Derry's Shane McGuigan suspended for their must win game against Galway

The Oak Leafers welcome leaders Galway to Owenbeg on Sunday in a game that is tantamount to a promotion play-off with the winner guaranteed top-flight football for 2023. 
Derry's Shane McGuigan suspended for their must win game against Galway

Derry's Shane McGuigan reacts after he was sent off by referee Seán Lonergan during the Allianz FL Division 2 match against Roscommon at Dr Hyde Park last weekend. 

Their 11 game National League winning streak may have been brought to an end, but Derry manager Rory Gallagher believes last week's draw with Roscommon provides his side with a "brilliant opportunity" to secure promotion to Division One.

The Oak Leafers welcome leaders Galway to Owenbeg on Sunday in a game that is tantamount to a promotion play-off with the winner guaranteed top-flight football for 2023. 

Derry's chances of securing that top berth took a hit this week though when top marksman Shane McGuigan was handed a one match ban following his controversial sending off in the tempestuous draw in Dr. Hyde Park last Sunday.

After twice appearing to be dragged to the floor by Rossies' full-back Brian Stack who was black carded in the incident, McGuigan received a second yellow card but was then reported by Tipperary referee Sean Longerman for using " abusive language" towards stand-by referee, David Gough, as he left the pitch visibly upset at the decision.

Derry appealed the suspension, claiming McGuigan's obvious frustrations were directed at the incident itself rather than any individual official but on Thursday the GAA upheld the referee's version of events in his report meaning the Slaughtneil forward will play no part this week against Pádraic Joyce's side.

McGuigan's absence will be a major blow for the Oak Leafers, the forward having hit 1-27 of the 6-61 of Derry's NFL tally this season. He is also Derry's main free-taker and curtailing his influence would have been high in the Tribesmen's pre-match planning. It means Gallagher will now be looking for the likes of Niall Loughlin, Benny Heron, Niall Toner, and Ben McCarron to step up in McGuigan's absence.

"We want to get to Division One, we have never hidden that fact, we wanted to get it from early on in the campaign. We’ve got to now capitalise on it," said the Derry boss after last week's 0-12 to 0-12 draw and prior to learning McGuigan's midweek appeal had failed.

"We've had 11 league games (stretching back to last season) and were leading in them all and leading in them all very comfortably. We knew it wasn’t going to be like that against Roscommon but it’s a point I feel that gives us a brilliant opportunity to go to Division One."

The draw between their two promotion rivals left the Tribesmen top of the Division Two table on 10 points after five wins from five, but finishing with trips to both Derry and Roscommon means the promotion race is still in the balance between a trio who are separated by only two points.

This weekend's meeting in Owenbeg sees the division's top scorers in Galway, who've hit an impressive century of scores in five games, facing off against the league's meanest defence, Gallagher's side having conceded only 42 points across their five games in comparison to Galway's 65.

Derry also know victory on Sunday will guarantee their own promotion by virtue of that final day shoot-out at Dr. Hyde Park, with the Oak Leafers travelling to Meath to round off their on campaign on the same day.

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