Europe's the bare minimum for Derry City: We want to win the league! - says Ruaidhri Higgins

The Candy Stripes clinched a 1-0 win at Turner's Cross to guarantee their place in next year's Uefa Conference League qualifiers and move back into second spot in the table with one game remaining in the 2023 season.

Higgins pointed out it's the first time in over 30 years since the Foylesiders have qualified for European competition three years running dating back to the famous treble winning team of 1989!

Despite this season's memorable European run which saw Derry get to within one game of the play-offs for the group stages, Higgins will be disappointed not to have pushed Rovers closer in the league.

The City boss claims Europe is the 'bare minimum' for the club which is now 'set up for success' and said the Brandywell outfit must 'set their sights higher' next year.

"That's the first time in over 30 years we've qualified for Europe three years in a row but the way the club is at the minute and the way the chairman has invested in me and in the squad and in the club, Europe is the bare minimum," said Higgins.

"We have to be setting our sights higher now. But to come down here in really, really tricky conditions and come away with a 1-0 win is very pleasing.

"It's our third season in a row and first time in a long time we've been able to achieve that but, as I said, it's the bare minimum for this football club at the minute the way it's set up. We're set up for success and we want that. There's no doubt in terms of our league campaign, we want to go and challenge to win the league. We want to win the league!

"We've left too many points behind us this year where we should've won games and we need to learn from that and make sure it doesn't happen again."