Today's the day! Ruaidhri Higgins writing a new chapter at Derry City!

Ruaidhri Higgins admits he has had his players practicing penalties since last week ahead of today’s FAI Cup finally, insisting he would be foolish not to.

Not only have all four games between Shelbourne this season been extremely close, but three of the last five FAI Cup finals have been decided on penalty shoot-outs.

Higgins knows all too well the pain of losing in that manner, having been part of the Derry City team which lost to Bohemians at the RDS back in 2008. Higgins actually missed a penalty as Bohs won the cup to complete the double under Pat Fenlon, and he is keen for his players to avoid the same pain.

“It would be quite foolish if we didn’t,” he said. “It’s hard to replicate it, but it would be extremely foolish if we didn’t. We’ll work this week on our penalties and we worked on them last week as well to be honest. If it comes to that, it comes to it, just as long as we’re bringing the trophy up the motorway.”

Derry City are boosted by two 1-0 victories at Tolka Park this year, but conversely, Shelbourne too four points at the Brandywell. Figuring out a way to defeat a team so stubborn and well-organised is the big challenge facing Higgins and his players.

“We’ve played them four times and we know them and we look back on stuff and done our bits and pieces, but that’s our job, that’s what we’re paid to do,” he continued. “We’re paid to come up with ways of beating the opposition. They are a really good team, they are well-organised, they have really good players, good staff and they are a big club with a rich history and we know that we’ll have to be at our very best to beat them.”

Pep Guardiola famously described management as ‘the loneliest job in the world’, but Higgins, still very much in the infancy of his new career, has again praised assistant Alan Reynolds for his help along the way in his first full season in management.

“I can see where he’s coming from but to be honest, but I have an unbelievable right-hand man in Alan Reynolds,” he explained. “He’s probably helped in that regard where we are constantly in communication win, lose or draw.

“His experience is vital to keep me going because he has experienced times like that as a manager himself. He obviously knew what things are like, but he’s kept me going, given me a shake a couple of times and that’s what you need. He’s certainly not a yes man anyway, he challenges me every day and that’s hugely, hugely important for me to develop and for us to develop as a club.”

Higgins’ impact at the club can be seen across the city this week with schools and businesses coming out in support of the Candystripes. Creating that bond has always been so important to the manager.

“A big thing in this town and this club is that when there’s a connection between the club and the city, there’s no better feeling,” he admitted. Winning matches and trophies and all that is amazing, and I said when I first got the job, I had a dream and a vision of the Brandywell being packed on a regular basis and we’re doing that. To me, for a city like this I think that’s more important than anything, that connection between the club and the public.”

Never forget

When Ruaidhri leads the team out onto the Aviva today, two of his former team mates, and two players who mean so much to Derry City football club will not be far from his mind. Since City’s last appearance in an FAI Cup final, both Mark Farren and Ryan McBride have tragically died, but both are still very much alive in the hearts of their families, the supporters and the manager himself.

“There’s no doubt about that,” he agreed. “It’s not that long ago. They are just amazing figures who are steeped in the history of this club. Ryan would no doubt still be playing if he was here with us, and Mark would have been at the game as well given his history with the club.

“I mentioned it in the semi-final after the game but it is on weeks like this that you probably think about them a bit more. When you talk abut the 2012 final, Ryan came on that day and he played in the 2014 final. Mark played in 2006 and 2008 and he scored an unbelievable goal in 2006. We want to think about them and they be in your thoughts a bit more than normal because of the figures that they were within this club.”

In what will be the biggest game of his managerial career, the City boss has never hidden from the fact that a win in this competition would mean more to him than all the trophies he won as a player combined.

“I’d trade everything in to be honest,” he said. “As a player you focus on yourself and your performance and what your role is within the team, but I’ve spoken to about 200 media this week, board members, players, agents and my own family. It’s mental, and there’s a responsibility, but with that responsibility there’s a real privilege and honour and at 38 years of age, leading a giant football club in Ireland out at the Aviva, it’s stuff that you dream about.”