Transfer business 'Duff' at the top but Ruaidhri Higgins didn't break the bank for Derry City matchwinner

​Not for the first time this season, Duff made reference to the financial chasm between the likes of Derry, Shamrock Rovers and St Pat's and the rest and Shelbourne's inability to compete competitively in the domestic player market.

And yet it was a player signed from Longford Town, Ryan Graydon who scored the decisive goal last August in a 1-0 victory for Derry which ended the Dubliners' six match unbeaten run on the banks of the River Tolka.

Graydon, who carved open the Shels' defence for Jamie McGonigle's opening goal in the FAI Cup Final last November, was at it again on Friday as he put an end to the Reds' three match unbeaten home record.

The 23 year-old Dubliner peeled off his man at the back post and pounced to fire home Will Patching's corner kick to hand Derry another vital victory in the capital which fleetingly sent them back on top of the table.

So arguably it's been more of an even playing field for League of Ireland bosses when it comes to identifying emerging young talent as Ruaidhri Higgins was at pains to point out on in his post-match interview.

"See, we sign all these star players," smiled Higgins with a touch of sarcasm when asked about matchwinner Graydon's recent form.

"We hand-pick all these star players from all the best clubs in the country," he continued, seemingly with a nod to jibes about Derry's financial resources.

"We got him from Longford when no one else was really having a pop. He was there for everyone to sign. So contrary to all these reports, I think we've done great work in getting that one.

"I think his rate of improvement is rapid and it wouldn't surprise me if he kicked on again."

Duff has, on more than one occasion, made reference to the league's top five club's financial might and claims the big hitters have cornered the market when it comes to snapping up the league's best players.

However, Higgins, who has a good relationship with Duff, will argue he's been economical with his transfer budget and has paid the going rate for his players.

“It's not rocket science - you look at Derry, you look at Pat’s, you look at Rovers, any big player becomes available they are in straight away," bemoaned Duff at the start of the season. “Have I gone and chatted to these players? Yeah. Did they want to come to us? Yeah. But when money is spoken, I tap out."

And the former Ireland star once again made reference to Higgins' war chest after Friday's narrow defeat during a conversation about Shelbourne's latest rumoured takeover talks and Hull City owner Acun Ilicali’s potential investment.

"A lot of people speak about budgets, Derry and Rovers whatever. If people took over (Shels) I wouldn't look to quadruple my budget, give me half of it and let's go, fine. I love our guys. I love coming in and I still want to do impressive things with our club, our squad and our team and I think we will do.

"And there's not enough players to go around this league so if my budget was quadrupled, who am I going to get?" he questioned.

When it was put to him it would be a good problem to have, he responded: "Not really when you've no one to spend it on. Listen, yeah, burning a hole in your pocket, great but I don't think there's enough players to go around so obviously you're looking at the UK market, loans whatever, something I wouldn't be keen on. So you might have money but nowhere to spend it."

One piece of business Duff was keen to get over the line in the close season was the permanent signing of striker Mattie Smith - understood to be one of Derry's highest earners at the time.

A substantial fee was paid for the Scotsman's signature by the 'full-time team with a part-time budget' as Duff once described the men from Drumcondra, as they beat off stiff competition.

In fairness, Duff has worked his magic when identifying and persuading exciting former Bohs and Wexford Youths midfielder Jack Moylan to join the club in one of his first signings as Shels manager while two-times league title winner Paddy Barrett was another impressive and, no doubt expensive, addition.

One man's meat is another's poison and it could be argued the signing of Jordan McEneff, who was on loan at Shels for the first part last season, was one of his Derry counterpart's shrewdest transfers. The former Arsenal man has taken his game to another level since returning home under Higgins. Spurred on from his cup final goal at the Aviva he's scored four goals in his opening seven matches and won the SSE Airtricity/SWI Player of the Month award for February.

For all of Derry's riches, Higgins has been astute in the transfer market and he's made best use of his wide scouting network and connections. It's also well documented that the Limavady native has walked away from talks with potential signings with inflated financial demands, proving the club won't be held to ransom.

He's needed to unearth gems from the lower divisions with the likes of Graydon, Brandon Kavanagh, Cian Kavanagh and Brian Maher and it's fair to say there were few rivals circling for their respective signatures at the time Derry swooped.

He's seen value in bringing back Shane McEleney from Finn Harps and spotting quality in Sadou Diallo from Forest Green - two outstanding signings which perhaps raised a few eyebrows initially.

When he's needed to splash the cash you could argue he's got value for money when pipping his rivals to the signature of the likes of Mark Connolly and bringing back Derry men Patrick McEleney and Michael Duffy were no brainers - again two additions worth every penny! Convincing them to return to a Derry side starved of success was the real masterstroke!

Those big name signings make up just 25% of Higgins transfers and there's no doubting he's been strategic, pensive and patient when it comes to any new players he's acquired.

So while Duff's net spend might be nowhere near the clubs above him, Higgins' ability to scout potential has proven to be the difference on the last two visits to Tolka has given him the edge over the ex-Chelsea winger.

Indeed, Graydon has developed 10-fold under his stewardship and emerged as a key player for Higgins this term. So what's the secret?

"More end product," offered Higgins. "He had all the raw material. I think he's got three or four assists already this season and now a goal so he's contributing. And no fullback or outside centre back if you're playing a back three, nobody wants to play against him, you can see it and he's getting better and better as he gets more experience and more confidence. There's been a dramatic improvement.

“We knew we were getting a good player but he's become a very good player."

Whether it's an impressive eye for talent, solid connections, clever management, good fortune or all of the above, it's not by chance Higgins appears to be getting an awful lot of his signings, for want of a better phrase, 'right on the money' exposing Duff's widely held myth about Derry's transfer policies.