James Clarke’s two goals in a 4-1 win over Bohemians gave Derry City a lift before Galway United vs Derry City at Pearse Stadium on Friday, June 19 at 7.45pm. The result arrived after a difficult start to the season, with Derry City having five league wins from 21 games.
James Clarke and Bohemians
Last Friday, Clarke scored a brace in Derry City’s first game after the mid-season break. He was left disappointed not to complete his first senior hat-trick after a late penalty was saved by Paul Walters.
He said, "We 100 per cent needed that win, but look it’s only one win and we won’t get to excited over one win, but it will give us confidence going into the Galway game," and added, "We’ve been here before, we’ve got good wins before, but we haven’t built on it, so it’s important that we don’t get too ahead of ourselves."
Pearse Stadium on Friday
The Galway United v Derry City FC fixture now sits inside a short run that could define the rest of the summer. Derry City have played their last five games at Celtic Park, and the squad is due back at the Ryan McBride Brandywell later this month.
Clarke said the group needs to turn one result into a stretch of points, adding, "The quality and the core of our squad is really good and it’s just about getting that confidence into us and believing how good we are, so hopefully this win over Bohs means we can move onto Friday and hopefully we can get the result in Galway."
Brandywell and July
Derry City’s schedule tightens again in July, when they face CSKA Sofia in the Europa League and Tolka Rovers in the Club Orange FAI Cup. Clarke said the grass pitch at the Brandywell should suit the team because it has "a lot of ‘footballers’, who want to get the ball down and play," and said there are seven league games on the new pitch.
He also said the dressing room remains together despite recent criticism of Derry City and Tiernan Lynch, calling it "a really united group" and saying there is still "a lot of games and a lot of football still to be played."
For Derry City, the next step is simple: use the Bohemians win to start a run, not just end a wait. That is the test at Pearse Stadium, and it is the same one that will follow them into Brandywell and July.
