Cork City are back on the road this week, as they make the long trip to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Friday to take on eighth placed Derry City. A win would see City leapfrog the Candystripes, and climb to seventh.
The Rebel Army come into the game off the back of last week's impressive 3-0 victory over Sligo Rovers, in a game that saw goals from Deshane Dalling, Ricardo Dinanga and new signing Kit Elliott. Derry City will be in search of their second victory since the restart, after a draw and a loss in their last two games since beating St. Pat's 2-0 in Inchicore.
Speaking ahead of the game, City boss Neale Fenn spoke to the media in Bishopstown, highlighting the difficulty of playing away to the Candystripes: "It's always a tough place to go. It's a bit of a cliché, but it is. The all-weather pitch is another thing we have to factor in. They've got good attackers, they're dangerous and they work hard. They put you under pressure up at the Brandywell so it's going to be a very tough game and the boys know that. We just have to prepare, worry about ourselves and be ready for them. We've had a good week, but we're not getting carried away, we know we've got some tough games coming up so we need everybody prepared. Any result away to Derry would be a good result for us. If we can keep another clean sheet up there, with the attacking options that we've got, there's a chance that we will go and nick one. We certainly believe that we can go and harm them."
Fenn now faces a selection dilemma, with a full set of attackers to pick from, after newest addition Connor Simpson completed his quarantine phase, while Ricardo Dinanga and Kit Elliott have also made their mark in recent weeks: "It's a good headache to have. Before, we were light up top, so we tried our hardest to get players in, which we managed to do in the end. We're delighted to have options now - we've got Cian Murphy, Ricardo Dinanga, Scott Fenwick, Connor Simpson, Kit Elliott. They're all good options, different types of players - pace, hold up play, running in behind, work rate - it's all there for us now, so good options to have."
On the injury front, Fenn hopes to have the majority of the the squad available to him: "There are a few lads with niggles, but nothing at this stage for us to worry about too much. Graham Cummins picked up a groin injury, and of course Gearóid Morrissey, is coming back, so he's another option for us in midfield. I hope to don't have to make too many changes, but we'll have to wait and see."
This match will be broadcast live on the SSE Airtricity League’s brand new streaming service, #WATCHLOI! Supporters can purchase a Season Pass for just €55, which will ensure access to streams of all remaining SSE Airtricity League Premier Division matches for the rest of the season, as well as select FAI Cup ties. Alternatively, you can purchase Match Passes on a game-by-game basis, priced at €5 per game. Sign up here.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin
Injury News: Gearóid Morrissey, Graham Cummins, Cian Bargary
League form: L W L L D W
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