Derry man Higgins expecting tough test at Turner’s Cross
By DAIRE WALSH
As the League Of Ireland record holders with nine triumphs in total, it is more than understandable that Derry City may go into Saturday’s showpiece decider as favourites to come out on top. Indeed, during the middle of the last decade, they had something of a monopoly on the competition, with an incredible four victories in-a-row between 2005 and 2008.
Candystripes midfielder Ruaidhri Higgins was part of these victorious sides, and even though he is wary of facing First Division outfit Cork City in their own back yard, he still hopes that they will have enough to see them through in the end.
“There’s been a lot of good nights in the League Cup. People in Derry don’t take it lightly, and it has shown with the record we have in recent years. Turner’s Cross is a hard place to go and win matches. It’s going to be very difficult on Saturday, but hopefully we can come out of there on Saturday night with a trophy,” Higgins commented.
Saturday’s game represents a major opportunity for Stephen Kenny’s side to add handsomely to their trophy cabinet but, with the team performing so well in the top flight (they currently find themselves on top of the Premier Division table), Higgins says that every game from now until the end of the season will be like a cup final.
“Cup finals are always massive occasions, and it’s on down in Turner’s Cross. There’s always a great atmosphere down there. The way we’re looking at it now is we’ve got seven cup finals between now and the end of the season, and the more games we win the better”.
In spite of their current position, there are many who rate Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers above Derry in terms of who they believe can win the league. This is something that Higgins has noticed, though he reckons it may well be of benefit to The Brandywell outfit.
“I’ve listened to radio talks, and to be honest we haven’t been getting mentioned in them. I suppose that’s probably good for us, people are probably not expecting us to finish the season as strong as others, but it’s in our hands”, Higgins remarked.
“Obviously, people are thinking Shamrock Rovers or Sligo have strong squads. If people think that fair enough, but it looks like it could go down to the wire”.
It is a reasonable assumption to make that an EA Sports Cup win on Saturday would be of benefit to Derry heading into the title run-in. Higgins certainly sees sense in this, and he believes that the addition of a League Cup to their First Division success of last year would see confidence oozing through the side.
“Exactly, that’s the way we have to look at it. It’s been a long time now without a game, 10 or 11 days without a game. What we need to do now is prepare properly and focus. Hopefully if we do get the win, it’s going to be a tough ask, but if we do get the win, it will give us a lot of confidence going into the league run-in.”