​City of Derry target crucial Ulster Championship One Cooke victory

After a mixed start to the season in which the 'Green and Black' have won three and lost three, they have another opportunity to prove they deserve to be considered one of the division's top side this weekend when in-form Cooke arrive at Judges Road on Saturday for a game McCarter believes can lay a marker for his team.

"It is a bit like the Ballyclare game where, if we want to be taken seriously at this level we have to start winning these sorts of games," explained the Derry coach.

"I know we beat them last year at home, it was our best performance of the season, and it is going to take something similar this year to beat them because they have been on a real roll in the league.

"That said, we can win, we just need everyone to be on their game and taking chances when they come our way. We can't afford to fall asleep like we have done at times over the last few weeks."

After losing to bottom side Carrick two weeks ago, Derry responded with a crucial victory over Portadown last week in a match Derry were cruising through until two late tries for the visitors threatened a shock comeback. Indeed it took a match winning Simon Logue tackle in injury time to finally get Derry over the line.

"Last week was a strange game," added McCarter, "For 73 minutes we looked in control. We were very good in the first half and then the second half was scrappy from both teams. We lost our flow a bit but we scored with about nine or 10 minutes to go to make it 24-8 and I thought, 'Game Over'. But the last seven minutes was just carnage

"We were very lucky to hold on for the win in the end as it turned out and it was an important win, just to get over the line. It was a big result."

It's a performance McCarter knows Derry will have to improve on if they are harbour hopes of victory against third placed Cooke.

"We need to up the performance levels from the last couple of weeks and having the likes of Davy (Graham) back will be a big influence in that. We have missed him from an attacking point of view, but probably even more so from a defensive point of view. Teams just don't get out and around us when he's playing.

"Hopefully he can get back into where he was before the lay off. It is a big game and we will need everyone turning up with the right attitude. We can't afford anyone having an off day. The scrum and set pieces have got to be strong and then we just have to take our chances and get back to carrying that attacking threat that we were at the start of the season."