Daniel Kelly hoping to lay down an early marker against Derry City's title rivals

​Despite suffering from illness the former Dundalk attacker has still managed to make an impact from the substitutes' bench in his competitive debut against Drogheda at Brandywell and once again late in the game against Sligo at the Showgrounds on Saturday.

Kelly's direct style of play has already endeared him to City fans and he showed how effective he can be in the opposition box.

With chances at a premium against Sligo at the weekend, Kelly once more came off the bench and was involved in the game's best goalscoring opportunity when he reacted quickest to get onto Michael Duffy's cross only to be denied by a smart save by Ed McGinty who smothered the ball at his feet.

And so with a full week of training behind him, Kelly reckons he's firing on all cylinders and is hoping for his first start in a Derry jersey as Ruaidhrí Higgins’ troops face into a tasty double header.

"I was sick for the last 10 days and have only started coming around to myself the last couple of days so haven't really trained a lot," he admitted.

"This week, since Monday I've been back feeling good and healthy so hopefully this week I'll be able to get my first start. I've had a couple of niggles just before the start of the season and then I got sick this last week and a half or so which set me back a small bit but I'm feeling good now. I'm ready to go."

With St Patrick's Athletic up next at Brandywell and a trip to Shamrock Rovers to follow on Monday night, it's the perfect time for City's new signing to get up and running. And he's got a decent record against the Inchicore men in particular.

"I think I have a decent record against Pat's as well. Of the last five games against them I've played in I've scored. I think I'm more of a goalscoring winger than sort of getting assists but I do like to get in at the back stick where I've scored a lot of my goals.

"They've been quite similar, my goals for Dundalk, at the back stick or one-on-one with the keeper. I tend to do well when I get the chance so I'm just hoping if I do start on Friday and a chance comes by I can slot it away and I get my first competitive goal for the club."

The league title race is a marathon not a sprint but as a title winner with Dundalk, Kelly knows the importance of winning head-to-heads with your rivals.

"You're a long way from winning the league at this stage of the season but even when you're playing Rovers either at the end of the season or at the start of the season, you obviously want to be beating them.

"And it's the same with Pat's because they're going to be there or thereabouts. They have a lot of really good players especially attacking-wise they have some talented players. Like ourselves they play some decent stuff so it has all the makings of being a decent game.

"It's very tricky to be fair. I know they were beaten last week so they will be coming up like a wounded animal. They're a really good side and obviously they've invested a good bit in the off season so it's going to be a tough game but I'm looking forward to it now and hopefully a sold out Brandywell will help us get over the line.

"So if we get two good results over the weekend and put a few points between us and them then it will be a big weekend for us.

"We just need to do our business right on Friday and then focus on Rovers on Monday. They will be two really tough games but we want to be coming out on top of both of them."As a Ringsend native, Kelly can't be swayed when asked where his allegiances lie when All Ireland champions Dublin roll into town on Saturday to play the in-form Oak Leafers but he's very much a Derry man for the night when St Pat's arrive on Foyleside.

"Definitely Dublin on Saturday but on Friday night I don't care about Pats anyway so I'll be a Derry man on Friday night and hopefully finish with a goal," he smiled.