Allianz Football League Division Two, round six: Derry v Clare (Owenbeg, 5pm)
DERRY will clinch promotion back to Division One for the first time since 2015 if they avoid defeat against Clare on Saturday evening in Owenbeg.
Next Saturday will mark five years since goals from Kevin McDonnell and Patrick O’Connor saw Sligo send Derry to Division Four on the final day of a choppy season.
Six of the Derry starting team are still on board. It was a day Shane McGuigan scored his first senior goal and he now leads at attack that has benefited from leaning on Niall Toner and Paul Cassidy for scores.
The week off has left the win over Dublin dangling in the distance but given Rory Gallagher a chance to get inside the Derry heads as they strive to finish the mission, they failed to accomplish last season.
They’ll need no reminders of the bumps on the road to Roscommon and a first half filleting at the hands of Galway. Within a week, their promotion hopes were in tatters.
Scratch the surface a little further and they’ll remember a Clare team that were level early in the second half before two squeezes on Stephen Ryan’s kick-out led to game clinching goals for Gareth McKinless and last season’s poacher extraordinaire Benny Heron.
The extra carrot today is taking next Sunday’s trip to Páirc Uí Chaoimh out of the equation and a chance to breath before a league final and preparations to defend the Anglo Celt Cup.
The Oakleafers are unbeaten in the nine games since their All-Ireland semi-final exit to Galway. That’s the consistency Derry fans have been craving and it’s hard to imagine Rory Gallagher’s incessant demand for high standards not dominating the training field since downing the Dubs.
Outside of newcomer Eoin McEvoy, the rest of the team expected to take the field against the Banner were in Croke Park when Colm Collins’ side were hit with a five-goal blitz that ended the game as a contest.
The Clare boss has added new Slaughtneil manager Mark Doran as coach this season and while he won’t have experienced the Emmet’s county contingent at first hand, he’ll have his homework done.
From last summer, the retired David Tubridy is one of four Clare players not to have featured in the league to date. Goalkeeper Tristan O’Callaghan gave way to David Sexton until he shipped four goals against Meath with Ryan more recently returned between the posts.
Eoin Cleary (0-18), Emmet McMahon (0-16) and Gavin Cooney (1-9) have been the key players up front, with ‘Podge’ Collins and Keelan Sexton coming into contention after injury.
Benny Heron limped out of their win over Dublin and if he’s not available for a 99th senior appearance, Oisin McWilliams and Lachlan Murray will be chomping at the bit for a start.
Gareth McKinless made a telling impression on his return and it will have kept competition high in defence in the last two weeks.
Derry have only conceded two goals in five league outings, with Gavin Cooney the only Clare man to hit the net from play.
All the signs point to a home win and the Oaks need to keep their foot on the gas to make the climb back to top flight football against a Clare team clawing to make 2024 an eighth season in the second tier.
