Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Divine is expecting a reponse
DECLAN DEVINE didn’t just leave Vilnius with regret over what might have been on Tuesday, but with a pair of crutches after a freak accident as he walked into the National Stadium.
Devine suffered a badly swollen knee, adding to the feeling an eternity has passed since Derry City beat Cork last Friday.
Since then the Candystripes lost their Europa League tie after extra-time in Lithuania, and today they’re on the road again.
To Devine, the whirlwind nature of the past week adds to the surreal nature of this season.
Nevertheless, his eye is firmly on the prize on two fronts – European football can be secured with three wins in the Cup, while in the league, Derry are just three points off a Europa League spot.
It’s something Devine is telling his disappointed squad. “I’m delighted we have a game on the back of that,” he said.
However he will have to wait until just before kick-off at United Park to decide on his team.
Cameron Mcjannett is available for his debut having come through two weeks of self-isolating, but Ally Gilchrist is still a week or two away and Conor Clifford will miss a couple of games after suffering concussion on Tuesday.
Walter Figueira and Jack Malone both missed the tie due to hamstring issues.
Devine and Paddy Mccourt watched
Drogheda last week and the former is complimentary of Tim Clancy’s side.
“Tim’s got a lot of good players at his disposal, but so do I,” said the Derry boss. “I’m going down here with full belief in the players we have and we’ll look for a response.
“But they have nothing to lose and we have to be aware of that.”