Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins explains why success this season would be particularly sweet
Sitting second in the League of Ireland table and ahead of Friday's FAI Cup semi-final away to Bohemians, Derry City remain in the hunt for the double
Ruaidhri Higgins claims he would be foolish to talk up Derry City’s chances of winning the double as the title race has been so unpredictable.
But the Candystripes boss admits winning the league this season would be extra special precisely for that reason, with so many sides in contention.
Last Friday, it looked like Derry’s chances suffered a hammer blow after they lost 2-1 away to Drogheda United.
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But with Shelbourne only drawing themselves that night and then losing 3-2 in a Monday night thriller to St Pat’s, the door remains wide open.
Shels have a four-point lead over Derry but have played a game more and will play again - away to Shamrock Rovers on Sunday - before Derry are next in league action.
That’s because they have an FAI Cup semi-final date away to Bohs on Friday, with the winner facing either Drogheda United and Wexford in the Aviva Stadium final.
Reigning champions Shamrock Rovers will be back in title contention if they deliver another blow to Damien Duff’s Shelbourne on Sunday, by winning in Tallaght.
Higgins is a leading character in the drama but knows this is a title race to savour with so many vying for the trophy.
“It’s a really good point and it’s so true,” he said of it being extra sweet for whoever the eventual champions are, considering how competitive the league is.
“It’s a slog, every single game is nip and tuck. And if you switch off at all, you get punished.
“It would make it more satisfying because of the ups and downs - there have been real challenges this year, times when people thought that we were a busted flush.
“But we’ve come back again. There’s been times when we’ve maybe questioned ourselves, but we’ve always found a way to come back.
“In football you’ve always got an opportunity around the corner to rectify any damage that was done.”
Higgins continued yesterday: “I remember being at the press day before the season kicked off and speaking to a lot of managers.
“We all had the same opinion that it was going to be an extremely tight, competitive league. Maybe not as tight as it’s actually turned out.
“But we did feel that the promoted clubs in Galway and Waterford would add real value to the league and they have probably gone above what they expected.
“You hear that lazy talk about the standard of the league, well, I think there's been a few matches recently that have been a really good standard.
“I was delighted that the Shels-Pats game on Monday was on TV to showcase what we have in the league and the high level of quality. It was a brilliant game of football.”
Going to Bohs on Friday in the FAI Cup semi-final, Derry find themselves in the unusual position of being willed to win by half the league.
Galway United have one eye on an outside shot at the title themselves but, for now, join St Pat’s, Sligo Rovers and Waterford in the race for Europe.
But fourth in the league will only be good enough for European qualification if Derry City win the FAI Cup.
A Bohs win at Dalymount Park on Friday will be a disaster for those teams and while Higgins couldn’t care less about the chasing pack, he knows how valuable Europe is.
“With the lack of investment in the league, it’s what all the clubs crave because of the money involved,” he said.
“You see what Shamrock Rovers have achieved getting to the group stages, what Larne have achieved in the Irish League getting into the group stages.
“You see the financial stability that can bring to a football club, it cannot be underestimated. It’s a game changer for a lot of clubs.”
But Higgins insists Derry City cannot afford to get caught up in talk of winning doubles and added: “You would be footballish to talk like that.”
And he added: “(The league) has been so erratic, so us talking about a double would be pretty silly.”
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