Derry's busy Easter week begins at Galway

Midfielder Carl Winchester feels Derry City have the chance to build some much needed momentum with three games coming up in quick succession, starting with a tough trip to Galway United, tomorrow night.

The Tribesmen have had a super start to the 2025 campaign, only losing one of their opening nine league games and sit two points behind table toppers Drogheda United after picking up 16 points in the first series of matches.

Despite John Caulfield’s side in good form, Winchester is only worried about the Brandywell men.

“We have a couple of games coming up in quick succession and I think we need to start getting back to back wins, because I think that’s important, because that does build momentum,” he insisted.

“We were on a good run, obviously we wanted to build on that but look it didn’t happen, as I said we move on and take the positives from the Drogheda game into the Galway match.

IN PICTURES: Derry fans at Brandywell for clash with Drogheda

“We know what it’s going to be like, but it’s up to us and we have enough experience in the changing room that we should be able to deal with whatever threat Galway have against us.”

The former Sunderland man felt Tiernan Lynch’s side were good against Drogheda United right up until Liam Boyce’s dismissal and the encounter completed changed.

“We were comfortable for 60 minutes and then obviously the sending off happened, but even at that we should be experienced enough to deal with their threat,” he confirmed.

“I think it was three balls into the box and they scored three goals. We just need to stand up and be better.

Carl Winchester celebrates with Liam Boyce moments before disaster against Drogheda. (Photos: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)

“We have to defend the box better and be a bit more solid and as I said we’ve got a lot of boys in our changing room, including myself, who have played a lot of football at a good enough level, so we shouldn’t let that happen, no way.”

Boyce’s red card means he joins Winchester and Daniel Mullen as the three City players who has been dismissed already this season, but equally as worrying for the Foylesiders is that they have received 29 cautions during their opening nine league games and the Belfast man feels they need to be a bit more streetwise.

“Yeah, we have to be a bit more smarter, but look, some of the decisions haven’t gone in our favour to be honest, but either way we need to be a bit more smarter,” explained Winchester.“We have to be positive and move on. The Drogheda game has happened, we have to put it behind us and move on.

“We have to take the positives from the Drogheda game, because for 60 minutes everyone in the ground could see the game plan was working and I thought we played well up until the sending off.

“We created some good chances and we knew that they were going to be tough to break down, they got into their shape and were compacted, but once we got our goal I thought ‘right now it’s time to kick-on and let's go for the kill’, but obviously the sending off happened, but like I said for 60 minutes I thought we were really good, but it’s not a 60 minute game, it’s a 90 minute game and we have to do it for 90 minutes.”