Baraclough praises goalscorers in Elding's absence

It took Sligo Rovers just three days to reclaim their status as League leaders on Monday evening when they comfortably defeated Derry City 3-0 who had occupied top spot for the weekend.

Sligo Rovers boss Ian Baraclough praised his team for taking their chances and proving that his side has a lot more goal threats in the absence of the suspended Anthony Elding.

"A lot is said about Anthony Elding and his goals, but I have always tried to play it down because we have got goals in the team. David Cawley, Lee Lynch and Aaron Greene have all been notching goals quite frequently and it's good to see midfielders chipping in, I'm just disappointed Aaron didn't get on the score sheet after playing up front."

Baraclough feels his people will try to knock his side at every opportunity and knows himself that they have not played to their full potential, however he feels now  we have seen what they are really capable of.

"People are going to try and knock us as much as possible and try to find a chink in the armour but we'll read the bad headlines as well as the good ones and we know ourselves we have not played to our level, but today it has all come good because we have worked hard at parts of our game."

Since coming back into the starting line-up, Pascal Millien has improved with every game as he continues to grow in confidence and Baraclough is pleased for the Haitian International who turned in another impressive display against the Candystripes.

"I was frustrated today because he was over the far side of the pitch for the first half so I couldn't give him any encouragement and guidance, but when he plays like that he can be unplayable for a defender. I set him targets like putting in six, seven or even eight crosses in each half and in the second half he did that. His confidence grew as the game went on, he was a little bit anonymous in the first half, but I asked for more from him at half time because we needed it and that's what we got."

In the time he got on the pitch, Liam Martin proved to be a handful for the Derry  rearguard and Baraclough is hopeful that the 19-year-old will blossom into a great striker at The Showgrounds.

"It's a tough League to come into from the U-19s, especially when you are top of the League, but he has shown a hunger and knocks on my door regularly wondering why he's not involved more. He went to Ballinamallard United to get some game time and came back a different lad, he learned what life is like in and around the first team and that it doesn't revolve around one person and hopefully he will blossom here with more encouragement and game time."

David Cawley has become a regular goalscorer of late with three goals in the last four games and his manager revealed that he has been encouraging him to push further up the pitch rather than sitting back as a holding midfielder.

"David probably sees himself as a holding midfielder who sits and passes sideways and backwards, but I can see it in his game that he has a lot more to offer. At times I have likened him to Frank Lampard because he has that stature, that command on the ball and when you are player who gets in the box six or seven times, one of those chances is going to fall to you and it's just whether you take it and at the moment he's taking the chances and I encourage him to keep getting in the box."