League Preview: Longford Town -v- Derry City

LONGFORD TOWN

Longford Town are back in the Premier Division for the first time since 2016 and welcome Derry City to Bishopsgate on Saturday evening.

De Town will certainly be up for the game and will be keen to get the ‘favourites for relegation’ tag off their back.

This will be no easy task, but some early consistency could well ease the pressure, and four home games in their opening six will be a huge starting point.

They finished 4^th in the First Division last season and gained promotion when a 54^th minute Rob Manley strike helped them to victory over Shelbourne in November.

Manley is a proven goal scorer in the First Division, and how he adapts to life in the Premier Division will be central to manager Daire Doyle’s plans.

It is their first game back in the Premier Division since 2016, and given Derry’s inconsistencies last season, Longford will not fear the Candystripes.  

Aaron McNally has re-signed for the 2021 season. The 21 year old put in a string of impressive performances during their promotion charge. Speaking to Longford’s media team, he revealed his excitement about his first senior game in the Premier Division.

“It’s coming fast, definitely,” he said.

“It will be exciting to see how we get on because we play good football.

“I think we’re well able to play against the bigger teams. I’m hoping that we can start off the new season with three points.” 

DERRY CITY

Derry City were probably one of the most relieved to complete the 2020 season.

Having finished in a European spot in 2019, Derry only managed a 7^th place finish last season, and relied on a final day result against Cork City to avoid a relegation game with the team they face on Saturday.

Looking back on the season, Derry manager Declan Devine feels his group did not gel the way they wanted last season.

“We weren’t able to get out and around the city, we didn’t have any fans behind us, it was just like a group of men thrown together coming into the same side and that feeling reflected in our performances I felt,” he said, speaking at a press conference earlier this week.

“This was all as a result of not being able to gel the group and that was my fault, it wasn’t down to the players, it was my fault.

“First and foremost as a group, what’s most important is short term goals. I think we have to hit the ground running against Longford Town. They’ve been fighting for years to get back into this division so we need to really make sure first and foremost we are ready for the fight against Longford Town as it won’t be easy.

“Our short term goal beyond that is to really try and be at the right end of the table when we get to the point where fans are allowed back into the stadium.

"We want fans coming back into the stadium knowing that we’ve upheld our side of the bargain, we’ve got points on the board and we want the fans returning knowing deep down that we really are trying to push on and trying to achieve something this season.

Referee: Adriano Reale

MATCH STATS

It is Longford Town’s first game back in the Premier Division in five years. Their last game in the top tier was in 2016. A Brandon Miele brace helped Shamrock Rovers to a 4-2 victory, with Longford finishing bottom. Aaron Dobbs was a substitute for Shamrock Rovers that day, but has since swapped the green and white, for the red and black, and will be lining out for Longford Town on Saturday.

Derry City are winless in their last six away league games. They will be hoping to rectify this on Saturday evening.  

Competitively, the teams played each other last in the EA Sports Cup in 2019. Goals from Gerardo Bruna, Eoghan Stokes and Junior Ogedi- Uzokwe helped Derry to a 3-0 victory. Derry eventually went on to reach the final before losing out on penalties to Dundalk.

BETTING

Longford Town 12/5; Draw 21/10; Derry City 11/10.

PREDICTION

Longford Town 1-3 Derry City

Longford Town

Injured: None.

Doubtful: Conor Davis.

Suspended: None.

Derry City

Injured: Joe Hodge

Doubtful: None.

Suspended: None