Kenny calls on FAI to 'show some ambition'
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
DERRY City manager Stephen Kenny has called on the FAI to 'show some ambition' and aid Irish club's European bids by calling off forthcoming domestic fixtures.
The Candystripes beat Latvian outfit Skonto Riga at the Brandywell last night to advance to the next phase of the Europa League, where they meet CSKA Sofia. Before they travel to Bulgaria next week, City face a home game with Cork City and in between their jousts with Sofia in Europe they travel to Tallaght to play Shamrock Rovers on Sunday week.
After enjoying another memorable European night in the Maiden City, Kenny said: "If we are looking to raise our game and play against top teams, we're looking to raise our game and play beyond ourselves. You can't do that if you're playing to the intensity of the games we have coming up, Cork and Rovers.
"What we have got to do is travel to Sofia and you can't get there from Ireland, you've got to go round the world. We will only get back on Friday night probably and then we have to go to Dublin, play Rovers on Sunday, travel back for the home leg. You just can't do it. "I didn't think we were brilliant tonight. We looked a little bit leggy at times, but we were compact and we were intelligent, and we used the ball well when we needed to. We didn't look like we'd loads of energy.
"Of course it was a real tough game in Riga last week and then coming to play Bohemians, so it's very, very hard to do that. If the FAI were ambitious in their thinking, they would cancel the game against Shamrock Rovers next weekend, in between the two legs, for sure.
That's if they were ambitious in their thinking, but I don't think they are ambitious. They want to be seen to be keeping everybody happy and we don't have anybody to lobby for us because we're in the North. We don't have anyone in any position of power or anything like that, so we'll not get any favours. To be fair that's it and there's no point in complaining."
Derry overcame recent financial uncertainty within the club and a difficult few weeks in the League to see off Riga and leave the home followers scrambling for flights and accommodation for Sofia.
Kenny said: "We've had a bad couple of weeks and we've had to rally around each other, show a bit of camaraderie and we did show that. We can be more athletic than we showed tonight. We were asking a lot from the players. There is more to come from them, but not if you flog them Thursday-Sunday-Thursday, particularly with the injury list we have."
Sammy Morrow is the latest Derry player to be on the treatment table. In the early stages of the second half, Morrow was forced off on a stretcher and taken to Altnagalvin Hospital with what it is feared is a broken ankle. Liam Kearney (broken ankle), Mark McChrystal (broken cheek bone) and Steven Gray (ankle ligaments) were already out, while James McClean came down with suspected mumps this week and City will be without the suspended Clive Delaney for Sunday's game at home to Cork.
Kenny gambled last night by deploying his former Longford Town player Vinny Perth to Bulgaria to watch next week's opponents CSKA Sofia. It proved a good decision by the Dubliner as his team advanced thanks to Kevin Deery's lucky goal 12 minutes after the interval, which was enough for them to go through 2-1 on aggregate.
Kenny said: "I think it was a real tough game over the two legs. Because we won out there, there was sort of an expectation that we would win. I knew myself that the player they brought in, Blanks, has eighteen caps for Latvia. You don't have eighteen caps at international level for Latvia, who are not a minor nation, or have that kind of quality and be mediocre.
"I thought the game itself was very stretched early on. They were defending deep, we were defending deep, there was loads of room between the two back four and they were probably doing better than we were early on. Their midfield players break very quickly and their front players both had pace. Certainly they caused us a few problems and Gerard (Doherty) made two good saves. They mightn't have looked top notch but they were just very important. Their 'keeper made some great saves as well, to be fair, and we missed a couple of chances ourselves.
"When we went with three in midfield we looked more compact and they couldn't play through us. They didn't look that threatening then and our back four were very good. We kept the ball a bit better and looked composed. We got a bit of a break with the goal - it was a fortuitous goal - but we didn't look like conceding in the second-half until they had that header from a set piece near the end. They were definitely more threatening in the first-half than they were in the second.
"I think it was a tight game over the two legs, but I think we've just come through in a tight tie. I think Skonto are a good side, they pass the ball well and are well-coached. Their midfield players break very quickly on the counter. They counter at real pace and that is something you don't come across in Ireland."
With the vociferous support behind them and with a stroke of good fortune, Kenny sees no reason Derry can't replicate their great run of three summers ago.
"The buzz is back and long may it last, it's great to see it," the City manager declared in the post-match press conference. "I'm delighted that we won, because you see what The Brandywell is like.
Because we lost three games in a row, I think there was a bit of disappointment, but when people get behind us and the ground is what is was tonight, we are capable of filling both sides if people get behind the club - I know because we've done it before and we can do it again for sure, if we go well and if people stick with us."
On the upcoming tussle with CSKA Sofia, Kenny commented: "They will be strong favourites. It's a tough away tie first, but we must believe in ourselves and we are capable of an awful lot. We must try and take the opportunity. It's a great motivation for us.
"The European games are the pinnacle of your career, it's the highest level you can get to and you must really want to progress, so you can't just go out on a whimper. We have to want to go out and try to progress. I knew Skonto would be tricky - they were a seeded team - and CSKA Sofia will be a step up again. We just needed this win and we got it and now we try and get another one. That would take us into new territory and we must strive to get organised for next week."
Derry fans have been in Sofia before. Fourteen years ago, the Candystripes headed away for the return leg with a Harry McCourt goal and a 1-0 advantage from the first game at home, only to lose 2-1 away in a match that saw goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd sent off and former GAA Star Anthony Tohill donned the gloves. The travelling army that jets off from Eglinton Airport next week will hope their side keeps the tie in the balance for the home leg.
