DERRY CITY: '˜Let's make home advantage count' against Bohs

The FAI announced yesterday that attendances at SSE Airtricity League matches are on the rise from last year with an overall average increase of 17 per cent per game across both divisions.

And despite the capacity restrictions at the Buncrana venue and the travelling involved for local fans, it obviously hasn’t deterred City’s hardcore support as the club’s official total attendance figure for the opening six matches stands at 8,562.

Almost every home fixture this season has been sold-out with an official average attendance of 1,427 and Shiels is hoping the crowd can help steer his side to a much needed win against the Gypsies.

“We want to try and get the result and get the victory,” he said. “It’s a tough game but I’m hoping for a nice evening for our supporters to come and give us their backing and hopefully we can get them a result, which would help us enormously.”

Bohemians sufferred a 4-1 defeat at the hands of City on the opening day of the season at Dalymount.

However, the Dubliners arrested a four game losing run with a 2-0 win against 10 man Finn Harps last week so Shiels - who is without strikers, Mikhail Kennedy (knee) and Rory Patterson (ankle) - reckons his side have a real game on their hands.

“Bohs are a good side and they’ll come into our game full of confidence,” he added. “They have got good players and they’ll be hard to beat, so we have to make sure we are on our game and play with the proper commitment and quality to try and get three points.”

Shiels, meanwhile, confirmed the departure of Israeli defender, Alon Netzer who was released from his contract having failed to make a single appearance since signing for the club last February.

“Alon wants to play every week and we can’t provide that for him, so we want to give him that opportunity. We had a mutual agreement.”