Derry City fans have elevated team to a new level - claims free-scoring Danny Lafferty

The Carnhill man reckons there's a real 'feel-good factor' around the Brandywell club at present and after three straight wins in all competitions that was evident in Friday's exceptional, morale-boosting display against the Boynesiders.

The biggest crowd since March 2020 only added to the occasion and Lafferty claimed the 1,140 supporters in the ground 'elevated' the team to a new level.

"It was overall a controlled performance from start to finish we dominated the game," said the ex-Sheffield United and Burnley defender. "I think we fully deserved the three goals we scored.

Everything about tonight was pleasing. The clean sheet, Jamie (McGonigle) making his full debut and getting a goal which was brilliant and keeping momentum going at the minute. There's a real feel-good factor around the place at the moment.

"We started really quickly. That was our intention tonight. We knew we had to come out of the traps 100 mile per hour to give the fans something to get behind. Obviously there hasn't been that amount of fans at any of the games in over a year so we wanted to start fast and get the fans behind us. Getting the goal in the first half settled us down and in the second half bar a five or 10 minutes spell, we completely dominated and were in complete control of the game.

"And the fans were unbelievable and they gave us a real lift. The difference with having fans in, it's like night and day. My wife and kids were at the game too and I tried to go and celebrate in front of them. The fans the whole night you could hear them singing and bouncing around all night in the Ryan McBride stand so it really did elevate us to a new level."

The comprehensive win and clean sheet leaves Derry level on points with fourth placed Bohemians who still have two games in hand after a shock defeat to Waterford on Saturday. The table looks a lot more promising than it did six weeks ago after a 2-1 defeat to Dundalk the week top scorer Will Patching left for Oriel Park.

"We're not getting carried away," said Lafferty. "We knew going into tonight's game the incentive was to go above Drogheda. Five or six weeks ago, if someone had offered us the chance to go joint fourth tonight we would've laughed at them and wouldn't have thought that was possible.

"Credit to the manager, the staff and all the players who have got us into this position. Tonight there was a real incentive going into the game and a real driving force, that we knew if we won we went above them."

Drogheda must be sick of the sight of the 13 capped former Northern Ireland international who has almost single-handedly turned their season upside down in the space of a fortnight, scoring a 95th minute penalty to force extra-time in the cup and his nine minute blitz which finished them off at Brandywell on Friday.

City's roving wingback has netted four goals in three games, three of those against the Co. Louth men who have been knocked out of the FAI Cup at the first hurdle following that dramatic penalty shootout at Head in the Game Park and they appear to be sliding perilously closer to the relegation play-off position after one win in their last eight league matches.

Lafferty was challenged by Ruaidhri Higgins to up his game in the goalscoring department and whatever the pep talk was it certainly had the desired effect. His first goal of the night was a composed, clinical first time finish at the back post and his second was a stunning effort from just outside the box.

It looped over the head of Drogheda keeper David Odumosu and nestled into the top corner to complete a nine minute brace which buckled the visitors.

Modestly Lafferty revealed his second was a mis-hit, denying himself a potential goal of the month nomination, but he's delighted to be amongst the goals.

"To be honest it was probably the longest I've gone without scoring a goal throughout most of my career. Anywhere I've been I've always popped up with a goal here and there. That's something I had to get back to. Not that I'm doing anything differently now but it's strange that they are coming like buses now. That's four in three and I'm just really enjoying my football at the minute and grateful to get those goals.

"One of the things we were working on this week was just feeding balls in behind them and making them defend and not trying to put 'worldie' crosses in. So I took a touch and mishit it. It looped up over the keeper and into the far post. It was one of those weird ones where once it left my foot it felt like a shot but it was a cross. I knew once it left my foot it was going in. Things like that happen when things are going your way in football."

So what's been the secret formula behind the club's transformation in recent weeks?

"Everyone is just playing with a smile on their face. Even when we come into training every day, it's enjoyable. It's a good group of lads, good characters in there and a good mixture of youth and experience in there.

"It's really starting to show now. For a while we were going two steps forward and one back but now we're really starting to reap our rewards and have come away with another good result."