Derry City versus Bohemians: Only fools will rush home at Dalymount Park

The Candy Stripes begin that heavy fixture schedule in Dalymount Park on Friday night against Bohs before turning attention to Monday night’s trip to UCD and next Saturday’s North West derby against Finn Harps at Ballybofey.

Three tough fixtures but having already defeated champions, Shamrock Rovers and St Pat’s, Boyce reckons there’s no reason they can’t approach every game with a winning mindset.

“Every game we’ve won we deserved to win. I know the Sligo game was a bit flat but the games we’ve won we thoroughly deserved to. Maybe the break didn’t help in terms of keeping that momentum going but it’s up to us on Friday to take up where we left off.

“This time last year, five games in, we didn’t have a point so it’s great to be looking down the table and not up from the bottom.”

To end the first phase of games unbeaten would be an incredible achievement and Boyce insists the team will do everything in their power to reach that milestone.

“We’re going to go into all three games with the intention of winning them all but it won’t be easy. It’s up to us to go into the games with the right mindset to get the three points. There is no game is easy in this league. I know everyone says it but it’s true. Three points against anybody have to be earned. We have to work for everything over the next eight days.”

Bohemians are hoping to end a four match winless run on Friday and with both teams intent on three points and given the recent trend of late goals between the two sides, any supporter who leaves the venue early would be a fool on April Fool’s Day.

“They are always good games and the pitch at Dalymount is a good pitch. We will try stick to our game-plan. We know if we keep going until the end then we’ll get a chance.”

Derry boss Ruaidhri Higgins also pointed to the fact that matches against Keith Long's side since he took charge last April, have always been decided at the death with late drama and he's expecting another entertaining clash in Phibsborough.

"There's always been late goals in the games," remarked Higgins. "I think there's been an injury time goal in nearly every single game we've played them, whether that's home or away.

"The first game (Cameron) McJannet got a late winner, second game Marc Walsh scores late in injury time. There were two injury time goals down there, Georgie Kelly and James Akintunde. Ronan Boyce got a late equaliser late on in the season so every game I've been involved in against Bohs there's been late, late goals. Hopefully we can score a bit earlier but they are a really good team.

"People are talking about the players they've lost but you look at Promise Omochere and Jordan Flores and they still have Liam Burt, Ali Coote, Dawson Devoy, Stehen Mallon, Chris Twardek, who has been a big player ibn this league. So they are littered with talent.

"People are saying they haven't started that well but I'm sure they will go on a really good run at some point but hopefully it can wait a game or two," he smiled.