Ruaidhri Higgins: Beware of the 'Streetwise' Drogs but Derry City love a scrap too!

​The City boss intended the ‘streetwise’ comment as a compliment to tonight's battle-primed opponents Drogheda United who he regards to be among the masters of the trade.

And he's been delighted his own team have shown similar effective traits in recent matches ahead of tonight’s Brandywell showdown.

"They're streetwise," Higgins said. "They have players who have been around the block a few times.

"You look at their midfield pairing of Gary Deegan and Ryan Brennan who are as streetwise as they come. They know how to manage games, know how to manage referees,” he smiled.

"That's part of the game, that's part of football. That's me complimenting them,” he was quick to point out. “They're smart, intelligent footballers who have been around the block a few times. They have players in key positions who have been around this league for a long, long time

"They have recruited well and always get real value for money because they wouldn't have the biggest budget in the world. So credit to Kevin (Doherty) and Daire (Doyle) for what they're doing there because I'm telling you, when you beat Drogheda, you have to earn it!"

Forget the beautiful football the Candy Stripes have become renowned for, Higgins has been equally as impressed and encouraged by his players' ability to win ugly when necessary.

The Derry players literally dug deep in a bog of a pitch in horrendous playing conditions at Tolka Park last Friday night to grind out a 1-0 victory over Shelbourne, showing another facet of their game, discipline and an ability to manage games which will be required if they're to sustain a title challenge.

Higgins expects Drogheda to arrive on Foyleside with 'nothing to lose' and to be well organised but he's taken confidence from knowing his team can adapt to any situation.

"Last week was a brilliant win for different reasons. I like to win in a lovely way and dominate the ball and all that stuff but there's something really satisfying about going down on a dirty night when the rain is horrendous and the pitch is like a bog come the second half of the game.

"We had a midfield three of (Sadou) Diallo, Patrick (McEleney) and (Will) Patching who are all gifted, talented footballers but they showed a side where they can dig in and fight for each other.

"There's something nice about going down to Dublin and getting a dirty win like that. I think it's really good for the group and the mentality of the group. It shows we're not a soft touch either. If we have to win, being a wee bit different then we can as well.

"We showed that side to us in Tallaght earlier in the season where we weren't brilliant but managed to find the win which is really important. I hope we can put on a different type of performance on Friday and win the game. If we have to dig it out then we dig it out.

"They'll come up here with absolutely nothing to lose which can also be a help and maybe that's been a part of their success against the top teams as well because maybe they feel that nothing is really expected of them and can play with a bit more freedom and relax a bit more.

"They always have a game plan that works for them. We know we have to be at it. We need an element of patience but we have to try and attack and get ourselves in front and see what happens."

Drogheda boast an impressive record against the league's top sides and Derry only managed one win and three draws against Kevin Doherty's team last year.

As part of a Brandywell double-header, it's understandable Monday night's visit of top of the table Bohemians whets the appetite more for Derry fans but Higgins is 'baffled' by anyone who overlooks the difficulty of the challenge Drogheda pose.

"It's funny when you hear people talking about Bohs on Monday, it baffles me a wee bit because if you look at how Drogheda have started this season.

"If you look at what they've done against the top sides. They've taken six points off us last year and I think they took more off Rovers.

“The top three teams in the league last year, Rovers, us and Dundalk, they've taken a lot of points off. They obviously have a way of playing against the better sides. They find a way and are extremely well organised which goes without saying and they've got good players.

"So it's driving me mad when people are saying 'big game on Monday', because I know how big a challenge Friday is and I don't like that complacency. I want the ground to be lively on Friday night.

"I want patience. These teams are really well organised and we know this is going to be an extremely difficult fixture.

"We want to win every game and win every game playing the best possible way but these are tricky, tricky fixtures and you need everyone to stick with it.

"We know we're coming up against a good side, a really well organised team and their fixtures against the top sides over the last 12 months have proven it. We're under no illusions as to how tough the game is going to be.

"So we need the crowd to get behind us but we need to give the crowd something to get behind as well. I assure you that we'll give everything to try and win the game and keep this momentum going."