Ruaidhrí Higgins wants players to be 'ruthless' against stubborn Drogheda at Weavers Park

​Kevin Doherty's side rarely give much away on their home patch and Higgins didn't need to remind his players how unwelcoming a venue it can be for visiting teams as Shelbourne, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians have learned to their detriment this season already.

The Boynesiders, who are unbeaten in their last seven matches in all competitions, were unfortunate not to earn their second league win of the campaign and take the scalp of the league leaders last weekend as a stoppage time Sean Boyd goal earned Damien Duff's men a point.

Derry go into the match after a morale-boosting 4-1 win over Dundalk last Friday night where the Candy Stripes had four different goalscorers and so Higgins hopes his attacking players can be equally as 'ruthless' against the Lilywhites' Co. Louth neighbours.

“To win in Drogheda you need to be fully focused from the first minute to the very last minute," said Higgins.

"They're always in games, they have a real identity and how they go about it and as long as we prepare ourselves mentally for the game properly and we can continue some of the parts of the performance from last week then there's no doubt we can get a big win down there.

“It's a league where there's not many goals at the minute and I just think teams are really well set up and really well structured. At times, you have to be patient and at times you have to, when the moments come you have to be ruthless and I think that's what we were on Friday night and hopefully we can continue that.”

Derry kicked off the season with a 2-1 win over Drogheda at Brandywell but while Higgins describes them as a 'tough nut to crack', he sees no reason why his side can't clinch another victory.

“Winning matches obviously brings confidence into the group and we've had a full week to prepare for the game, so it's a game that we're looking forward to. Drogheda are obviously a really tough nut to crack, particularly down there. The last couple of games at home they have drawn with Shelbourne, winning until the 94th minute and drawing with Pat's the game before that, so two of the top teams in the country have been unable to beat them. We know it's going to be a really difficult task, but if we apply ourselves right, there's no reason why we can't go down and win.

“We won 1-0 down there last year when Adam O'Reilly got the goal, so we can look back on that with a bit of confidence. It was our only win in a couple of years down there; there were a lot of draws, but hopefully getting a few goals the other night and with our attacking players looking very good at the minute, hopefully we can continue that into Friday.”

Higgins expects to be working off a similar squad of players used against Dundalk, however, sickness in the camp has somewhat weakened his hand.

“There are some players progressing quite well. There's also been a wee bit of sickness in the camp, which hasn't been ideal in preparation for the game. So, I don't know how different the squad will be, if any different, but what I would say is that there is good progression and people are getting closer.”