Derry City manager Ruaidhri Higgins wants players to showcase their talent against Dundalk

Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins doesn’t wants his side to have an inferiority complex when they face Dundalk at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium this afternoon (KO 3pm).
Derry City welcome back Eoin Toal for this afternoon's clash against Dundalk.Derry City welcome back Eoin Toal for this afternoon's clash against Dundalk.
Derry City welcome back Eoin Toal for this afternoon's clash against Dundalk.

Higgins wants his players to go out and prove the Candy Stripes are a big club and showcase their talent against Vinny Perth’s side.

“We can’t have an inferiority complex against anyone that we play against, because we are a massive football club in our own right,” he insisted.

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“Although recent history would suggest Dundalk have had a lot more success than us, we are a big football club and we aspire to get to the levels of Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers, so there’s no better stage for our players to try and showcase that on Sunday and show that we belong against that quality of player.”

Higgins concedes that Derry need to improve their record against the big boys and especially against the Lilywhites, who they have only beaten once in their last 32 games in all competitions and that victory came some four years ago at Maginn Park.

“It’s a very good game for us and it’s probably a good gauge to see where we are coming up against the calibre of players that we are going to be facing,” added the Limavady man.

“We’ll be first to admit our record against Dundalk over recent years isn’t great, but that has to change at some point and no better time than Sunday to try and pick up three points.”

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Derry, who currently sit four points ahead of Dundalk, albeit having played two games more and seven points behind third placed Sligo Rovers - who have went into free-fall in recent weeks having lost their last five matches - so qualifying for Europe for next season could be back on the cards, but Higgins isn’t even talking about that and is only focusing on each game as they come.

“I don’t care about league positions at the minute,” he conceded. “I care about the three points that are on offer on Sunday and if we can pick up the three points then we’ll have a look at it after, but all that I’m focusing on is preparing as best that we can and trying to win the game.”

City welcome back skipper Eoin Toal, who missed last week's win over Drogheda United due to Covid related issues, but Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, who missed last week also because of a Covid issue, is not available to play due to his loan deal from the Lilywhites.