Ruaidhri Higgins unmoved by Shamrock Rovers noise as Derry City face 'must-win' clash in Drogheda

​Budget and contract negotiations have been the talk of Tallaght in recent weeks with the four-in-a-row seeking Dubliners perhaps displaying an air of vulnerability despite leading their rivals by five points with just four games to go.

Whether it's Stephen Bradley's or talisman Jack Byrne's future, a reported wedge amongst board members or complaints about fixture congestion hitting the headlines, Derry City fans are living in hope that the once formidable Rovers are showing chinks in their armour.

Maybe it's a case of clutching at straws but there remains a glimmer of hope Derry can still overhaul the Hoops and clinch a first Championship in 26 years.

Despite the apparent disruption behind the scenes in south Dublin, 10 man Rovers still managed to eke out a 1-0 win over Shelbourne last weekend to maintain the status quo.

Derry, however, have an opportunity to close that gap at the top of the table to just two points having made serious inroads in increasing their goal difference tally after last week's 6-0 mauling of UCD.

Victory over Drogheda United would ramp up the pressure on the Hoops who don't play for another three weeks before tackling three games in the space of eight days.

When asked if Rovers' reported vulnerabilities could be exploited in the final few weeks of the season, Higgins wasn't interested in discussing issues outside his control.

The meticulous City boss knows only too well his team can't afford to slip up any further in their final four games otherwise their race is run and whether Rovers have their house in order will have little consequence.

"I don’t know what’s going on down there," said Higgins. "I know what’s happening here. It’s not really at the forefront of my mind, and controlling what we’re doing at this football club is far more important to me.

"It doesn’t interest me to be honest, their fixture schedule," he continued. "We just have to go down and try and win our game. We know it’s going to be difficult. The top teams have always struggled at times down here, but we don’t have that bad a record there.

"We’ve drawn a couple and won a few and maybe lost one over the last few years, so we’ll go down there confident in the way that we’re playing and try to pick up three points, and if we do that we’ll close the gap."

Clearly unwilling to engage in talk of Rovers and their off-field distractions, Higgins was asked whether the potential of closing the gap would give them a psychological edge knowing they've got the points on the board.

"Of course, it would give us a boost but I think when you start looking too far ahead . . . We all know what happens if we win on Friday, it goes to two points and they have a game in hand. It’s as simple as that.

"Psychologically I don’t know. You have St. Pat’s as well, then you have European spots; you have so many different permutations and all we can focus on is ourselves and trying to win our match which is a really difficult fixture.

"It’s a must-win," he admitted. "If we are to have any chance, we have to go down there and win the game."