Derry eyeing new target ahead of Offaly visit

By Michael McMullan

DERRY are eyeing a third successive win as their new focus when they host Offaly in Saturday’s Division Two clash at Find Insurance Celtic Park.

That was the take of manager Ciarán Meenagh before the Oakleafers’ bus had even pulled out of Newbridge after last weekend’s victory over Kildare.

The last time Derry won three games in a row – aside from the penalty shoot victory in the 2024 league final – was two years ago this week.

Under current Offaly joint manager Mickey Harte, Derry saw off Monaghan with ease, thanks to goals from Conor McCluskey, Paudi McGrogan and Conor Doherty.

Saturday is the first meeting of the counties since a combined 2-8 from Shane McGuigan and Niall Loughlin powered Derry to a 2022 victory in Tullamore in the early stages of a Division Two promotion race.

“Their challenge today (against Kildare) was, for the first time in a very long time, to put back-to-back wins together,” Meenagh said of the current squad.

“Now we’re looking to see if we can put three wins together and can we try and get on a roll. This is the moving part of this league,” he added of the Kildare, Offaly and Cork games.

“If you can get full points out of three games at this stage, you leave yourself in a very, very strong position.”

That’s why Paul Cassidy and Lachlan Murray’s goals were so important on Saturday night when Kildare had a firm grip of the game, leading by five points early in the second half and with the wind at their back.

“I was standing on the sideline there and I was starting to think that if we can’t get the result here (last Saturday), then you start looking over your shoulder the other way.

“It’s a relief to get out of that but it’s also now, I suppose, an ambition to look forward to get more points in the bank.”

Derry will again be without Conor McCluskey who missed the victory in Kildare but it won’t be a long-term absence.

They did have Ballinascreen duo Ryan Scullion and Marty Bradley back in the 26 at the weekend, while Dan Higgins and the rest of Derry’s walking wounded are back on the training field.

“We’ll have to build their load up progressively,” Meenagh said, also indicating it would be a “week or two” before McCluskey would be in line for a return.

“If you put lads in at the deep end there, you’re not doing them a service,” he said of the others, “you’re also running the risk of all their soft tissue injuries, so we’ll have to get that right.”