Devine delighted to have full deck at his disposal at long last
DECLAN Devine finally has a full squad to choose from as Derry City head to Tolka Park for the first time in seven years today.
The Candystripes are hoping to get a win on the board after suffering two defeats from their last three games since the league resumed, the latest of which was against leaders Shamrock Rovers last Sunday.
The addition of midfielder Jake Dunwoody and forward Ibrahim Miete is a huge boost for Devine, who has been unable to use the new signings due to Covid-19 travel protocols. Both could now make their debut against Shelbourne today.
“Everybody is cleared and has done their quarantine so everybody is available for selection. It’s brilliant to have a full squad,” admitted Devine.
“We have a lot of players challenging for a place in the starting 11 now which is exactly what we want, especially as we have a lot of matches coming up. We have to make sure that we use our full squad.
“People are coming in off the back of not training for a few weeks while others are back eight weeks, so, yes, they are all at different levels in terms of fitness but we also have the same desire and hunger to make this a very successful season.”
A win would not only see Derry leapfrog Shelbourne but could see them rise as high as fourth, and, after a determined performance against the champions-elect, Devine is optimistic about his team’s chances.
“I have watched a lot of their games and they are very well organised and have a lot of experience throughout their team,” said Devine.
“When you look at (Gary) Deegan, (Karl) Sheppard and (Ciaran) Kilduff, they have a lot of players throughout their team that have been about the League of Ireland for a long time.
“We have hit a decent bit of form ourselves. I know we lost the game at the weekend against Shamrock Rovers but we have still taken a lot of positives out of it.
“We went toe-to-toe with what I class as one of the best teams I have seen in the league for a long, long time.”