A TOAL TO PAY IF WE DON’T FOCUS ON THE PRESENT
EOIN TOAL believes Derry City must focus on the present rather than start peering into the future as they prepare for tonight’s visit of Longford Town.
Derry chairman
Philip O’Doherty, who has agreed to sell his engineering business for €1.7bn, has promised there will be investment in Ruaidhri Higgins squad during the close season.
Patrick McEleney has already agreed a deal to rejoin his hometown club, while there is strong speculation his Dundalk teammate Michael Duffy will also make the same return journey.
City are also chasing after Bohemians striker Georgie Kelly, who began his senior career with the club.
Secure
With nine games to go, Derry are still in the hunt for a third-place finish which would secure European football next summer.
Fourth spot — which they currently occupy — would produce the same outcome if St Pat’s or Bohs win the FAI Cup and also finish in the top three.
“You never know what will happen,” said Toal regarding speculation over investment by O’Doherty. “But the main focus is this year. When you look at where we were at the start of the season, not winning in six matches, to where we are now in fourth, it is incredible.
“Hopefully we can kick on during the last part of the season.”
Toal played for Armagh City in the Irish League’s second tier before
Kenny Sheils signed the centre-half four years ago — and the defender has never regretted his decision.
“It’s been a brilliant move for me. There was interest from Irish League teams but once I heard about Derry, I couldn’t say no,” he said.
Improved
“I’ve improved year-onyear. Playing games has been the most important thing. Full-time football at 18 was vital for me.
“Kenny said I needed full-time football to really kick on. Since then, I’ve played a fair few games.
“Derry is a football city, there’s a lot of good players from there.
“But you’re going to have to get players from outside, too, if you want to push on. It’s good and I’m enjoying it.”
City’s Joe Thomson is still suspended, but Cameron McJannet and Danny Lafferty come back into contention.
Marc Walsh is getting closer to full fitness, but the winger is unlikely to be named in the squad just yet.
Longford must plan without suspended duo Aaron Robinson and Robert Manley.
DARRAGH BURNS has credited the emergence of so many young stars at St Patrick’s Athletic to the careful guidance of head coach Stephen O’Donnell.
Burns (19) is just one of several teenagers to have broken into the first team under O’Donnell.
James Abankwah and Kian Corbally are both 17, Ben McCormack and Josh Keely are 18, while Sam Curtis made his debut at just 15 years of age.
And it’s not just at Richmond Park where teens are lighting up the SSE Airtricity League.
“Dawson [Devoy] and Ross [Tierney] at Bohs, and Aidomo [Emakhu] off Rovers are all having great seasons as well, so it’s good to see other lads doing well,” said Burns.
“Me, Benji [Ben McCormack], Kian Corbally, Josh [Keeley] and James Abankwah; there are a lot of young lads breaking through.
Faith
“I just have to say a big thanks to the gaffer for showing his faith in me by putting me in these games. Last year he put me in a few times, coming off the bench. I think that was good to give me a bit of a feel for what I was going to be coming up against.
“The step from 19s to firstteam is massive, so I just have to say a big thanks to him for trusting me, and then I just have to try to play my own game.
“But when you have the likes of Bermo, Chris Forrester, Ronan Coughlan, Billy [King] and Mattie [Smith] all around you, with their experience it makes it easier for me.”
O’Donnell has been there and done it all with Dundalk, Shamrock Ro vers an d Bohemians, after a spell in his youth at Arsenal.
He even played in the Europa League group stages twice — with Dundalk and Rovers.
“The gaffer has done it all. He has won leagues, he has won cups, he has been to the Aviva, he has done it all,” said Burns.
“Just to have him and his advice, even on the training pitch he is very good.
“He probably teaches me things that I wouldn’t even imagine that I could do on the halfturn, or dropping into pockets.
“He likes me dropping into pockets. Usually I tend to stay out wide, because being a winger, that’s my natural game.
“But he has a great reading of the game and he is filtering that through the whole team.
“Then the experienced lads are helping the younger lads and it’s going well at the minute.”
Burns scored twice last Friday night as St Pat’s saw off First Division Wexford in the FAI Cup, with Chris Forrester (28) teeing up his second.
“Chris was obviously play