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Gary Ferry, 3 Nov
Derry City vs. St. Patrick’s Athletic
Tonight, 7:45pm
Patrick McEleney says Derry City can have no excuses for falling short
in this season’s title race, as they face St. Patrick’s Athletic on the
final day with second place the only prize on offer.
A draw tonight will secure second place for the second successive
season, and while European football has already been guaranteed, the
expected title challenge to Shamrock Rovers fell far short of
expectations.
“It’s not what we set out to do,” McEleney acknowledged. “It’s not as
if we were setting up in pre-season to finish second, but the fact of
the matter is we fell short and we want to try and do the business now
on Friday.”
The City captain did admit that Shamrock Rovers deserved to be crowned
champions, but also acknowledged that Derry City missed countless
opportunities to catch them.
“You could say we threw it away, but there were loads of things that
happened throughout the year,” he said. “It wasn’t one thing, it wasn’t
two things, you’re talking ten things. At the end of the day, they
deserved to win it and that’s it. It’s over the course of the year and
it’s in black and white. There are no excuses to be made.”
It has been a particularly frustrating season for the Derry City
captain, who has been unable to play a full 90 minutes since March 31,
instead making cameo appearances in games since the summer.
“It’s been no secret about the injury I was trying to get through and
that makes it ten times worse whenever that frustration is piling up
with the frustration of the results. It’s been difficult, there’s no
point lying about it,” he said.
“I’ll go for the surgery now and try and get it fixed, but I’ve just
been playing and trying to get through it. It’s so frustrating really
just trying to get off the bench and get whatever minutes you can and
get out there and try to help. Obviously, during the European period I
was just coming off the bench and stuff like that which was
frustrating, but it is what it is.”
As a forgettable season for him personally comes to an end, McEleney
admitted he remains very optimistic that he can finally put the problem
behind him.
“It’s about getting it fixed now and being ready, coming back, which I
will be in my eyes,” he stated. “I’m optimistic about it. It’s not been
ideal, but I’m just looking forward to getting going again. I said to
the manager the other day, I just can’t wait to the new season to be
honest.
“The procedure isn’t as complicated as it seems. I should be back
sharpish. It’s not like a six-month or an eight-month job, it’s a quite
quick return, so it’s about getting it fixed, getting it done when the
season is over and getting the head down.”