DERRY ACE JAMIE WANTS TO TOP SCORING CHARTS

BY

JAMIE MCGONIGLE has his sights fixed on becoming the Airtricity Premier Division’s sharpest shooter this season.

But he has praised his Derry City team-mates for providing the ammunition to make it look easy for him.

Mcgonigle is in red-hot form after smashing five goals in his last two games against St Patrick’s Athletic and a hat-trick against UCD (inset).

The Candystripes were ruthless in how they disposed of the sorry Saints in Friday’s 4-0 win at Richmond Park.

Mcgonigle, 26, scored twice but despite grabbing the headlines, he had Will Patching and Brandon Kavanagh pulling the strings behind him.

And Patrick Mceleney and Cameron Dumigan – who scored a screamer from distance – were also maestros in midfield as Derry stretched their lead at the top to three points.

Mcgonigle has raced to the top of the Premier Division’s scoring charts with nine goals – three clear of team-mate Patching and four ahead of Dundalk’s Patrick Hoban.

“It would be brilliant (to be the top scorer),” he said. “Every season I’ve played, I’ve always set the target of

20 goals and

I’m on track at the minute to hit that.

“With some of the players playing in behind me in this team, if I make the runs, I know for a fact that they will keep finding me.

“The service is unreal and it’s up to me to finish it. Will and Brandon are brilliant – the weight of the pass and the type of pass they play is just on another level.

“They always seem to know the right ball to play at the right time.

“And behind them, Cameron Dummigan and Patrick Mceleney, two brilliant midfielders who can pick a pass. It’s such a joy to play with players like that.

“Chances are coming my way. There was a drought for a while but I knew if I kept getting into the areas, the goals would come.”

High-flying Derry are still playing down their title chances despite proving to the rest of the league that they mean business.

But Mcgonigle explained it is not just manager Ruaidhri Higgins who is hammering home that message – it is coming from senior players too.

“We won’t be allowed to get too far ahead of ourselves. The changing room is grounded,” he said.

“There’s enough experience in there to keep everyone grounded and take it a match at a time and see what happens.”