Ben Doherty expects Drogheda to frustrate Derry City
Derry City’s Ben Doherty feels that tonight’s opponents Drogheda United, like most teams in the Premier Division, will have a game plan not to open up when they come to the Brandywell, this season.
Kevin Doherty’s men, who currently sit in fifth place just three points behind third placed Dundalk, have in recent seasons frustrated the Candy Stripes and Doherty expects another close encounter this evening.
"I think most teams' game plan when they come to the Brandywell this year will probably be trying to sit and hit us on the counter attack,” he insisted.
"I think the way we try to play football and the way Ruaidhrí (Higgins) sets his teams up to play, you would be mad to come and try and have a rattle at it, unless you're one of the big teams as well, who fancy themselves for the league.
"But look, we expect that and it's up to us to break teams down. You also can't be moaning that teams are coming to the Brandywell with a game plan, setting up their way to try and get something from the game. As I said it's up to us to find ways to break it down and if we can't then that's on us.”
Doherty has confirmed that the City boss has reminded his squad, this week at training, that the Louth men secured three draws against them last season and having already dropped points at home to Dundalk and Sligo Rovers this campaign. Derry want to improve that home form.
"Ruaidhrí made a big point this week in saying that Drogheda took six points off us last year and it probably affected the boys going into the final standings of the league and if they had have taken those six points, who knows were it would have left them but that's all in the past,” added Doherty.
"Now it's all about us going and getting a positive result at home on Friday night.
"I felt we dropped two points big time against Dundalk, but the Sligo draw was probably a fair result.
"The refereeing error in the first half I think knocked the wind out of our sails a bit but we reacted well and got a goal, but as I said overall a draw was probably the right result.
"The Dundalk match was the most frustrating because we had the chances to go and win the game and barring a few unbelievable saves from their keeper (Nathan Shepperd), we would have won comfortably.”