Conor McCormack believes a winning run could salvage Derry City's season

Just seven league games remain in the truncated 18 game campaign and the Candy Stripes are in sixth spot, four points behind third placed Dundalk who have a game in hand.

City are also, precariously, just four points ahead of second from bottom Finn Harps but McCormack is only looking upwards.

The midfielder, who rejoined the club from Cork City at the start of the season, admits he returned to the club to compete in European competition.

And the Carlingford native isn’t ready to give up hope of achieving that goal.

“Absolutely not! That’s why I came up to Derry this year - to play in Europe and to stay in Europe,” he insisted.

“I believe we still can if we can just get a little run together then I’m sure we will be okay.

“We know Europe is still there for us. We just need to get on a little run.”

Two consecutive scoreless draws against Finn Harps at Ballybofey and then St Pat’s at Brandywell haven’t helped their cause and Declan Devine’s charges face a sterner test when they travel to Dalymount Park on Friday to take on second placed Bohemians.

Derry defeated the Gypsies last February at Brandywell with Stephen Mallon and Walter Figueira scoring in the 2-0 win and McCormack is confident they can repeat the feat in Dublin.

“Bohs are playing well at the minute,” he said. “They have the building of a good squad there. “They have a good young squad with an appetitie, they’re hungry players and it’s difficult to play against them.

“I think we outworked them the last time they were here so we will go there thinking we can win.”

While City boss, Devine was disappointed with another scoreless draw on Friday, McCormack believes it was a marked improvement from the performance in Ballybofey and a display they can build on.

“St Pat’s have good players and they’re probably under-performing this season. They will think they should be higher up the table and you have to respect them.

“Defensively I thought we cancelled them out and it was just unfortunate we just couldn’t get something in the final third.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t to be tonight but it was a far better performance than it was in Finn Park last week.

“I think it was probably a fair result,” he continued. “Both teams had half chances and that’s just the difference. If you can take your half chances and keep a clean sheet you get three points.

“There’s so little games left and we’re trying to get as many points as we can and see where we are at the end of the season.

“If we can take our half chances then we’re defending brilliantly at the minute.”

The defensive problems which haunted them in recent weeks appears to have been addressed but now they must rediscover their attacking edge.

“If you looked at the start of the season we were conceding silly goals and we were scoring. Now we’re not conceding those goals and if we can take those half chances we were taking at the start of the year and build them together I’m sure we’ll be okay come the end of the season.

“Unfortunately it wasn’t to be in the last two games where we probably should’ve got more points but we’ve got to take the positives out of tonight and build on them going to Bohemians on Friday.”