Ruaidhrí Higgins backs 'frustrated' Daniel Kelly to become a 'major success' at Derry City

​The 27 year-old Dubliner was one of two marquee signings made by Higgins in the close season transfer window which got City fans excited as he arrived alongside Pat Hoban from Dundalk.

While Hoban needed little time to adjust to his new surroundings on Foyleside and bagged six goals in the opening five matches, including a hat-trick against Waterford at Brandywell, Kelly has struggled to hit the heights Higgins witnessed first hand while at Oriel Park together.

His pre-season was disrupted by injury and when he finally got his City career up and running the Ringsend man has found himself in goalscoring positions but has yet to get off the mark - a source of frustration for the ex-Dundalk wideman who was the highest scoring winger in the league last term with 10 goals!

Higgins, however, has full faith that Kelly will find his confidence and rediscover his form in the coming weeks and hopefully starting with tonight's trip to a stubborn Drogheda team where goal scoring chances will likely be at a premium.

“We obviously know that Drogheda are really well set up but attacking players, scoring and creating goals is great for confidence." They will have been boosted by the performance against Dundalk as Derry had four different scorers in the 4-1 win.

"The one who probably hasn't sort of got to that yet is Daniel Kelly," continued the City boss. "I know he's extremely frustrated at the minute but I've absolutely no doubt, because I've seen it, I've worked with him.

"I've seen it for years; he scores and creates goals and I've no doubt in my mind that when he has a big moment in a game for us that he'll absolutely kick on and be a really, really important player for us. He just needs to stick at it because he's definitely got what it takes to be a major success here.”

Kelly has been in the thick of the action in several games so far this season since making his competitive debut against Drogheda at Brandywell on February 16th.

“He gets in there. He has a real knack of getting in there. I know he's a bit disappointed that he hasn't got off the mark yet but we'll keep backing him, keep supporting him and I've no doubt that when that moment comes he'll go from strength to strength.”

Derry's leading marksman Hoban is struggling with a groin injury and sickness which has hit the Brandywell camp but Higgins can take confidence going to Co. Louth given the form of striker Danny Mullen who netted his third of the season against Dundalk last week.

"Pat's been sick as well so we'll see over the next few days but with Danny, if you take away the goal, I felt his all-round performance last week was what we know he's capable of and hopefully he can continue that on. I thought his goal was brilliant but I thought his all round game was really good as well and he gave the team a platform to get up the pitch as well.”