PETER CHERRIE HAS set his sights on winning Dundalk’s number one jersey after completing his return to the Lilywhites.

The 37-year-old keeper, who spent five seasons at Oriel Park and made over 200 appearances from 2009 to 2014, has already started training with Filippo Giovagnoli’s side ahead of the new League of Ireland season.

Giovagnoli has been left short of senior goalkeepers following Gary Rogers’ retirement and Aaron McCarey’s move to Cliftonville.

Cherrie was an ever-present for Derry City in the 2020 campaign but the veteran stopper will have to fend off Dundalk’s new Albanian recruit Alessio Abibi for his starting place.

“It’s never been in my nature to come and sit on the bench,” the Scot told the club’s official website.

“It’s just not in me. If that day comes, then I may as well retire.

“I’m here to push every single day and work every single day and I’ve told the coaching staff that. I might only have a couple of years left so I’ll be treating every day like it’s my last.”

Cherrie won an SSE Airtricity League and EA Sports Cup double with Dundalk under Stephen Kenny in 2014 before moving north of the border to join Cliftonville.

On his return to the League of Ireland, he spent three seasons with Bray Wanderers and a season with Cork City before joining Derry City in 2019.

“It’s absolutely brilliant to be back,” he said. “If you had said this to me a month ago I’d have said there was no chance it would ever happen but when I got the call I was delighted.”

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