Ahead of the new SSE Airtricity League 2017 season, we caught up with Derry City defender Aaron Barry to see what he thinks ahead of the new campaign. Q: Aaron, Derry City secured third spot and European football next season, were you happy with th
Ahead of the new SSE Airtricity League 2017 season, we caught up with Derry City defender Aaron Barry to see what he thinks ahead of the new campaign. Q: Aaron, Derry City secured third spot and European football next season, were you happy with the progress made? AARON: Yes, definitely. It was a young side we had last year with plenty of lads from the Academy and we did really well which is great credit to the club. The manager brought in some good additions during the season and we seemed to get stronger as the season went on. To get European football was one of our main aims at the start of the season so we were delighted to achieve that. Q: You mentioned the young players, do you think those young players will be able to continue to progress? AARON: Yeah, the young lads were excellent last year. It’s always been a young side ever since I’ve came to Derry and now I’m 24-years old, I feel like one of the oldest in the squad. I think the players showed last year how good they are though and having players like that is only going to make them stronger as the season goes on. Q: Kenny Shiels likes to see his team’s play football out from the back. As a defender, is that a good challenge for you? AARON: Yeah, challenging in a good way. The manager likes us to play out from the back and we’ve got defenders who all like to do that as well. Gerard Doherty is one of the best goalkeepers in the league who can pick anyone out and will get us going up the pitch from the very start. I think it is important to play that way. Q: Lastly, what are the ambitions for next season? AARON: European football is a minimum aim for us, and we need to be looking higher. I think we played some great football last year and if we can bring a bit of consistency to our game, there is no reason why we can’t challenge. We need to make sure the quality is coming into the side from the squad if we get injuries and if that happens, we should be right up there.
