Barry Molloy reckons Derry City can take title race down to the wire

​Molloy (39), now based in Derby where he spent five years at Derby County from 1999-2004, returned home last weekend with his teenage son Rossa to watch Higgins' Derry City run riot against UCD at Brandywell.

The Bishop Street native spent a decade at Brandywell after Stephen Kenny plucked him from Drogheda and he formed a strong midfield partnership with Higgins.

From those early days in a Derry shirt, Molloy could sense Higgins was cut out for a coaching role and he isn't surprised at how he's turned around the fortunes of the club over the past couple of years.

Molloy reckons this current crop of Derry players are made in the mould of their manager and he's confident the Limavady man is the one to bridge that 26 years gap since Felix Healy's title winning team.

"It's unbelievable to be honest," Molloy said of the progress made under Higgins when speaking on the Journal's Talking Derry City podcast this week.

"Whenever Ruaidhri took over the club we weren't doing very well and he turned it around in a short space of time. Last year going to win the cup was massive.

"Even coming back you can see all the young boys running around the stadium wearing Derry jerseys and it's a great buzz around the place.

"Ruaidhri has done a fantastic job in terms of getting everyone believing in the club again.

"Obviously we've pushed this year and unfortunately, if we had won last week against Sligo we would've been closer but we're obviously pushing on from where we were at the start of last season.

"We're making great strides and it's just a matter of time before Ruaidhri wins the league in my opinion."

The former Crusaders midfielder was part of the Derry team in 2006 which hit the bar in the race for the title, pipped by Shelbourne on goal difference.

Interestingly that season both Shels and Derry finished on 62 points - the maximum amount of points the Candy Stripes can finish on this year if they win all of their remaining four games.

If it does come down to the final day matches, Molloy is hoping his good friend Ruaidhri can make amends for that disappointment 17 years ago.

"I think it'll go down to the wire in terms of goal difference but the performance against UCD was very good,” he said.

"Last week's result unfortunately made it a bit flat to start with but 6-0 is brilliant and takes the goal difference down. So if it does go to the wire that result will hopefully see us over the line.

"In 2006 it went down to goal difference and it was a horrible way to lose the league. Hopefully it doesn't come down to that.

"Rovers have it in their own hands. There's four games to go and they have two difficult games against Drogheda and Cork so hopefully they drop points and Derry can keep winning those games. You never know.

"I'm just hoping Ruaidhri can get the league title. If it's not this year it will definitely be next year in my opinion because he's done an amazing job and if he can keep hold of some of the players like Diallo and Patching then there’s no reason we can't do it.

"I'm a big fan of Diallo's in the middle of the field. He's such a good player. Patching as well, a brilliant footballer.

"This football team is just a reflection of what Ruaidhri was like as a footballer. It's such a good watch whenever you come to watch Derry. The football is brilliant.

"As I said before, if it's not this season I reckon Derry will win the league next year.”

It’s come as no surprise to Molloy that Higgins has folloewd in the footsteps of his mentor, current Ireland boss Kenny.

"Whenever myself and Ruaidhri were playing together at 21 or 22 I always thought Ruaidhri would go on to have a very good career in coaching if not managing.

"I'm not surprised at how well he's doing. Even back then he had a lot of input in team talks and things like that with Stephen Kenny. He's just a very calming influence.

"You watch his teams on the pitch and it's just a reflection of how he was a player, He probably gives people the belief in themselves to go out and play good football as Stephen Kenny used to do with some of our lads.

"I reckon Ruaidhri's the same as that where he just gives them the encouragement and belief that they can play above their station. I could see Ruaidhri doing the same thing.”