General
- Thursday October 17th, 2013 @ 19:52
Preview: Saints V Derry
Saint Patrick's Athletic host Derry City on Friday as the Inchicore side aim to finish on a high in their final league game of the 2013 season which will see them present with the Airtricity League trophy following the game.
The Saints will be looking to maintain their form which has seen them secure the league title with two games to spare, and could see them set an impressive record of having only conceded six league goals at home all year, 15 in all league games.
Derry meanwhile will hope to keep their ambitions of European football alive with a win as they aim to secure fourth spot in the league which potentially can secure Europa League football should Sligo Rovers win the FAI Cup.
Liam Buckley's only absentee from his squad is Stephen Maher as he continues to recover from a broken leg picked up in the clash between the two sides at the beginning of last month.
Maher however is making good progress having had the protective casting on his leg removed this week.
“Last Sunday was a fantastic day for everyone and obviously there is still great excitement and positivity about the squad,” Saints' manager Liam Buckley told stpatsfc.com in relation to last week's 2-0 win over Sligo Rovers.
“The player's showed great commitment and passion and fully deserved the win. Now we're up against a Derry side that have been playing well recently.
We know they will come to Inchicore looking for a result as they have a lot to play for, so it'll be a tough game. We'll be looking though to finish on a high in front of our fans so we'll go out to try and win the game.”
For Saints' captain Conor Kenna, the opportunity to play the Candystripes at home ahead of lifting the league trophy is something he has dreamed of for a long time.
“For me personally, Friday will be a great honour as captain of this great group of players.
The lads have worked hard from pre-season to this point of the season, and Sunday's result capped off what has been a great season,” Kenna told stpatsfc.com.
“We'll be looking to end the season in style with two wins in Richmond over the weekend, so we'll give everything to get a result.”