Sligo Rovers travel to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Tuesday evening as the busy Easter period continues for the Bit O’Red. Rovers make the journey to Derry for this rearranged fixture in good spirits following a superb overall showing against Waterford at the RSC last Friday evening.
Ahead by two with just eleven minutes played thanks to early goals from Gareth McElory, his first for the club and an eleventh minute strike from the in-form Owen Elding, Rovers controlled the pace of this contest throughout the 90 minutes. Cian Kavanagh secured the victory against his old club just past the hour with the lively Francely Lomboto sprang from the bench to add gloss to the win with a well taken finish two minutes from time.
The win lifted Rovers from the foot of the Premier Division table by virtue of a superior goal difference over Cork City, who visit Sligo this Saturday. The evening also ended with Rovers becoming the top scoring team in the division alongside St Patrick’s Athletic.
Rovers go to Derry without the services of Connor Malley who is suspended having been issued his fifth yellow card of the season shortly after his introduction from the bench at the RSC. While Ollie Denham and Wilson Waweru miss out with injury. Full back Harvey Lintott faces a late fitness test.
Speaking to sligorovers.com, manager John Russell says everyone at the club is hugely enthused by a win in Waterford, the performance which he says was always close to surfacing following a frustrating few weeks in the lead up. He is expecting a tenacious test against the Candystripes on Tuesday.
“We performed really well down in Waterford. I thought we controlled the narrative of the game right from kick-off. But it was a performance that was coming and one that we know the players have had in them from the opening day.
“From front to back it was the type of performance we wanted and needed to see from the players and I felt the few changes we made really freshened things up for us. But Waterford is done now and from Saturday morning, the focus is on Derry and the Brandywell. It’s going to be a big week for us, with Cork also coming here on Saturday.
“Derry are a hugely experienced side, littered with talent all over. They have title ambitions and they will be in good form following a win in Galway last week. Not many teams have or will be able to do that this season so it shows the type of challenge we face on Tuesday.
“But I really do feel that if we play with the same attitude that we did last Friday, it will bring us a long way towards achieving what we want to at the Brandywell.”
David Goulden