Kenny Shiels felt booing of players was 'out of order'

The final whistle was met by jeers from a small section of the home support as the Candy Stripes suffered a 16th league loss of a dismal league campaign but Shiels felt there was lots of 'positive signs' and he took inspiration from the performance.

It was a much improved display and the Brandywell club should really have clinched a share of the spoils but missed to gilt-edged chances in the second half.

And so Shiels felt the reaction of 'six or seven' fans at a sparsely populated Lone Moor Road venue was 'out of order' given the vast difference in experience between the two teams.

He insists the club is very much in transition and rebuilding for the future and wants the supporters to recognise that.

"The players are getting good experience out on the pitch but there was about six or seven booing the players off which is out of order," said Shiels.

"I don't mind if it's a really poor performance and an insipid, an inept performance but once again we're very much in transition and people have to understand that,.

"I don'tr want to go through the players we lost because it sounds like excuses but to lose Rory Patterson and Ronan Curtis in one fell swoop in the summer took a big hole out of our skeleton squad.

"There's a multitude of things I could mention but it's very, very difficult and we're working hard to get players through. We've two of these young lads on three year contracts and we have young Eoin Toal who is a 'long termer'.

"We have young Sam Todd coming back at the end of the season at left centre back. We have a lot build on there and I feel inspiration from that and I need that from the people of the city too to say this is a good reproduction that we're doing. They have to try and recognise what we're trying to achieve.

"I thought it was a great effort from the players and they're disappointed. We didn't get the breaks. We're not getting any breaks at the minute. That happens. We are struggling to get a win at the minute.

"We're away to Dundalk on Tuesday, the champions elect so that will be difficult as well."

Rovers substitute, Dan Carr netted the only goal of the game on 63 minutes, just 10 minutes after coming off the bench and while there was suspicions of offside, Shiels was willing to take the word of the referee's assistant.

"That was a marginal decision. I'm not going to criticise the linesman because he was adamant. I discussed it with him and he said it was onside so I had to take his word for it. I'm sure it was because he seemed a genuine type - he actually spoke to me which is good, which is new."