Derry City manager Ruaidhrí Higgins knows how important next Sunday’s FAI Cup Final against Drogheda United is for the club.
The Candystripes finished their disappointing League campaign in fourth place and had to watch Shelbourne deservedly win their 14th Premier Division title, while their League position means they need to win the Cup to secure European football in 2025.
Harry Woods’ late strike was enough for Damien Duff’s men to seal the three points at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium and Higgins now wants the Dubliners’ celebrations to be a driving force for his squad as they prepare for next week’s Aviva Stadium showdown.
His squad go into the final on a terrible run of form having secured just two wins in their last 12 League matches, but Higgins believes he shouldn’t need to do much to get his players motivated.
“You wouldn’t like to think so would you?,” he insisted. “Playing in the national stadium. Over 40,000 fans I would imagine in the ground. I’d imagine 20,000 or 25,000 of them will be in red and white and we need to make them proud.
“We need to step up and show bravery and courage and perform the way I know we are capable of.
“It’s something to really look forward to but it’s just difficult after tonight (Friday) to start talking about it straight away.
“Over the next few days we will get our heads together and knuckle down and try to win one of the two trophies available in this country.”
The Limavady native was quick to praise the Tolka Park men after the title success, despite conceding it was a hard one for him to watch.
“It’s gut-wrenching being on the receiving end of it but you have to say they’ve shown real personality and character to go and win the League,” he added. “They’ve certainly shown more than what we have.
“All the supporters started running on the pitch so I just wanted to get out of there. But they are worthy champions. They had a difficult spell but they dug in and dug in and won their last three League games of the season to get it over the line.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow but we have nine days to prepare for a massive day in the football calendar and we need everyone together. Everyone behind us to try and lift one of the two trophies that’s available in this country.”