EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE: 'We know exactly what's at stake!'

HB Torshavn vs. Derry City

Tonight, 7pm

Live on LOI TV

Ruaidhri Higgins insists he knows exactly what’s at stake tonight as Derry City embark on another European adventure, against Faroe Island opponents HB Torshavn.

The Candystripes have not advanced a round in Europe in nine years, since defeating Welsh side Aberystwyth 9-0 over two legs, and have not won a game at all in Europe since 2018, when they won away at Dinamo Minsk.

With Shamrock Rovers losing at home to Icelandic opponents Breidablik on Tuesday night, all eyes will now be on the other Irish competitors in Europe, with Derry City hoping to get a good result to take to the Brandywell next week. But Higgins knows it will be easier said than done against a largely unknown opponent.

“The level of competition that we’re playing in will make sure that the players will be fully, fully focused on the job,” he said.

“We know how important it is to the football club, to the city, to the supporters. We know what’s at stake and I think the different competition will stimulate the players. We won’t be walking through town centres and sitting in coffee shops. We’ll be staying in the hotel, and having meetings on the opposition and we’ll be going to the stadium to train. We’ll be coming back then to do our normal thing then we’ll be going to the stadium to play a football match so the external factors won’t play a part because we’ll be in our own bubble.”

Higgins and his number two, Paddy McLaughlin visited the Faroes to see Torshavn in action first-hand last week, and he believes his team will have to be fully focused to get a result this evening.

“They are a technical team, tactically they like to play the right way and play through the thirds,” he continued. “They have got good players, including a few internationals. Going by the bookies, they are favourites for this game. People say the bookies never get it wrong, but we’ll go there and play as we always try and play and try to stamp our authority on the game and try to come back here with a lead and that’s what we want to achieve.

“When you get to this stage of competition, every single game you play is difficult and this will be no different. They have got some really good players, but if we are set up properly and we do our business right, then there’s no reason why we can’t go and get a victory if we apply ourselves properly and attack the game and approach the game in the way that I know we can.”

Experience

Higgins has plenty of European experience as a player, and while he understands the excitement amongst fans at this time of year, he describes it as a much different experience preparing for a big European game as manager.

“It’s a completely different feeling as a manager,” he said. “Of course, it captures the imagination more, but it gives you more to think about because you don’t know the opposition as well as you would otherwise. We have been watching a much footage, both collectively and individually of their players as we can. It’s probably a wee bit of the unknow, but I think for the players, playing in Europe there’s no better felling; I’s so exciting, it’s different and you’re coming up against different players.

There’s more to deal with maybe as a manager, but as a player there’s a lot to look forward to.”

Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers have elevated Ireland’s place in European competition in recent years by qualifying for the Europa League Group Stages, and while Higgins may want to add Derry City to that elite list some day soon, he is not prepared to look beyond the 90 minutes tonight.

“It’s a boring old answer I know, but I always find it dangerous to look beyond this game,” he stated. “People look at it as a club from the Faroes, but those days are gone, those days are finished; these clubs know how to play, they know how to set up and they will have done their homework on us, absolutely. I want to win on Thursday and I want to win on the following Thursday and if we achieve that then we’ll look to the next round. It’s a boring answer, but it’s extremely dangerous to look too far ahead.”