Kenny Shiels: 'We love staying below the radar - we're just a modest wee country team'

Kenny Shiels says his Derry City side will hold onto their underdog status for as long as possible as they prepare to welcome the champions Dundalk to Maginn Park on Monday.

The Candystripes ran out 1-0 winners over Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght on Friday night as captain Ryan McBride's second-half goal made it two wins from two in the capital this season.

The win came in spite of Lukas Schubert – playing as a makeshift right-back – being sent off for two yellow cards, the second for dissent after kicking the ball away 20 minutes from time.

The Candystripes were resilient, however, and if anything they were more comfortable than they were with 11 men, and the Tallaght outfit finished the night without a single shot on target.

“I brought in the papers before the game and I told them, 'this is not the Dublin press – it's the national press',” he told reporters after the final whistle in Tallaght.

“And it was all about Shamrock Rovers, all about Dundalk, all about Cork – every week it's the same. And we love that. We'll stay below the radar – we're just a modest wee country team.”

They've now lost just once – to Dundalk – in their last 19 games home and away, and the former Kilmarnock boss is happy for his side to continue to fly under the radar if they keep achieving those results.

“It's not a bad record, but sometimes it can go too far and everybody is after you. Everybody is after Dundalk, and now Shamrock Rovers fall into that category.

“Everybody's after Shamrock Rovers, everyone's after Cork, everyone's after Dundalk, because those are the big three.

“People want to do well against them because they're the better teams. Players want to play against the better teams.

“Being one of the lesser ones, we will continue to use that. As long as we have our imagination and invention and all of the things it takes to win a game, we'll continue to do that.”

Shiels was at the Showgrounds in Sligo last week where two former Derry players – Patrick McEleney and Michael Duffy – were on the scoresheet against the hosts, while McEleney scored the winner against Limerick on Friday.

And Shiels says it pains himself and the club to see players who've come through their local club go elsewhere to be paid what they feel they deserve.

“We're playing them understrength, yet again. I'd love to put out my full team to play against them but I haven't been able to. The boys are courageous, you've seen that tonight, and they're together.

“We'll play Dundalk and, OK, it's a big ask but hopefully we can do our best against them. They've signed two Derry lads who we couldn't afford.

“They're a fantastic club, obviously, and a Derry lad scoring again for them tonight – that hurts. I went to watch them at Sligo last Saturday night and two Derry lads scored the first two goals.

“That hurts because we want to promote good young local players, but at the end of the day, if we can't compete financially we've just got to bring more young ones through.”