Match Preview: Derry City v Dundalk FC

Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium

Friday, October 23

Kick-off: 7.45pm

Dundalk head to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Friday night for their final away fixture of the season, with manager Ciaran Kilduff determined to see his side finish their travels on a positive note.

While disappointed by recent results, Kilduff believes there is still a huge amount for the club to be proud of as they bring the campaign to a close.

"For our last away game of the season, we're obviously proud of the season we've had overall," he said. "We're a little bit aggrieved with our form coming into the final round of games, but at times the performances have been good. We know the reasons why we probably weren't picking up the points we were in the first half of the season."

The Dundalk boss feels the bigger picture remains overwhelmingly positive, particularly when considering the progress the club has made since winning promotion.

"There is a lot of positive still to be taken from the season as a whole. The group have given a lot over the last two years. We've come a long way from promotion to having a bit of stability and security in the division, which was always the ultimate objective."

Friday's game is the latest chapter in what has become a closely-fought rivalry between Dundalk and Derry this season. The sides have already met four times in league and cup competition, with honours even to date.

"We've played each other four times, including the cup, and it's one win each and two draws," Kilduff said. "They're two teams who know each other really well at this point."

Derry's recent victory over Dundalk in the FAI Cup semi-final, which secured their place in next month's final, is also providing added motivation for the Lilywhites.

"They've obviously got a cup final to play for, which is great for them. They knocked us out to get there and that's going to give us a little bit of fuel and ammunition. We want to put on a good performance for ourselves."

Kilduff also paid tribute to the club's travelling support, who have followed the team around the country throughout an eventful two-year period that has included promotion from the First Division and consolidation in the Premier Division.

"The players deserve it and our supporters deserve it. They've travelled all over the country in the last two seasons, between the First Division and the Premier Division. This is our last trip and we're grateful for all the support they've given us."

With the long League of Ireland off-season looming, Kilduff is eager for his side to enjoy every remaining minute of the campaign.

"We're going to miss games of football over the off-season. It's always a long off-season in this league," he said.

Looking ahead to the challenge of facing a Derry side managed by former Dundalk defender Mark Connolly, Kilduff expects a difficult test but insists his squad will travel north full of belief.

"We'll go up to Derry and respect the team we're playing. Mark has really got a tune out of them, but we also have a lot of faith in what we do here. We're just going to go up and give everything that we have, like we try to do all the time.

"If we do that, it should make for a great game."

Dundalk will be hoping exactly that as they bring their away campaign to a close against one of the division's strongest sides on Friday night.