Tiernan Lynch challenges Derry City to find 'missing piece of the jigsaw'
DERRY CITY boss Tiernan Lynch has challenged his troops to find the 'missing piece of the jigsaw' at Oriel Park tonight - a goalscorer.
The misfiring Candy Stripes have scored just 21 goals in 19 games but Lynch is confident his team can start scoring again after working on shoring up their leaky defence in recent weeks.
Both games against Dundalk this season produced EIGHT goals and after two scoreless draws over the Bank Holiday weekend, the Derry boss is hopeful his team finds their shooting boots to fire them into the midseason break with a first win in seven attempts.
"It's been between me and my sleep at the moment," he began about his team's lack of goals. "As I've said during the last couple of weeks and especially over the last two performances, I thought the boys have been magnificent, I really do.
"I thought we were really solid out of possession and looked really dominant in possession. The missing piece has obviously been the goals. Even when you go back and watch the games back, the frustration probably gets that little bit worse. We are creating the chances but not finishing them.
"You look at Monday night and how defensively compact Shelbourne were and the numbers they got behind the ball. You are only going to create two or three chances. When they come up, you've got to take them.
"So as a group, we're hugely frustrated by that. We know we have to start getting the ball in the net and giving us a platform to kick on."
Dundalk has been the surprise package of the league this term but despite Derry's poor run of form, a victory would close the gap on the fourth place Lilywhites to a single point.
"It's going to be a very different game from Monday night," predicted Lynch. "Shelbourne were very difficult to break down and got lots of numbers behind the ball. Dundalk will be very different, especially at home if they come out and get after us which will defnitely create spaces.
"Our job now is can we be as slick in possession and play through those presses and utilise the spaces they create. "Hopefully we can and at the same time be as compact behind the ball as we have been the last two weeks.
"It's a game that we as a group are looking forward to. It's a different challenge to what we've faced in the last two games.
"The boys seem excited. They've really enjoyed the last two games and the dominance they've had in the games.
"People are talking about the pitch but the boys adapted unbelievably well and tried to put their foot on it and play and I think they can take a lot of credit for that."