'Disgusted' Declan Devine worried players don't have the character to get Derry City out of trouble

The Derry City boss questioned the desire and attitude of his players after a lacklustre display against the Bit O'Red on Tuesday night as they fell to a second successive league loss.

With just five games remaining in the season Derry are out of the race for European qualification and are staring down the barrel of a relegation dogfight.

Devine accepted the performance simply wasn't good enough and was at a loss to explain why is players weren't showing the necessary passion or effort.

"I'm sick saying it's not good enough," said a blatantly honest Devine afterwards.

"And now I have to question players' application and players' attitudes tonight. It's not acceptable.

"I keep saying this and I'm beginning to sound repetitive. When you come to Sligo you've got to fight. We didn't fight, we didn't play.

"We had a chance. We hit the post before they scored. To play for this football club you've got to have desire and passion and effort and energy and that was all lacking tonight to be honest.

"We've asked the players many times (why the desire and passion was lacking) and I'm getting blank expressions and I'm starting to get really concerned that we don't have the character.

"We need to dust ourselves down because we're in a dogfight now and need to start picking up points quickly.

"We have a home game in two days time and I need a reaction because that's not good enough."

Having kept faith with the same team which lost to Bohemians on Friday night, Devine suggested he will now make changes for the visit of Waterford to Brandywell on Friday.

And he insists he wants players on the pitch who will show "a bit more respect for the football club."

"I'm not looking at that (relegation fight)," he said. "I'm looking at getting players on the pitch on Friday that are going to apply themselves better than what they did tonight, have a bit more respect for the football club, have a bit more hunger to see out games when it's not going for you.

"Be a bit more brave on the ball, be a bit more brave in our defensive responsibilities from front to back.Ultimately what we witnessed tonight was just not good enough.

"I'm absolutely devastated with the level of performance - it's not good enough!

"We kept the same team thinking the performance was good enough on Friday but t o come here in a north west derby lacking intensity, lacking hunger, desire and the application to grind out a result - it's everything I don't want.

"I need to make sure I dust myself down, dust the players down and get ready for Friday."

After two costly errors allowed Bohemians to stage a late, late comeback at Dalymount on Friday, once again it was indecision in the City defence which led to Ryan De Vries' winning goal in the 86th minute.

Ciaron Coll allowed the New Zealand native to ghost in at the back post as he stooped to head the ball past Peter Cherrie.

"It was a horrendous goal but that's been our Achilles heel all year, we've given away poor goals.

"Unfortunately in football you get what you deserve and tonight we didn't deserve anything from the game again."

Derry are seven points behind Waterford going into Friday's clash but alarmingly just three ahead of second from bottom Finn Harps.

Despite recording just one win in their last four league outings, Devine remains confident his team can clinch a much needed win on Friday.

With games against runaway leaders, Shamrock Rovers at Tallaght and Dundalk at Brandywell to follow, the game has now taken on greater significance.

"I still think we can win the game on Friday because I've players sitting in the stand tonight who can definitely serve up better than what we witnessed.

"Unfortunately I could only make three subs in the second half. Listen, it was a scrappy horrendous game but again we're the ones who came out the wrong side of it and it's not good enough.

"I'm at the stage now at the minute where I'm really, really disgusted with the performance we put out. The goal we have away with three minutes to go - we go to sleep again.

"We need to get ready now for a huge game on Friday and make sure we get something from the match."