which was way, way below our valuation as a player,” he said.

“We feel that Ryan has outstanding attributes. He has been here less than 12 months so it shows how much he has developed and that’s credit to him. I think he’s a more polished player now than he was when he first came here, but there’s still room for improvement and we look forward to the rest of the season with the squad that we have.”

A notable factor of Higgins’ time in charge at the Brandywell has been his insistence on signing players to long-term deals, allowing the club to keep players in the light of such interest from England.

“We’re protected,” he stated. “We’re a professional football club and we have put players on long-term deals for a reason. Ryan Graydon has 18 months left on his contract for example, and if we didn’t, we’d be in trouble.

“We’re in a comfortable position and wea want to develop players. If a club meets a valuation for a player, we would never stop them, but we also have to be strong and protect ourselves. We’re not really panicking at all. If it’s the case where a player leaves, it’s my job as manager and it’s the staffs’ jobs, to be prepared for any scenario, and we will be.”