European football the driving force for Derry City winger Paul McMullan

​The 27 year-old, who won the Scottish Championship with Dundee last season, enjoyed his first taste of European football in just his second game with the Candy Stripes against HB Torshavn in the Faroe Islands and he's hungry for more.

McMullan believes that exciting run to the third round of the Europa Conference League qualifiers where Derry agonisingly lost to Tobol on penalties in Tallaght, helped ease his transition into life at the Brandywell club having spent his entire career in Scotland.

Ruaidhri Higgins' team need just a point from their trip to Cork City tonight to guarantee another summer in Europe next year and McMullan admits that objective is the ultimate driving force for him and the rest of the squad to finish the season on a high.

"We only need a point to guarantee Europe for next year and we're hoping to get all three on Friday night and firm it up," said the Scotsman.

"I think everyone loved the wee journey we had this year and want another piece of it and that's what we're going for."

There's a minimal difference of 25,000 between finishing second and third in the table and McMullan knows the money guaranteed for qualifying for Europe will bolster Derry's chances of winning silverware next season.

"I asked this question and I don't think you get too many benefits by finishing in second rather than third. To be honest, the stage we're at now you just want to guarantee European football and get on with it.

"We would probably be disappointed with how the season ended if we just get the European spot but we'll have to use that to drive us on next year."

The tedious six hour plus journey to Cork is the longest bus journey in the league this year but it will be a lot more pleasurable than the 12 hour flight from Kazakhstan he experienced last August and he's getting used to all the travelling involved for Derry City.

"Europe helped with that (bedding into the team). You stayed overnight and you're around everybody and it just makes you feel more part of the group and I think it brought the whole group closer never mind just the new guys but it was good for us and hopefully we see the benefits of that next year with another few months together under our belts."