Oakleafers boss expecting another stiff test

By Michael McMullan

DERRY need at least one win from their three remaining games to avoid the drop and they face a tough test this Saturday.

Kildare are the visitors and while manager Johnny McGarvey was glad of the break in the league, he’s expecting another acid test.

After their win over Tyrone, the Oakleafers slumped to defeats against a slick Down side and again to Kerry.

“I think the toughest team is still to come,” McGarvey said of a Kildare team they fell to in last season’s Christy Ring Cup final.

He quickly balances the statement with pointing to Down’s slick performance but felt the Kerry defeat was a “disaster” in how his Derry side were very easy to play against.

“Kildare are probably the most athletic team that we’re going to play,” McGarvey added.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks and I think it’ll be every bit as tough, if not tougher but we needed this break to come.”

Picking through the Kerry defeat, McGarvey highlights their giving away of possession as the foundation for the Kingdom’s tally.

“If you get turned over in the middle third, teams have shots and the better teams, if they get shots, they’ll score more often than they won’t,” he said.

Had Derry managed to transform some of their play into scores, they could’ve been well in the game. A tally of 20 points would’ve been within reach and they could’ve trimmed Derry to the 1-17 or 1-18 mark. But they didn’t.

“That’s me taking the positive side out of it,” McGarvey admitted. “It was very disappointing and we played really poorly.”

The Christy Ring Cup is for further down the tracks. Now their league season is black and white.

“It’s very simple,” McGarvey began.

“We will have to win at least one more game to have any chance of staying up out of three.

“I’m sure Donegal and Meath will be looking at winning another game to give themselves a chance as well.

“I think Kildare will have higher ambitions. I think they’ll be looking to be in that league final. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve Kildare this week and we’ll give it everything that we have.

“We’re looking at the rest of the league, knowing we need two points to have any chance.

“This break gave us a chance to get a couple of men back, to take a wee look at where things have gone wrong for us. Our scoring is way down where it should be.”