'Derry City players will not need a team talk for Magpies' second leg at the Brandywell'

Derry City players will not need a team talk of any kind ahead of this week’s second leg against Bruno’s Magpies at the Brandywell.

That is the view of club captain Patrick McEleney, who understands the frustration of the clubs’ supporters after the dismal 2-0 first leg defeat in the Europa Conference League Qualifier at the Europa Point Stadium on Thursday last.

McEleney knows first-hand what it takes to overcome a first leg deficit in European competition, having been a part of a Dundalk team which came from behind over two legs to defeat BATE Borislov in a Champions League Qualifier back in 2016. Having lost 1-0 in Belarus, Dundalk famously won 3-0 at Tallaght to move within one round of the group stages of the competition.

While no Irish team has ever overturned a two-goal deficit, McEleney knows from his own experience that victory is possible.

“Look, when you're playing for Derry, I think you're under the scope all the time anyway,” he said. “We understand what happened and we understand what we need to do, so that's down to us now and we have to produce.”

“When I played BATE we obviously got beat 1-0 over there and if you asked anybody that was associated with it, we should have been beaten about 10. We brought it back home and we performed and we done the business and won 3-0. Look, it's in a position now where we have to do the business and that's it.”

McEleney revealed the players are as devastated as the fans with the result in Gibraltar.

“It's been bad. There's no point in lying,” he continued. “We don't intentionally go out to do what we've done and it's been rough, to say the least. Look, as I said, it's there to be fixed, which is a good thing. Do we deserve to be criticised? Absolutely, but as I said, it's there to be fixed.”

Big moments came and went in Thursday’s first leg, with Adam O’Reilly hitting the crossbar and Daniel Kelly missing two big chances, but McEleney insists the tie is about the bigger picture and not individual moments.

“I'm coming away from it and I'm not picking moments,” he stated. “Those moments happened in the game, but it was an hour and a half that the match lasted and we weren't good enough over an hour and a half. So, separate the moments in my eyes. Everybody picks moment such as Daniel Kelly's chances and everybody picks us giving away the goals. It's not the moments, it's the full picture and we understand that.”

‘We need the fans’

Another thing that McEleney is certain of – the players need the fans now more than ever. A packed Brandywell on Thursday night will be a different world entirely than what Magpies had to deal with from the stands in the first leg.

“There's loads of things to talk about in the match, but it's time to put it into action so, we're going to need the fans now on Thursday,” he continued. “I understand their frustrations but it's now a rallying call now where we all have to get together. They'll probably read what I'm saying here and say it sounds like a broken record, but we do need fans.

“We do need people to get behind us. We're there to be criticised, which we have to accept, but we need them as well.”

“I was a fan once myself and when Europe comes around, it's a big occasion and it was for me. As a fan where you look forward to the big nights and you remember the PSG's, Gretna's, Gothenburg's; you remember all them nights and even as a player then when you're playing Trabzonspor and things like that where it's a massive occasion.

“I get where the fans are coming from. I get it completely. I'm a fan myself. I'm a player, but I'm a fan, so I'm frustrated as well, but it's there to be fixed.”

“I just want people to get behind us. If it's too much to ask, so well and so good. They don't have to but the majority of the fans always will and always have. The majority's good people and supportive and I'm just hoping that's the case.”

One thing is for sure - McEleney is adamant that the players won’t need a team talk come Thursday night.

“No, we don't have to say anything,” he said. “No, we know what needs done. There'll be nothing that needs said on Thursday, to be honest. We know, we understand. We completely understand what's happening.”

“It can all be forgotten, but it needs fixed. There's no point getting away from it. It wasn't good enough. We're not sitting there going home and everybody's happy. That's not the case. We understand what needs to happen.”