And Collins is worried that an English club will pounce to activate a release clause in his contract when the transfer window reopens.
Byrne, 31, started out at Sunderland and made a long career for himself at Scunthorpe United and briefly at Oldham Athletic before joining the Candystripes in January.
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Defensive partner Ryan McBride was man of the match on Sunday evening but Byrne was another obvious standout.
“Ryan McBride got the accolades because Cliffy was protecting him and educating him all day,” Collins said.
“For his efforts and his determination Ryan was brilliant but Cliffy was brilliant too. I don’t think anyone could deny that one.
“You can see he’s above it. He’s fit and he’s strong and he’s a great lad. Hopefully he doesn’t go in July.
“There’s an option [in his contract],” he explained. “I think we’ve £50,000 on his head if someone wants to pay it but hopefully not.”
Derry were denied all three points by Ciaran Kilduff’s stoppage-time header but Collins took plenty of positives from a performance in which they frustrated the hosts for long spells.
“The idea was to be destructive for as long as possible, and then see how frustrated they get and see what they have to throw at you.
“It was a brutal game to watch I’d say but I thought it was going to be like that. Keep it as brutal as possible and see how it pans out, and then see where we could get at them. We knew we could stop them and we did that.
“The lads gave every single ounce. A defender was man of the match but offensively we can play a lot better. When John Paul McGovern is fit and Barry McNamee is fit, we’ve players that can hold the ball a lot longer than we need.”
Roddy worried that an English club will stump up the cash to poach Cliff Byrne
RODDY COLLINS EXPECTS a battle to keep Cliff Byrne at the Brandywell.
The veteran defender hardly put a foot wrong on his league debut as he captained Derry City to a 1-1 draw against Shamrock Rovers.
And Collins is worried that an English club will pounce to activate a release clause in his contract when the transfer window reopens.
Byrne, 31, started out at Sunderland and made a long career for himself at Scunthorpe United and briefly at Oldham Athletic before joining the Candystripes in January.
Defensive partner Ryan McBride was man of the match on Sunday evening but Byrne was another obvious standout.
“Ryan McBride got the accolades because Cliffy was protecting him and educating him all day,” Collins said.
“For his efforts and his determination Ryan was brilliant but Cliffy was brilliant too. I don’t think anyone could deny that one.
“You can see he’s above it. He’s fit and he’s strong and he’s a great lad. Hopefully he doesn’t go in July.
“There’s an option [in his contract],” he explained. “I think we’ve £50,000 on his head if someone wants to pay it but hopefully not.”
Derry were denied all three points by Ciaran Kilduff’s stoppage-time header but Collins took plenty of positives from a performance in which they frustrated the hosts for long spells.
“The idea was to be destructive for as long as possible, and then see how frustrated they get and see what they have to throw at you.
“It was a brutal game to watch I’d say but I thought it was going to be like that. Keep it as brutal as possible and see how it pans out, and then see where we could get at them. We knew we could stop them and we did that.
“The lads gave every single ounce. A defender was man of the match but offensively we can play a lot better. When John Paul McGovern is fit and Barry McNamee is fit, we’ve players that can hold the ball a lot longer than we need.”
Shelbourne FC apologise for the lack of tea at their ground on Friday
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Cliff Byrne All-Ireland Senior HC League of Ireland LOI Roddy Collins Ryan McBride Derry City Shamrock Rovers