Derry City hope to bounce back against Galway

Derry City vs. Galway United   |   Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Friday, 7:45pm

Paul Hegarty expects Derry City to bounce back against Galway United tonight, insisting the players are getting better with each passing game.

Derry City have had two weeks to mull over their first defeat of the season, which came at Bohemians at Dalymount Park, but they now have the chance to put it firmly behind them with tonight's game against Galway United quickly followed by a trip to Shelbourne on Easter Monday.

Hegarty, who admitted that a few players are still struggling with injury ahead of the game, is confident that the team can move on quickly.

“Even at the highest level, players will make mistakes,” he said. “In my opinion, we've got the best squad of players in the league throughout. People will make mistakes but they're good people as well. They're mentally strong, these players. I have no doubt, come Friday night, we'll be ready for that.

“(Bohemians) was a strange sort of a match. For the first 29 minutes, we were well on top, we got in behind them on a number of occasions, and then, we made a mistake and we were 1-0 down. I thought we reacted really well to that. And then, when we brought on the subs, I felt we forced the issue really well.

“We weren't clinical enough in the final third and then we gave away another poor goal from a set-piece, which is not like us. But, overall, I would have said we probably played better in that match than we did maybe in the Pat’s match at home, and away to Sligo. I thought we were much better against Bohs that night.”

Galway United come to the Brandywell having taken just one point from their last three games, and having failed to score a single goal in that time. They sit in fifth place regardless and Hegarty believes they are much stronger than recent results suggest.

“We've watched all their matches because we had two weeks to prepare for this and we've looked at them over and over again,” he explained. “If Galway had won down in Shelbourne, you couldn't have said that it was a robbery or anything like that. You couldn't have said that they didn't deserve it. If they'd have got a point against Shamrock Rovers at home, I don't think anybody could have argued the fact that they didn't deserve it.

“So, we're talking very, very fine lines. They've been really, really competitive. I know it's easy to say that, but if you watch the games back and look at them and analyse the matches, they have been really, really good in all those matches.”

Home record

Derry City last won their first four home games consecutively back in 2018 and they can match that record with victory tonight. With a trip to league leaders Shelbourne just three days afterwards, Hegarty understands the importance of three points.

“If you're asking me, do I expect us to win at home? Yes, I expect us to win at home,” he insisted. “Home form is always important, especially and we've spoken about if already, but if we can get at Galway early doors and that crowd will get behind us, that crowd can carry you over the line. You know what it's like here when things are going well.

“I think our performances have got better game on game. As I said already, I believe that we deserved something out of that Bohs match. In my opinion, I felt the chances that were created in that game, we probably could have won that match and I don't think anybody could have argued about it.”

An injury-time equaliser from Shamrock Rovers’ Markus Poom denied Derry City maximum points the last time Friday-Monday games were played, and despite the physical demands of the Easter schedule, Hegarty has backed the players to come through it well.

“When you look at the last Friday, Monday, Friday, we had, we picked up seven points out of that and possibly could have picked nine out of that,” he reflected. “It was a wee bit disappointing, that draw away to Rovers, but it wasn't a bad return.

“I feel like we're getting better with every game and hopefully we can build on our performance this Friday night again.”