Kenny Shiels: 'We've got to protect the club from the chequebook managers'

Derry City have brought some fantastic talent into their ranks and through their excellent youth system over the last decade.

However, not many of those players have stayed at the Brandywell and have moved on for different reasons - mostly due to the ambition of the player.

Patrick McEleney, Michael Duffy, Keith Ward, Conor McCormack, and Stephen Dooley. These are only a handful of top, top players that have left The Candystripes in the last several years.

The club has found themselves in good stead once again with the young group of players that they have at their disposal. The likes of Aaron McEneff and Ronan Curtis have the potential to improve their already impressive ability and Kenny Shiels believes it's essential they keep their talent on Foyleside.

"Hopefully the people who understand the football calendar and how this league works, they'll see what we are doing is righteous and also good practice," Shiels said.

"If we go and want to get the players by overspending, then we are not a good football club, if we wanted to do that, why would we do that?" he questioned.

"The depth is coming from underneath, the Sam Todds, the Ben Dohertys, the Rory Holdens, the Aaron McEneffs, the Joshua Danielses, the Ronan Curtises – those are all young lads. Nathan Boyle is 22; he is a little bit older," he said.

The Derry boss was adamant that these young players are the future of the club and he has high hopes of working with them for many years to come.

"Those young lads are the future, and maybe people don't see that right now, but if I am allowed to do this job and continue it on then that's where I want to take us. I want 25-year-old Ronan Curtises, either here or playing at a higher level.

"We want to see what will he be like at 25, what will Aaron McEneff be like at 25. If we can keep them that is because there was a weekend where something like seven former Derry players scored in the League of Ireland.

"We have to safety net the Aaron McEneffs, who has two years left on his contract. The Ronan Curtises,, who has another year left on his contract. We've got to safety net those.

"We've got to ring-fence them so they don't be like Michael Duffy or Patrick McEleney or all of these players. We've got to do this early and have them in the contracts that keep them at Derry City," Shiels said.

Shiels said the Candystripes couldn't afford to lose any of their top names after this campaign and was adamant the club wouldn't be forced to sell their most talented players.

"They might come in with their chequebooks, the chequebook managers, they will be hovering over us again.

“I don't want us to fall into the traps. We've got to protect the club from the chequebook managers."