'Two goals in 50 minutes - if he keeps that up we'll be doing alright'

Ruaidhri Higgins again paid tribute to Colm Whelan after the striker scored his first Brandywell goal to helped Derry City to a deserved win over St. Patrick’s Athletic this evening.

Whelan, who scored at Cork City last week, came off the substitutes’ bench to head City into a 2-0 lead to secure all three points.

“I’m delighted for Collie, because as I have said previously, when a young player with that much talent and promise and a full career ahead of him does their ACL, it's devastating; I’ve said it before, I think we’ve got him because he got injured. I don’t think he’d be here otherwise.

"That’s what he does, he makes room for himself in the box and he scores goals and he’s just got that killer instinct. It’s important as well that we don’t rush them and keep progressing him like we have done. We haven’t taken any chances; he had 20 minutes last week, and half an hour tonight and I’m sure his game time will increase if he keeps doing the business. Two goals in 50 minutes, if he keeps that record up we’ll be doing alright.”

Higgins insisted there was no doubt that his team deserved the three points after a dominant performance.

“It was a really deserved victory and it was a good performance, which was something we have been looking for at home for the last while,” he stated. “I thought in the first half we could have gone in two or three in front. Their goalkeeper has made two or three big saves and we just couldn’t put the ball in the net. The message at half time was just more of the same. We stuck at it, we showed resilience and we had a lot of players who were at the top of their game tonight.

“I felt it was Ollie O’Neill’s best game for the club. I felt our left side caused major, major issues for them. It was a really good performance and well deserved.”

‘Masterclass’

Higgins also hailed a ‘masterclass’ of attacking football from Michael Duffy and Ben Doherty as one of the key reasons behind Derry City’s victory.

Goals from Doherty and Colm Whelan secured only Derry’s second win at home this year as the Candystripes moved to within three points of league leaders Bohemians.

“The first half was a masterclass in an attacking sense from the two of them,” he explained. “Ben is one of those players, who is a student of the game.

“I’m taken aback by how into the tactical side of the game he is; he asks questions and he’s turning into an exceptional player, but I still think there’s more to come. I still think we can keep progressing him. He’s got a lot of assists already and goal involvements and I was confident when he got the penalty he would step up.

“Ben has played a lot as a winger. I saw him a few times in the off season for Larne as a left-wing back and started painting pictures in my head, and particularly here at home I think we can be devastating, and away from home. Our left side caused them real problems. Jake Mulreany played on the right and he’s an outstanding player, but Ben ran him the other way and stopped his attacking threat.”

Meanwhile, Higgins admitted that superstition was behind the decision to change dug-outs, dressing rooms and warm up location ahead of tonight’s game.

“People, myself included, just wanted a change of scenery,” he explained. “We prepared completely differently for the game tonight, we went somewhere different before coming to the Brandywell. We changed dug-out, changing rooms and where we warmed up; I just wanted a complete change of scenery. If that’s what’s done the trick then brilliant, but I’m not so sure. Football managers are known to be superstitious and I’m probably one of them.”