Kenny Shiels said last night he was coming away from Eamonn Deacy Park happier than he did at Maginn Park last Friday and he believes his team are starting to find their rhythm again. “They were two scrappy goals, a corner kick and a free-kick, and
Kenny Shiels said last night he was coming away from Eamonn Deacy Park happier than he did at Maginn Park last Friday and he believes his team are starting to find their rhythm again.
“They were two scrappy goals, a corner kick and a free-kick, and I don’t want to take anything away from Galway, but they were goals that you wouldn’t call masterpieces, they were goals out of nothing,” Shiels said.
“If it was to go against us it went against us tonight again, but I’m leaving happier now than I was on Friday night, I know that we’ve got something moving again, we are starting to move again, and I feel we can go to Sligo and win, I really do.”
This defeat quickly puts Derry out of the EA Sports Cup, a competition they got to the semi-final of last year, and the Candystripes have also fell to three straight league defeats in a number of weeks - Bray Wanderers (2-3), Cork City (0-3) and Finn Harps (0-2) – which puts them fifth in the league table.
However, despite the early cup exit, Kenny Shiels was adamant that his side are improving and are only beginning to find their confidence again.
Speaking about his team’s performance last night, Shiels said: “I thought it was competitive and it was a game in which we had more of the ball than the opponent in their own ground, so that was a plus, and it was a performance which showed improvement and that is what you have to do,” he explained.
“People overlook the mental side of football and the boys are lacking in confidence and we have to lift them.
“They are very young and we never expected to be left with this void that we have with so many players of experience not playing.
“Even the ones that would have come in, Rory Holden can’t play at the moment, and you know Barry (McNamee) and Rory (Patterson) and players of immense experience and know how and bringing that energy to the team.”
After a fantastic start to the campaign the Candystripes season is quickly taken a U-turn in the wrong direction something that they will be aiming to rectify against Sligo this Saturday.
