Patrick McClean may be on the starting 11 again tonight. He scored a wonder goal from 35 yards for Derry City against Longford earlier this month
DERRY City return to Premier League action tonight (kick off 7.45 pm) against Sligo Rovers with all eyes on extending their unbeaten run
City defeated Sligo Rovers in the EA Sports Cup but it is league points on offer tonight when Dave Robertson brings his side to the Brandywell.
Rovers will be looking to build on their 3-0 victory last week against Longford Town, whereas City are long to extended their unbeaten run.
City boss Kenny Shiels celebrated his 60th birthday on Wednesday.
And the icing on his birthday cake will be to see his players extend their 100 per cent record and keep the pressure on the early pacesetters Dundalk who sit at the top of the division.
But Shiels was giving little away about his tactics for the game.
“They will be a tough opponent, they have improved as they have gone on,” says Shiels.
“The players know how difficult it is to beat a team twice in ten days and I’ve spoken to the players about that”
“We need to be fresher than we were in our last game against Bohemians, with more intensity, and put in a 90-minute performance,” said Shiels.
“We want to get back to the fluency we had against Shamrock Rovers,” he added, ahead of the match at the Brandywell.
“We have had a chance to rest our legs a bit this week so we have no excuses.”
City are facing a fixture headache with five matches in 14 days.
But the manager said: ““We’ll get on with and get through it.
“We need to protect the players”.
And he wasn’t giving much away about his selection for tonight.
Shiels did confirm that Harry Monaghan and Gareth McGlynn continue to remain as long term absentees.
Dean Jarvis may return to the squad at the weekend, while question marks still remain over the fitness of Aaron Barry.
If the two defenders were to miss out then McDermott and Patrick McClean can expect to continue their run in the side.
Keith Ward may get the chance to show his old side what they missed out when they opted not to renew his deal as City push to continue their early season form.
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