Danny Mullen hopes Derry City can catch Shamrock Rovers cold at Tallaght tonight

​The former Partick Thistle forward netted three goals in nine starts last season after arriving in the summer from Scotland and he's already off the mark with just 10 minutes under his belt this campaign.

He admits he's had a 'frustrating pre-season' and so his 92nd minute winning goal at Brandywell was a special way to celebrate his 29th birthday. Mullen knows he's got to make the most of his time on the pitch as he looks to push Hoban for a starting berth.

"I had a frustrating pre-season," said Mullen. "I had a few niggles. I got fit for the start of the season and didn't play many minutes but I got on tonight and scored, I'm really happy. Whatever minutes I get I have to show what I can do and take it from there.

"It's a strong squad we've got. The boys are all ready to go and we're all ready to be called upon, especially Paul [McMullan] came on and did well. We're looking strong and everyone on the bench wants to play. The minutes you get on you need to make the impact and give the manager a sore head. It's only going to benefit the squad with boys coming on and doing well.

"If Pat's not scoring and I come on hopefully I can score and help in that way. We'll be looking to chip in all over the pitch as well. It's a nice headache for the manager to have."

Derry were far from their fluid best on the night and have yet to hit top gear this season. The fact they went top of the table with seven points from nine on Friday night therefore was particularly pleasing.

"I think so, especially the way the game went. To get the winner is important for us in terms of where we want to be this season. It was brilliant in the end anyways. We weren't at our best tonight but to get that win late on was nice.

"The first half was very poor and we set our standards better than that but we improved a little bit in the second half later on and to get the three points was important."

Mullen believes the strong finish was evidence of the fighting spirit in the Derry dressing room this year.

"It just shows you the fight that's in that changing room. We never give up so it's in there and there's quality in there so we go to the end.

"After Pat scored you could feel it building and the crowd getting behind us so we'll need them this season especially at home. To send them home happy tonight was good."

Ahead of tonight's trip to champions Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght, Mullen says he hopes the Dubliners get caught cold by the Candy Stripes who carry momentum into the heavyweight clash.

"We've got the win so we're positive. We'll look forward to Monday. It's a big game but it's just another three points we can get. We'll go into it with confidence and we'll learn from tonight. It's just a building block we'll learn from. We'll get better and hopefully we can get another three points on Monday.

"I think it's a positive for us. We're going in on the back of a good result. Obviously the game's over now so we'll go there with confidence and hopefully we can catch them cold and get off to a good start."