SSE Airtricity League Premier Division: Derry City v UCD (tonight, 7.45pm)
FORMER Manchester City starlet Sadou Diallo continues to impress at the heart of the Derry City midfield.
The 23-year-old, who played alongside Derry's star man WIll Patching at City's Academy for a number of years, will be looking for another top drawer performance against UCD tonight.
Since coming on as a half-time substitute in the North West derby at Finn Harps, the gifted midfielder has been involved in six games and still hasn’t tasted defeat.
“Like I said when I signed, my professional career has not really got going so I’ve come here and played a few games on the bounce so that’s good,” he insisted.
“It’s easy to settle into a team like this as well because there are good characters and there’s good team spirit.”
Diallo, who helped Derry to a narrow win at Shelbourne on Monday night, concedes that the Brandywell men will need to be focused and ready for the Students and not think because they are at the bottom of the table, that they’re going to be an easy touch.
“In football you never know what’s going to happen,” he added.
“If you don’t turn up on the day you will get rolled over so we just have to be on it like we were on Monday. We just have to take it one game at a time; I keep saying that. But it’s the truth.
“It was demanding but that’s football, and we all love playing.”
The ex-Forest Green man played a big role in City’s victory at Shelbourne and he felt Ryan Graydon’s 91st minute winner was deserved.
“I think in the end we deserved that luck, especially ‘Graydo’ as well because he had a very good game along with other players as well,” he explained,
“Coming from three draws in the league I think we needed that. I was thinking with 10 minutes to go ‘We can’t draw this game’ because four draws on the bounce wouldn’t do us any good but we deserved that bit of luck with the performances previously as well.
“We couldn’t afford to draw that game, but we deserved it, especially towards the end. It’s a good feeling but we just have to take it one game at a time and we can’t look too far ahead.
“We will focus on Friday now and we’ll go from there. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the cup or in the league, whoever is up against us we’ll just face it.”
Elsewhere tonight, there’s a massive Dublin derby at Dalymount Park when managerless Bohemians take on champions Shamrock Rovers, while live on RTE, Dundalk entertain Damien Duff's Shelbourne.
Tomorrow night Sligo Rovers fresh from their home victory over the Oriel Park men, host Drogheda United.
While in the First Division this evening, leaders Cork City face Longford Town at Turner’s Cross; Athlone Town travel to Bray Wanderers; Treaty United take on Cobh Ramblers and Waterford visit Wexford.
