Derry City were held to a scoreless draw away from home by Galway United last Monday evening as the Candystripes remain fourth in the Premier Division table. Speaking to the media following the game, Derry manager Kenny Shiels was irate when asked w
Derry City were held to a scoreless draw away from home by Galway United last Monday evening as the Candystripes remain fourth in the Premier Division table.
Speaking to the media following the game, Derry manager Kenny Shiels was irate when asked whether goalkeeper Gerard Doherty was fortunate to stay on the pitch for his early transgression.
Doherty was brandished with a yellow card after he handled the ball outside the 18-yard area in the opening stages when United’s Padraic Cunningham was bearing down on goal.
“Lucky to stay on the pitch? I would say there was two players, at least, of their team, that was lucky to stay on the pitch and our two young lads are left battered and bruised. Which is the worst?”
At one point, Shiels summoned one of his players from the dressing room to show the media huddle the extent of the injuries picked up he was referring to, and was frustrated at the apparent physicality the opposition showed.
“I’m sorry for being angry here, but you wouldn’t believe, you’ve seen it yourselves out on the pitch.”
Shiels took issue with the state of the playing surface at Eamonn Deacy Park and cited it as a key factor in determining the outcome of the game.
“Going back to the pitch, which is the most important part of football. It’s where you perform. If you’re on a stage, it has to be right. If you’re a musician and the sound is all wrong, it’s not good,” Shiels said.
The Derry boss felt the surface greatly detracted from the quality of football on show and questioned why it had become cut up.
“It should be a decent pitch. It has to be a good pitch to play football – do you not agree? It has to be. So, why, as fate would have it, or was it just pure chance, that it was all ripped up and bumpy. Accident or design – you answer that question,” he concluded.
The result sees Derry extend their unbeaten run to five league games. Next up for them is an away trip to face Limerick on Saturday.
