Ruaidhri Higgins backs Jamie McGonigle to finish the season strongly

St. Patrick's Athletic vs. Derry City

Tonight, 7:45pm

The sight of Jamie McGonigle back amongst the goals was one of the biggest positives from Derry City’s recent win over Shamrock Rovers, and Ruaidhri Higgins is hoping the striker can continue that form in the final weeks of the season.

The striker’s early header in that FAI Cup quarterfinal win over Rover was his first goal in eight games and only his second in 16 in all competitions. McGonigle hasn’t scored in the league since the defeat at Sligo Rovers back in May, but Higgins feels that his performance against Rovers, and not just his goal, was a sure sign that he is getting back to his best after a difficult spell.

“I actually didn’t realise how good Jamie was until I watched the game back,” he said. “For a large period of the game he was absolutely brilliant and it was his early season form. It was great for him and great for his confidence and hopefully it puts him in a position now to finish the season strongly. “It was a great win. I think it was great for the town, great for the club, the players are in good spirits and there’s a good buzz around the place, but that comes from winning matches and we need to continue to do that.”

The importance of the squad at this stage of the season was apparent in that last win over Rovers, with Danny Lafferty and Brandon Kavanagh both coming off the bench to score. Having players able to come off the bench to make a difference will be key, acknowledges Higgins.

“It’s down to belief,” he said. “We have a squad of players where you can spring someone from the bench and they can turn the game on its head. It’s belief and having good numbers and good depth and a real spirit and togetherness in the group. We have a group of lads here who knows what it means to our supporters and they are really fighting for everything and you can see that in their performances recently.”

Pivotal

With Shamrock Rovers’ lead at the top now at five points, this weekend could prove pivotal in the title race with City facing an in-form St. Patrick’s Athletic and Rovers travelling to Sligo. The Candystripes are 15 game sunbeaten domestically going into the final stages of the season and Higgins believes his team can go even further.

“We have a good blend in the group of a few lads who have been there and done it and who have good experience and players who are emerging and forging careers for themselves, on the cusp of becoming really good players,” he stated.

“I think that’s a really good recipe and I think if you look through successful teams over the years in any league, there’s always been an element of but freshness and youthfulness combined. The lads are in good spirits and good form and there’s good noise around the place in the morning; people are happy to be here which is a great thing and I suppose that comes from winning so we have to keep winning.

“Unless we do our business, everything else is completely irrelevant. We’ll just try and win our next game and see where that takes us.”

Recruitment has always been key for Higgins, with the right balance in the squad giving his team every chance of success this season.

“We’ll never let anyone disrupt the group,” he continued. “The minute that happens, they won’t be here, so it’s trying to bring the right person in as well as a good player. Both of them are equally important and I think we have a good mix here at the minute and we need that to continue. It’s okay when you’re winning games but it’s when you do get a wee setback and how you react but hopefully, we don’t have many of them to deal with between now and the end of the season.”