Conor McDermott has bright future at Derry City: Declan Devine

The City boss expects the full-back to rekindle his best form under Paddy McLaughlin at Solitude and return to Brandywell in January ready to kick on with his League of Ireland career.

“I think it works out well for all parties,” said Devine. “Conor needs game-time to get his fitness levels to the level they were at before his injury.

“He’s working with a man we know well and who we can communicate well with. He gets the opportunity to play between 20 and 25 games and possibly a game in Europe and then come back to us in pre-season, hopefully in good condition.

“It was a no-brainer for us. Conor is a boy I’ve worked with in the past and a boy who I see as having a bright future at Derry City but obviously the game-time and getting him over his injury record he’s had over the last year or two is key to him.

“If he can go up and rekindle his form at Cliftonville then he’d be brilliant for us coming back in January.”

Meanwhile Derry will play Cliftonville in a friendly at Brandywell next Friday, June 14th (Kick-off 7p.m) and Devine is hoping to have several new signings involved.

“It will be a good game for us and hopefully we can play it with a new signing or two if they can play in that game," he revealed.

“It will be a good test and another 90 minutes when some of the other teams in the country are playing a competitive game that night.

“It’s important we get a look at some people as well as I would imagine we will have one or two triallists in that group as well come next Friday night.”

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