Joe Thomson is refusing to give up on the Premier Division title - even though the race could be over tonight.
Derry City are eight points behind Shamrock Rovers and can pick up a maximum of nine in their final three games, including tonight at Sligo Rovers and next weekend in Tallaght.
Anything other than a win in The Showgrounds and it’s curtains for the Candystripes.
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Thomson’s goal salvaged a point last Friday night against Shelbourne.
He said: “If we think it’s done and dusted, there’s no point in turning up for the next three games. Definitely not.
“As I said, we’ll be going in to get nine points and see what happens then.”
A second-placed finish and an FAI Cup final appearance against Damien Duff’s Reds outfit would represent a fine first full season under new boss Ruaidhri Higgins.
But no one at the Ryan McBride Brandywell is prepared to settle for that just yet. Not while they still have a slender chance of overtaking league leaders Shamrock Rovers.
“That’s not bad,” he said, “but we’ve got ambitious players in there that don’t want to just be competing, but want to be winning trophies, winning every game.
“We want to give it a right go and win every game and be right up there at the end of the season.”
It won’t be easy tonight against the Bit O’ Red, who last Friday were involved in a 3-3 thriller away to Dundalk.
Both sides have picked up a win each and a draw so far this season in the three games against each other.
“Obviously they beat us earlier in the season when we probably weren’t at our best,” said Thomson. “But we won both games down there last year.
“We are under no illusions, Sligo are a really good team so it won’t be easy. We’ll go with a game-plan to come away with three points.”
Derry have no other choice if they want to take the title race at least to their visit next weekend to Tallaght Stadium.
“Of course,” Thomson replied, “but it doesn’t matter anyway. We can only do what we can do.
“We’ll go down there and aim for the three points, and that’s the most important thing from our point of view.”
Candystripes boss Ruaidhri Higgins outlined the simple equation that would keep his side in contention for the league crown until the last weekend of the campaign.
“If we win our next two games, it goes down to the final day, regardless. But we need to win our next game and take it from there,” he said.
Meanwhile, Thomson has jumped to the defence of goalkeeper Brian Maher, whose mistake last Friday night gifted Shelbourne their opener at the Brandywell.
He passed the ball straight to Jack Moylan on the edge of the area and couldn’t keep out the Shelbourne ace’s shot.
Former Celtic and Dunfermline man Thomson said: “I’ve played with goalies who have made four or five mistakes a season.
“We are three games away from the end of the season now and I think that is probably Brian’s first one where he can hold his hands up and say he is disappointed.
“He’s 21, he’s got a brilliant future ahead of him. I’ve never played with a goalie who can do some of the stuff he can do.
“It happens to the best of us. We all make two or three mistakes a game and nothing happens. But unfortunately in that position, it gets highlighted when you do it.
“Brian has probably been one of our best players this season, so no finger-pointing at Brian.”
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