Derry City's 'Higgsy' and 'Heggsy' share football obsession

​Paul Hegarty will take his seat in front of the Mark Farren Stand tonight for the first time since replacing Paddy McLaughlin as Higgins' number two and he's 'excited' for the new challenge after two years out of the game.

At the pre-match press conference at Brandywell on Wednesday afternoon Higgins and Hegarty were sat side by side and the City boss made the admission the pair have experienced their fair share of fall-outs in the past.

Both are fanatical and obsessive about football although Higgins suggested his new assistant takes that obsession to a new level.

"I would like to think I'm obsessed with the game and I love the game but I think this man takes that to another level at times," he said. "He loves football and has a real passion and drive for it and that's what we want."

They might be on the same page when it comes to their ambitions, long-term vision and passion for the football club but given their personalities they're also likely to butt heads when it comes to their views, in-game tactics or football philosophy.

And if it's honesty Higgins is seeking, then the straight-talking Ballindrait man is the right man for the job.

"I know he's only been in a few days but he's made a huge impression on the players already," said Higgins.

"I think we're completely different personalities which is what we want. I think the players have really taken to him and I'm really looking forward to working with him.

"I have known him a long time. He used to hammer me at half-time on the odd occasion. We always stayed in touch bar the one or two times we had a wee fallout – isn't that right Heggs?," he laughed.

While the partnership will no doubt be a cohesive one, Hegarty agrees a difference of opinion at times can only be healthy.

"You'll get that in every walk in life [fall-outs], people with different opinions and what not else but it's healthy," insisted Hegarty.

"If everyone has the same opinions on football, then that's not healthy. Football isn't that simple and doesn't go that smoothly. There's a lot of different parts to winning a football match. If you don't have that hunger or win your one on one battles and stuff like that then you're in bother," warned the ex-Finn Harps and 'Stute boss.

Heggsy has had other opportunities to get back in the game over the past two years since leaving Ballybofey but they didn't have the pull that Brandywell has on him.

His DNA is all over the club having twice won the title with the Candy Stripes and he was assistant to Stephen Kenny when they came so close to winning it again in 2005 and 2006.

It was difficult to turn down a job working with some of the best players in the country and the appeal to be back at Brandywell was something he simply couldn't walk away from at this stage in his career.

"You always seem to get attracted back. I've had a lot of good friends here over the years whether that's players who I played with, people that I worked with in later years.

"I've been in and out and it's a good place to work. Whenever you're going well and if you're honest with the people of Derry, they'll back you to the hilt."It's exciting. I've been out of the game for two years for one thing or another. Look, I'm just glad to be back and back at the highest level you can work at in this country."Did I think there would be an opportunity coming anytime soon? No, I didn't but that's the way football is. That's the industry you're in and you have to grab it and hopefully have a very successful season."

He's been a familiar face in the stands over the past couple of seasons but there's no substitute for being back on the training pitch and he's been impressed with what he's witnessed first hand this week.

"When you're up close you see how good they are. Sitting in the stands on a Friday night are you really tuned into it? Naw, you're probably not.

"I just went to watch football matches which I like doing. I go up the north on a Saturday which I like doing. I just like watching football matches but are you really focussing on every detail? No, you're not.

"But when you're in close with them, you're analysing them a bit more and you can see exactly what they bring to the table."

It's a far cry from the expectations at Harps where survival was the ultimate goal.

"That was different. You weren't expected to win a league. The expectation here is to win the league which is quite right. At Harps you were expecting to try and stay up at best and try and push on the following season but for one reason or another that didn't happen."Here you have a bit of stability where players are under contract for longer and you can build something worthwhile whereas at Harps it took us 18 months to two years to put a good squad together and then they all disappeared in one season which was very disheartening."Here Ruaidhri has built a squad over a number of seasons and he's just added one or two to try and top that up which leads to a bit of continuity. You can see what they have. They all get on well together and they're all big game players. These guys are top quality in this league and for that reason people should be expecting us to challenge for a league title."

It all starts tonight at home to Drogheda and Hegarty has been impressed with what Kevin Doherty has been building.

"They have a big squad of players from what I have seen from them. The two boys played up top last week and they had another two centre forwards to come on after that.

"That wasn't even counting Adam Foley who came on in a different position. They have a big squad of players, They played with three centre backs last week and they still had David Webster and Andrew Quinn on the bench, another two centre backs to come in so they're not lacking strength in depth. They will have a very good season, Drogheda without a shadow of a doubt."

As for Derry's title challenge, ‘Heggsy’ is braced for a competitive season with several teams in the mix.

"They have a great squad of players but it's not just them. I think you'll find there will be one or two other teams in the shake-up. People are writing off Dundalk but I think they've signed some smashing footballers. It might take them a few weeks to get up and running but they're a good side."You'll have Pats, Bohs, Galway will surprise an awful lot of teams with their physicality and they have some good players, I don't know what Waterford will bring. You'll have Shelbourne. You just don't know at this stage of the season.

"People will try to tell you this will be the top half and this will be the bottom half, I think that's impossible to call at this stage of the season.

"You just don't know because clubs pick up injuries, get bad form and everything else. But the most important thing for us is not to be looking at anybody else. Concentrate on ourselves.

"If we get ourselves right, we;ll be in with a decent shout. If you don't have a belief that you can do really well this season then you're in the wrong game."