BUTCHERY & CRUELTY

FUMING Derry City boss Kenny Shiels claims his team’s travel itinerary over the last week amounted to ‘butchery and cruelty’.

The Candystripes were in Belarus last Wednesday and Thursday where they beat Dinamo Minsk in the Europa League but crashed out on aggregate.

They travelled back to Ireland via Germany and then made their way to Cork on Monday night where they were stuffed 5-0 by the champions who closed to within a point of Dundalk.

Cork City were also in Europe last week having bowed out of the Champions League in Poland after a 3-0 defeat to Legia Warsaw on Tuesday.

But Shiels, inset, is raging that Derry were unable to prepare satisfactorily for last night’s match which dents their hopes of European football next season.

“We didn’t have one training session,” said Shiels in the wake of a crushing defeat at Turner’s Cross.

“Cork had five days training prior to the game and that’s a significant impact on how the game is going to go.

“We cannot bring players all the way from Belarus to Dublin to Derry and back down again, travelling for three days, and not have a training session and be expected to play the league champions in their own ground.”

Shiels continued: “Next year, are they going to have the fixtures planned in accordance?

“The weekend after Europe, will Cork have to come to Derry to play us next July? Is that what’s going to happen? I ask that question.

“It’s not Cork’s fault. They beat us well, but our boys were beat before they got on the pitch, honestly.

“You could see they couldn’t run and Cork were far sharper and far fitter. How can you prepare a football team like that?

“It’s absolute butchery, it’s cruelty and I’m not happy about it. You know, the players are only human.”

To compound Kenny’s woes, the Candystripes must head back to Cork in a fortnight as they face Blarney United in the first round of the FAI Cup.

But Shiels insists there is more to come from his squad this season and says a European finish is still a realistic goal.

Derry are fifth in the Premier Division, four points behind Shamrock Rovers in fourth as the race for the Europa League heats up.

“We’ll be back,” said Shiels.

“We had players playing against Cork who shouldn’t have been playing (because of knocks).

“Our squad is getting better all the time but tonight was not fair. It was totally unfair for us to play down here, so unfair.”