Higgins expects tough Cup Final

Ruaidhri Higgins believes a win for Derry City in the EA Sports Cup Final on Saturday evening will give them a boost ahead of the Premier Division title run-in.

The Candystripes sit top of the Premier Division table and have six games left to play. A win Saturday night will give them confidence as they push for their first title in 14 years. “If we win on Saturday night it would give us a lot of confidence going into the run-in in the league. It’ll kick us on. We are concentrating on Saturday first. Cork are a very good side. Down in Turners Cross they are a very good outfit. It’s going to be a tough game,” he told extratime.ie.

Higgins has enjoyed a lot of success in this competition and is hoping to add another winner’s medal to his collection. He admits he enjoys the hype that surrounds being in a cup final. “You always look
forward to cup finals. We’ll travel down, play in front of a big crowd and hopefully we’ll pick up the trophy at the end of the night. Cup finals are important. It’s always nice to be involved in them. It’s a big game for us, as well as the last six league games. Basically we’ve got seven cup finals left and that’s how we are looking at it.”

As the Premier Division side Derry will be favourites in the final but the midfielder is wary of Cork City. He said, “Cork are a good side. A lot of the times I’ve been involved in games against Cork they’ve ended in draws. They are two great clubs with two great sets of fans. I think the fans respect one another. It’s going to be, hopefully, a very good night.”

The Derry City side is a mixture of experience and youth. Although he is delighted to have the younger players around Higgins is now considered old. Something he laughs at. “I don’t know if 26 is too old,” he joked. “But I would be one of the older members of the squad. It’s nice because it’s refreshing and it’s something different. It’s something that I’m not used to being one of the experienced players. There is a lot of young talent at the club and it’s a joy being part of it.”

This is Higgins’ second spell at the club having re-joined from Bohemians at the start of this season. He hopes his first season back with the Candystripes will be a successful one. “I left for whatever
reasons; things weren’t right at the club before. Obviously it’s my second spell at the club and I would love to end the season with at least one piece of silverware.”

Following on from last season’s First Division title win, Derry are top of the Premier Division table and in the EA Sports Cup Final. Higgins attributed their success to one man; manager Stephen Kenny. He was full of praise for the Dub who at this stage is an honorary Derryman. “If there’s a harder working manager in the country I’d be shocked. Literally he travels all over the country to watch players. There is nothing let slip. The information we get before games is crucial. His record since he started his managerial career speaks for itself.”