'Huge incentive' for Derry City at Sligo Rovers tonight
Ruaidhri Higgins' team hoping for five wins in a row
Sligo Rovers vs. Derry City
Sligo Showgrounds
Tonight, 7:45pm
Jacob Davenport is available to make his debut at Sligo Rovers tonight as Derry City aim to win five successive league games for the first time since September, 2022
The midfielder, who signed an 18-month deal at the Brandywell last week, was ineligible to play in the 5-1 win over Drogheda United, but is now in line to play at the Sligo Showgrounds having had just over a week to train with his new team mates.
It is an important additional midfield option for Ruaidhri Higgins, but the City boss is unlikely to throw him into the deep end so soon, with a place on the substitutes’ bench most likely.
“He only came in last week,” he cautioned. “We played an in-house 11 v 11 on Sunday, which will be beneficial for him and we'll see possibly towards the weekend we might get another in-house 11v11 to try and get minutes into people.
“You can't replicate real competitive games but it gives people a feeling for it. We have quite a settled team at the minute, which is great, which means there's no mad rush to get Jacob in the team, so we'll get him fit and ready when the time comes.”
Derry City have struggled badly at the Sligo Showgrounds in recent years, taking just two points from their last five visits and scoring no goals at all in their last four visits. It is a ground where City have been unable to raise their game for quite some time now.
“It's irrelevant really now,” Higgins said. “We're in a moment where we have good momentum, we're playing well, so what's happened over the previous three or four times down there is really not my concern, it's about what we can do on Thursday night and if we keep continuing to play the way that we're playing, then I've no doubt we'll win the game.”
City head into the game in their best form of the season, and Higgins agrees that there may be no better time to change that record against their Northwest neighbours.
“I think the timing's good because we've been inventive recently, we've found different ways to break opposition down and we're always trying to add wee strings to their bow, so hopefully that can continue,” he added. “The players are happy and in good spirits and enjoying their football, so it's important that we don't get too carried away, that we understand why we've got results in recent weeks and we double down and keep continuing to do what we've done.”
Sligo Rovers, backed by many to struggle at the start of the season, have beaten Shelbourne away and Shamrock Rovers at home since drawing 2-2 at the Brandywell back in May, proving that they are more than capable of rising to the occasion against more high-profile opponents.
“They have had some good results recently and that (Rovers win) was a big result for them no doubt,” Higgins acknowledged. “When you've seen the strength of the Rovers team, it makes it even more impressive and we know that it'll be really, really competitive. We need to match a lot of departments and as I said if we keep playing with the freedom that we're playing with and attack the way that we're attacking then it gives us an opportunity, but we also have to make sure that we're well set up defensively and stop any threats that they have and they've got plenty of them.”