Derry City manager Ruaidhri Higgins
It hasn’t been convincing from City so far this year and a serious injury to Patrick McEleney did put a dampener on the evening.
Nonetheless they are within touching distance of top spot once more.
Galway United visit the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium tonight (kick off 7.45 pm) looking to bounce back from a first defeat in nine last week.
Winning in Derry began the belief that Galway United were more than just a promoted side when it came to this year’s league shake-up.
It was a real high point for United fans after years of struggle in the First Division.
John Caulfield will be only too aware for all the talk of European challenges among fans, the job is far from done when it comes to stay in the division.
They have proven a match for nearly every side but with teams below them beginning to pick up points, there is a lot more work to be done.
Ruaidhri Higgins must question his luck when it comes to injuries, or at least why they seem to continually be an issue at Derry City.
Higgins admitted losing Patrick McEleney to a broken arm is “a huge blow” ahead of the Galway’s visit to the city of Derry.
The manager confirmed the player will require surgery.
“It seems to be a fairly bad fracture, however we won’t know the full extent for a few days,” explained Higgins.
“He’s had no luck at all with injuries. I’ve said it many times before, I believe that a fully fit Patrick McEleney is the best player in the country, and he’s a huge loss to us.
“He was absolutely outstanding again on Monday night before his fall, but we will ensure he gets the treatment he needs as soon as possible.
“In terms of the team, we do at least have really good cover options in the middle of the park. We’ll focus now on the week ahead and hopefully be able to go into the summer break in a positive position.”
The City boss paid tribute to Caulfield and his assistant Ollie Horgan this week.
“The reason this league is as competitive as it is, comes down to how good both Galway and Waterford have been since their promotion.
“John and Ollie are two very intelligent and well organised football men and they have found a way that works for them.
“We know what to expect, of course we do, but that doesn’t make them any easier to play against.
“I thought we played some excellent football on Monday night, especially in the first half. We had a real intensity about us and that’s a performance we want to build on.
“Hopefully we’ll get a big crowd behind us this weekend and we’ll be doing everything in our power to go into next week’s break with plenty to look forward to.”
Caulfield is aware repeating the trick from earlier in the season is a massive ask.
“We’re halfway through the season, we know that Derry are one of the title contenders.
“They have the firepower to win the league if they get a few wins together and they beat Waterford 3-0 the other night, they’ve been really impressive.
“We know we’re going to have to defend very well, and when opportunities come to use we’re going to have to them.”
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