PREVIEW: DERRY CITY V DUNDALK FC

Dundalk FC face a difficult task to stop Derry City from rising to the top of the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division table when they take on the title chasers at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Friday night.

The Candystripes, who are looking to lift the league trophy for the first time since 1997, will move to the summit on goal difference for 24 hours at least if they win, with leaders Shelbourne not in action until their trip to Sligo on Saturday.

Ninth-placed Dundalk come into this game on the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat by Galway United at Oriel Park last week, where Stephen Walsh scored a second-half brace to lift John Caulfield’s European hopefuls back into the top half.

That was only Dundalk’s fourth home defeat of the season, but their second in their last three outings on the Carrick Road. Now, Jon Daly will hope to turn their away form around in what is his team’s last game before a fortnight’s break, as the FAI Cup returns next weekend.

Dundalk have won just once on the road this year in 13 attempts, that coming over Saint Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park on the June Bank Holiday Monday. Overall, they have collected just six points from the 39 on offer away from Oriel Park.

Daly’s men battled hard for the latest of those, two weeks ago, when Daryl Horgan’s equaliser earned them a point against eighth-placed Bohemians at Dalymount Park. The Gypsies are currently five points clear of Dundalk with two games in hand and welcome Waterford on Friday.

Last week’s results also brought table-propping Drogheda United to within two points of Dundalk at the bottom, that gap now having closed in successive weeks having been five points. The Lilywhites – with just one win in their last five league outings – will aim to extend it again before Drogheda travel to Shamrock Rovers on Sunday.

They face the toughest of tasks, though, against a Derry side that held title favourites Shels to a scoreless draw in a televised clash at Tolka Park on Monday night, despite having been reduced to ten men on 35 minutes following two yellow cards for defender Sam Todd. That leaves them still three points behind The Reds with a game more played.

This is Derry’s first home league match since late June. They are unbeaten there since April 19th when Shamrock Rovers won 3-1, their subsequent seven Premier Division matches yielding 17 points. They also hammered St Pat’s 3-0 in the FAI Cup last month after beating Magpies (Gibraltar) in Europe, although the latter ended in a shock aggregate defeat.

Overall, Ruaidhrí Higgins’ side have been beaten just once in their last eight league outings, that coming in early July at in-form Sligo Rovers. With their next three matches on the road – in Cork in the Cup next week before league trips to Waterford and Galway – they will be looking to make the most of this Friday.

Dundalk were beaten 4-1 in Derry in early April, in what proved to be Stephen O’Donnell’s final match in charge. But they earned a good point at home to the Northerners on the last day of May, the game ending 0-0 thanks to Brian Maher’s unbelievable 75th-minute save from Jamie Gullan.

Derry have a strong recent record in this fixture, with three wins and three draws in the last six meetings over the past two seasons. Dundalk are looking for a first win over the Candystripes since Keith Ward scored the only goal of the game on the final day of the 2022 campaign in Derry.

Team News
Dara Keane and Paul Doyle are out but elsewhere, Jon Daly has a fully fit squad to choose from.

Quotes – Jon Daly
“Going to the Brandywell is always difficult. They are a good side and they are challenging for the league and they’ll be looking to build on a positive result and performance against Shelbourne on Monday night.

“We have to try and take advantage of the fact that they were down to 10 men for an hour or so and they would have had limited recovery and training time whereas we’ve had a couple of extra days to plan and prep. It’s important that we start the game fast, we bring it to them and we turn up and bring our game.

“If we can execute our game plan, then I think, in this league certainly, any team is capable of winning against anyone. We have some really good players that can hurt any team and it’s about trying to get them into that frame of mind where they feel that they can do that.”

Match Officials
Referee: Robert Harvey
Assistants: TBC and Conor Harkin
Fourth Official: Declan Toland

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