The Candystripes beat Latvian outfit Skonto Riga at the Brandywell last night to advance to the next phase of the Europa League, where they meet CSKA Sofia. Before they travel to Bulgaria next week, City face a home game with Cork City and in between their jousts with Sofia in Europe they travel to Tallaght to play Shamrock Rovers on Sunday week.
After enjoying another memorable European night in the Maiden City, Kenny said: "If we are looking to raise our game and play against top teams, we're looking to raise our game and play beyond ourselves. You can't do that if you're playing to the intensity of the games we have coming up, Cork and Rovers.
"What we have got to do is travel to Sofia and you can't get there from Ireland, you've got to go round the world. We will only get back on Friday night probably and then we have to go to Dublin, play Rovers on Sunday, travel back for the home leg. You just can't do it. "I didn't think we were brilliant tonight. We looked a little bit leggy at times, but we were compact and we were intelligent, and we used the ball well when we needed to. We didn't look like we'd loads of energy.
"Of course it was a real tough game in Riga last week and then coming to play Bohemians, so it's very, very hard to do that. If the FAI were ambitious in their thinking, they would cancel the game against Shamrock Rovers next weekend, in between the two legs, for sure.
That's if they were ambitious in their thinking, but I don't think they are ambitious. They want to be seen to be keeping everybody happy and we don't have anybody to lobby for us because we're in the North. We don't have anyone in any position of power or anything like that, so we'll not get any favours. To be fair that's it and there's no point in complaining."
Derry overcame recent financial uncertainty within the club and a difficult few weeks in the League to see off Riga and leave the home followers scrambling for flights and accommodation for Sofia.
Kenny said: "We've had a bad couple of weeks and we've had to rally around each other, show a bit of camaraderie and we did show that. We can be more athletic than we showed tonight. We were asking a lot from the players. There is more to come from them, but not if you flog them Thursday-Sunday-Thursday, particularly with the injury list we have."
Sammy Morrow is the latest Derry player to be on the treatment table. In the early stages of the second half, Morrow was forced off on a stretcher and taken to Altnagalvin Hospital with what it is feared is a broken ankle. Liam Kearney (broken ankle), Mark McChrystal (broken cheek bone) and Steven Gray (ankle ligaments) were already out, while James McClean came down with suspected mumps this week and City will be without the suspended Clive Delaney for Sunday's game at home to Cork.
Kenny gambled last night by deploying his former Longford Town player Vinny Perth to Bulgaria to watch next week's opponents CSKA Sofia. It proved a good decision by the Dubliner as his team advanced thanks to Kevin Deery's lucky goal 12 minutes after the interval, which was enough for them to go through 2-1 on aggregate.
Kenny said: "I think it was a real tough game over the two legs. Because we won out there, there was sort of an expectation that we would win. I knew myself that the player they brought in, Blanks, has eighteen caps for Latvia. You don't have eighteen caps at international level for Latvia, who are not a minor nation, or have that kind of quality and be mediocre.
"I thought the game itself was very stretched early on. They were defending deep, we were defending deep, there was loads of room between the two back four and they were probably doing better than we were early on. Their midfield players break very quickly and their front players both had pace. Certainly they caused us a few problems and Gerard (Doherty) made two good saves. They mightn't have looked top notch but they were just very important. Their 'keeper made some great saves as well, to be fair, and we missed a couple of chances ourselves.
"When we went with three in midfield we looked more compact and they couldn't play through us. They didn't look that threatening then and our back four were very good. We kept the ball a bit better and looked composed. We got a bit of a break with the goal - it was a fortuitous goal - but we didn't look like conceding in the second-half until they had that header from a set piece near the end. They were definitely more threatening in the first-half than they were in the second.
"I think it was a tight game over the two legs, but I think we've just come through in a tight tie. I think Skonto are a good side, they pass the ball well and are well-coached. Their midfield players break very quickly on the counter. They counter at real pace and that is something you don't come across in Ireland."
With the vociferous support behind them and with a stroke of good fortune, Kenny sees no reason Derry can't replicate their great run of three summers ago.
"The buzz is back and long may it last, it's great to see it," the City manager declared in the post-match press conference. "I'm delighted that we won, because you see what The Brandywell is like.
Because we lost three games in a row, I think there was a bit of disappointment, but when people get behind us and the ground is what is was tonight, we are capable of filling both sides if people get behind the club - I know because we've done it before and we can do it again for sure, if we go well and if people stick with us."
On the upcoming tussle with CSKA Sofia, Kenny commented: "They will be strong favourites. It's a tough away tie first, but we must believe in ourselves and we are capable of an awful lot. We must try and take the opportunity. It's a great motivation for us.
"The European games are the pinnacle of your career, it's the highest level you can get to and you must really want to progress, so you can't just go out on a whimper. We have to want to go out and try to progress. I knew Skonto would be tricky - they were a seeded team - and CSKA Sofia will be a step up again. We just needed this win and we got it and now we try and get another one. That would take us into new territory and we must strive to get organised for next week."
Derry fans have been in Sofia before. Fourteen years ago, the Candystripes headed away for the return leg with a Harry McCourt goal and a 1-0 advantage from the first game at home, only to lose 2-1 away in a match that saw goalkeeper Tony O'Dowd sent off and former GAA Star Anthony Tohill donned the gloves. The travelling army that jets off from Eglinton Airport next week will hope their side keeps the tie in the balance for the home leg.
About Chris McNulty
Chris McNulty is one of extratime's Northwest correspondents, covering Finn Harps and Derry City. Has worked as a sports writer with the Donegal News since 2007. View Full Profile