Tiernan Lynch still has nightmares about his last meeting with Shamrock Rovers

​The Belfast man suffered a 4-1 humbling against Rovers as manager of Larne at Windsor Park in the Uefa Conference League last October with the Inver Park club 3-0 down after half an hour.

It was a painful loss which caused Lynch to lose sleep but he's got a chance to banish those memories as he travels to Tallaght Stadium tonight with a team much 'better equipped' to cause Rovers problems.

Describing Derry as 'a different animal' to his history-making Larne team, Lynch is relishing another crack at taking the scalp of the League of Ireland's perennial title challengers.

"I actually tried to forget about that game to be totally honest with you," laughed the Derry boss.

"I still have nightmares about that game. I think that game, if truth be told, I got it wrong,” he admitted.

"Where we were at that stage, we probably should've approached that game very differently and I take full responsibility for that.

"I think Derry City are a different animal and I do definitely think this team will be, please God, better-equipped."

His Derry squad is brimming with experience and talent and while the south Dublin stadium now boosts a 10,000 capacity, Lynch knows entering the lion’s den won’t intimidate his players.

“The majority of the boys in this changing room will know what they're getting going to Tallaght. Whereas we knew absolutely nothing going into the previous game [with Larne].

"Taking nothing away, Rovers are a top side with a top manager and their record speaks for itself. And we're under absolutely no illusions about how difficult Friday night is going to be but we have to embrace this challenge.

"I think one of the big things we have to do and we're not shying away from where we want to go as a club and as a team. But to go where we want to go, you have to go to these types of environments and relish it, enjoy it, thrive in it and get results and that's very much what our aim and objective is,” added the Derry supremo.