CITY OF DERRY: Nicholl to change team

City of Derry travel to Tipperary on Saturday to play Nenagh Ormond in their next All Ireland League Division 2A fixture.

Derry will be hoping to carry the confidence gained from last weeks second half performance against Banbridge when they came from 17-6 down at half time to win 26-23 and record their first AIL victory of the season.

The Judges Road men could have and should have won at lease three of their previous four AIL games and if they had they would be now sitting near the top of the League.

Derry’s trip to Tipp this weekend will be made with a better frame of mind than would have been the case if they had lost again last weekend.

Mark Nicholl’s side have won their last two fixtures away to Nenagh and they will have no fear going there this time around.

Nenagh won AIL Division 2B last season and were promoted along with Skerries and Thomond while Derry finished third in AIL 2A just loosing out to Ballymena for promotion to AIL Division 1B on the last day of the season.

The home side are currently seventh in AIL Division 2A on 12 points, having won 2, lost 2 and drawn 1, while Derry are second from bottom of the table, having won once but with four bonus points are on 8 points.

A win for Derry would put them right in the mix near the top of the table and with Dungannon and Blackrock at home in December it could make for a very Happy Christmas at Judges Road.

City of Derry RFC Coaches Mark Nicholl and Neil Beddow have had to make a few enforced changes to their squad due to unavailability.

From the backline Peter Henderson and Johnny Kennedy are unavailable so William McCleery moves from wing to full back and Philip Duffy replace McCleery.

Jack Hargan comes on to the other wing to replace Johnny Kennedy while there is only one change in the pack where Chris Shields comes to the bench to start at loose head prop and Ross Harkin who started last week moves to the subs bench.

City of Derry Squad: William McCleery, Philip Duffy, David Funston, Adam Bratton, Jack Hargan, Andrew Semple, Stuart Simpson, Chris Shields, David Ferguson, Sam Duffy, David Houston, Chris Cooper, Richard Baird, Stephen Corr, Stephen Ferguson, Ross Harkin, Cathal Cregan, Sam McAuley, Richard McCarter.