Patrick McEleney attends specialist in Santry as Paul Hegarty provides Derry City injury update

​The Donegal man revealed skipper Patrick McEleney has attended a specialist in Santry for a scan on a troublesome calf injury which has kept him out of recent games.

Jordan McEneff sustained a broken bone in his foot during a training match last week and is set for a period on the sidelines to add to the Derry coaching staff's injury woes.

The central midfield department has been hit hardest with Sadou Diallo and Cameron Dummigan also nursing injuries, however, the pair aren't 'a million miles away' according to City manager Ruaidhri Higgins last Monday night. Both players took part in training this week!

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley recently claimed the Dublin club would be conducting a review into why they've had more than a quarter of their players injured at the one time - a 72% availability, which he reckons is the lowest in five or six years.

Derry's squad health hasn't been much better in recent months and Higgins' No.2, who was on media duties this week, was tasked with answering questions about the club's latest injury issues.

"You're probably looking at the same squad as Monday night," said the Ballindrait man when asked about players available for the trip to Waterford.

"There will be no additions to it. We still have a few knocks and that. They'll not be back this week anyway. There'll be no surprises come Friday night.

"Jordan got a knock in training,” he revealed. “We don't know how long he'll be out, he'll probably have to get a scan on it. Patrick has an ongoing issue. He's in Santry today getting a scan on his calf so we'll have to wait and see how that goes."

Whatever starting eleven is named in Waterford, Hegarty doesn’t expect an easy night for the Candy Stripes despite strolling past the challenge of the Blues at Brandywell last month.

The 3-0 scoreline was as dominant as it would suggest with Hoban netting his first hat-trick for the club on the night.

However, Hegarty knows there are no ‘gimmes’ in the top flight this season with Keith Long’s men showing they can match the best in the league with a recent victory over Bohemians and a share of the spoils against St Pat’s in Inchicore last weekend.

"We knew at the start of the season, there's no gimmes in this league,” added Hegarty. “Your Waterfords and Galways that have come up, as the season goes on they will get better as well.

“Waterford have picked up good points away from home. Away to Bohs and winning and away to Pats getting a point in a game they probably should've won. And at home to Galway they drew when they were unlucky not to win that.

“Everybody is going to take points from everybody else but we just need to look after ourselves.”