Connolly welcomes Higgins' return to management with Coleraine

Mark Connolly has no doubt that Ruaidhri Higgins will continue to be a success in management, with the former Derry City manager now back in the game at Coleraine.

It is a new challenge for Higgins at the club he finished his playing career with, replacing Dean Shiels after a break from the game which lasted six months following his departure from the Brandywell.

In three and a half years as Derry City manager, Higgins reached two FAI Cup finals, winning the 2022 final and led the club through one of its most famous European runs in 2023, managing two second place finishes on the way to qualifying for Europe three times.

Connolly, who was brought to the club by Higgins back in 2022, and made 78 appearances under him in that time, believes that his former boss will only get better.

“I hope he does do well,” he said. “I have no doubt that Ruaidhri will go on and be extremely successful. He’s a very, very good manager and a very, very good coach as well who knows his players and what way to play.

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“Like anyone it’s very, very difficult in management. It was a very difficult year last year here at Derry, but also there was a lot of success brought. We won the FAI Cup, we had that great run in Europe, we missed out last year in that we were just two or three wins away from the double. It’s small margins and a lot of the times people look at the negatives, but the job he did do was great. He brought a lot of the players, including myself, to the club, and I’ll always be thankful for him doing that. I’m sure he’ll be successful in the Irish League and I wish him all the best.”

Connolly also had praise for Higgins’ successor at Derry City, Tiernan Lynch, who, in the space of just three months, has taken the club from bottom of the Premier Division, to joint top. It is a process that has evolved under great scrutiny and no shortage of criticism from outside the club, with the new staff and the players having to dig deep through some real low points already this season.

“You want to go out every game and you want to win every game and play brilliantly and you want everyone to be happy and positive,” he agreed. “But I’ve been in this game a long time and I’ve been at Derry for a few years now and there’s been some really, really good moments and some tough moments. New players, new manager new style and new training ground all coming in – people could use them as excuses, but when you’re in the game a long time, you know it takes time and unfortunately in football, the way it’s going the last number of years, people don’t really get time for that. But I think now, as a team we’re showing what direction the club is trying to go.

“Tiernan and the staff came in and the standards have been through the roof to be fair to them and the boys have all bought into what’s happening and I think the biggest thing you can see is the work rate. It’s an old cliché, but if fans can see 15 or 16 players putting an absolute shift in every Friday night, even though you might lose the game here or there, they can accept that. It’s been incredible so far, but the manager will continue to push us on and take us to the next level, which is what we needed, and hopefully we can continue pushing up the league.

There could be a few difficult results coming over the next few months, but as long as we keep working had, we’ll not be far away.”