Daniel Cleary: More Clean sheets 'Paramount' as Lilywhites look to reignite their stop-start season

Dundalk FC defender Daniel Cleary knows that clean sheets will be paramount if The Lilywhites are to finally get their stop-start SSE Airtricity League season up and running.

Dundalk currently occupy sixth-place and have kept just one clean sheet in their first nine league matches ahead of this Friday’s home fixture against Sligo Rovers (kick-off, 7.45pm).

“I think we can perform better,” Cleary said at Thursday afternoon’s presser at Oriel Park.

“We’ve only kept one clean sheet in the last nine games, but that’s as a team – we can’t just put that on the back four. I think everyone in the team can perform better and I think when we do, we’ll keep more clean sheets.

“I’ll always look to improve. I want to keep more clean sheets and so does the whole team, so that will be my job over the next few games.”

Jim Magilton’s side missed the opportunity to make it three league wins on the bounce last Monday, as they came from 2-0 behind to draw 2-2 with Longford Town at Bishopsgate.

Two errors from goalkeeper Peter Cherrie gave Longford a two-goal advantage inside the first 15 minutes, before goals from Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe and Chris Shields rescued a point.

“It was disappointing drawing after we got two wins on the bounce,” added Cleary.

“We felt like we had a bit of momentum, but we just need to dust ourselves off, get ready for tomorrow and get another three points on the board.”

Next for Dundalk is a clash with Sligo, whom they haven’t beaten in their last three attempts.

Sligo did the league double over Dundalk last term before coming away with a 1-1 draw at The Showgrounds on the opening night of this season as The Lilywhites held on for a point.

The Bit O’Red currently occupy third position in the league – six points ahead of Dundalk.

“It’s a massive game for us. Every game now is massive for us to get another three points and it’s very important that we do get a win tomorrow.

“Sligo are a very good team. They’re well set up and they have some exciting players up there.

“I think our team is well capable of winning and getting three points tomorrow and that’s what we’ll look for and climb ourselves up the table. We won’t look too far ahead of ourselves. We’ll just concentrate on Sligo and get the three points.

“We had a good few days training, so everyone is looking sharp. We’ll be going tomorrow for the three points. We won’t be going for any other result.”

In a week in which the government announced their plans to trial spectators attending sporting fixtures in July, Cleary expressed his desire to see Oriel packed out once again.

“The players are dying to get the fans back in to be honest. For me personally, it’s not the same feeling when you’re playing in empty stadiums. It’s just the way it has been the last year or so.

“There’s not much we can do, but we are dying to get the fans back in. You can feel it around the place. There’s fans up on the walls and you can feel the atmosphere from them, but it’s just nowhere near what it would be in a packed Oriel on a Friday night.”

For this week’s game with Sligo, Dundalk will be without the services of Brian Gartland, Sonni Nattestad, Sam Stanton, Patrick Hoban and David McMillan, who are all out injured.

The match will be broadcast live on RTÉ Television, with coverage beginning at 7.30pm.