Derry City -v- Shelbourne

DERRY CITY

Derry City will be hoping to move into fourth place and give themselves a chance of European football next season as they face relegation strugglers Shelbourne at the Brandywell on Friday evening (k.o.7.45pm).

After such a promising first half of the season where they were talked of as potential champions, Derry have lost 12 of their last seventeen games in all competitions and their season is in danger of petering out with a whimper.

Winger Paddy Kavanagh told the Derry News that results and performances haven't been good enough but maintained that the players will do everything in their attempts to secure European football for next season.

"Europe is still in our mindset and that's the target. We've been poor since mid season and that's putting it lightly. In some games we haven't worked hard enough and some games we have but we haven't got what we deserved from them. We have to get ourselves right for Shelbourne because it's our game in hand and a win would put some breathing space between us and Shamrock Rovers."

Derry will be without long term absentees Stewart Greacen and Kevin Deery who has just had more surgery on his troublesome knee problem.

SHELBOURNE

Shelbourne go into this re-scheduled fixture in dire trouble and sit right at the foot of the table with Bray Wanderers on 21 points. They will see Friday's match as an ideal opportunity to climb off the bottom given Derrys own poor form and Johnny McDonnell will no doubt have his team fired up for what he'll see as a must win game.

Shelbourne will go into the game with some confidence after arresting a four game losing streak with a draw against Drogheda United on Monday night, which lifted them just above Bray on goal difference. Their will be concerns however that Derry have beaten them on both previous league encounters including a 4-0 reverse the last time they met at the Brandywell.