Ruaidhri Higgins praises 'guts' shown by Derry City's Adam O'Reilly for playing through pain barrier

The Cork native struggled with a stop-start preseason campaign but it certainly hasn't held him back as he's led the fight in Derry's midfield department which has been decimated by injuries to key personnel.

Skipper Patrick McEleney, Cameron Dummigan, Sadou Diallo and Will Patching have missed recent games through injury and while O'Reilly has also been carrying a knock sustained in the 2-2 draw against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght last Monday, Higgins has been impressed with the former Preston man's leadership qualities.

O'Reilly was reluctant to leave the pitch in the 3-0 win over Waterford on Friday after suffering a recurrence of his injury but was brought ashore by Higgins and replaced by Sam Todd on 69 minutes with Derry in full control.

While McEleney returned to the bench against Waterford and others were forced to play with niggles during a demanding early season schedule,the willingness of O'Reilly to put his body on the line for the team hasn't gone unnoticed by his manager.

"Adam has been in really good form," began Higgins. "His performance at Rovers in particular was outstanding given the fact he's been carrying a bit of an injury himself, he deserves major credit because he understands we're short in numbers in that area of the pitch and he's putting himself forward which tells you all you need to know about him.

"Don't get me wrong, there's certain injuries you just can't play with and I understand that. His one is tricky enough but he's managing to plough through it. He's certainly shown his character in doing that. He knows how important he's been to the team, not just over the last couple of weeks but since he's arrived at the club and he's really taken on that responsibility in that area of the pitch.

"That's why supporters here have really warmed to him. He's obviously got real quality but he gives absolutely everything to the club every time he steps onto the pitch. He's been great ever since he got here and he's certainly made of the right stuff."

With another difficult away trip to Dalymount Park this Friday night against Bohemians, O'Reilly will be expected to be a key cog in the midfield wheel once again.

"He had very much a stop start preseason and didn't play much at all. We've seen how important he is to the group over the last few weeks

"I think he will continue to improve as well. We're delighted with him. It hasn't been easy for him but he's managed to dig deep so fair play to him.

"With three tough games in the space of a week it can put strain on players so he hasn't been on his own but Adam has certainly shown real bravery and commitment.

"It will be difficult down in Bohs and while we have a good record down there we never get it easy. So we'll need everyone."