Winger Darragh Burns of Derry City believes that his new club must now focus fully on their domestic league campaign after being eliminated by HNK Rijeka in the UEFA Conference League. The Foylesiders, managed by Tiernan Lynch, were knocked out after losing 2-0 on aggregate despite having chances and even causing trouble for CSKA Sofia.
Burns, who signed from Grimsby Town just weeks ago, acknowledges that Derry City still has much to play for in the league. He states, 'We still have so much to play for and for us to continue our European campaign this season was always going to be a big ask, but look it’s done now and we have to go again.'
The 23-year-old is eager to start his new chapter with Derry City. He says, 'Sunday is a massive game for us and I think the St Pat's match can be a kickstart to the second half of the season, which is needed. We need to start climbing up the table and try to get into those European spots, to set us up for next year.'
Burns recognizes that Sunday’s match against St Patrick’s Athletic will not be easy. 'St Pat's are a good side, they have a good manager and good players,' he explained. 'Richmond is never an easy place to go to, obviously I played there for a good couple of years, but we have to be ready.' Burns also notes that his fitness level may need some time to catch up with the rest of the team.
Despite the disappointment of not progressing in Europe, Burns remains optimistic. 'We’ve some really, really good players and look it starts on Sunday. The European thing is done now, we’re obviously disappointed with the Rijeka loss, but we can’t dwell on it,' he added. 'As I said we still have a lot of league games remaining and the FAI Cup is still there, so there’s still so much to play for.'
