FAI Cup semi-final: Bohemians v Derry City (Friday, Dalymount Park, 7.45pm, RTÉ 2)
Derry City boss Ruaidhrí Higgins admits he remembers the late Mark Farren, when he thinks about Dalymount Park.
The Candystripes face Bohemians in the FAI Cup semi-final tonight at the Dublin venue and the 39-year-old hopes someone from his current squad can emulate the Brandywell club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
“As a player, I have a lot of good memories there as well,” explained Higgins, who played alongside Farren at City and was a close friend of the Greencastle native.
“I remember Mark Farren used to score a lot of goals down at Dalymount.
“When I think about Dalymount Park, I always think about Mark, for that reason, but a lot of our players have done well down there, so hopefully we can reproduce that type of form, down there on Friday.
“My memories as a manager there’s been some mental games down there, a lot of last minute stuff that have gone for us, and against us.
“I remember Georgie Kelly’s equaliser in the 95th minute, or a 96th minute it might have been when there were three minutes added on. I’ve kind of got over that one at this stage.
“There’s been a lot of drama in the games down there, and knowing their staff, the way I do, they’ll definitely come out and try and win the game, which should make for an entertaining game.”
The Foylesiders go into the last four tie looking to bounce back from last week’s disappointing performance at Drogheda United, where they suffered their seventh league loss of the season, but Higgins insists the mood in the camp this week at training has been upbeat.
“We’re in a brilliant position, we’re right in the thick of it for both trophies,” he explained.
“The players have been absolutely brilliant. In difficult moments they’ve been brilliant, they’ve always responded in a really positive manner.
“I love the group of players that we have here to bits, I really, really mean that, I care deeply about them and I know how much it means to our players to be successful at the club and to make people happy, and hopefully we can see that in our performance on Friday night.
“We’re a good group of people, we stick together, and as I said, hopefully we can see that in our performance on Friday.
“If you’d have been over at our training session on Wednesday you’d have seen a jovial, happy group of lads.
“They were in brilliant spirits, with some of the best goal line blocks you’ll ever see in your life, they were flinging themselves about. It was good fun, it was a good session this morning.
“The spirit in the group is good, they’re a really good bunch of human beings and that can always lead you somewhere.
“As I said it’s been a good ground for us for a long time, and hopefully that can continue on Friday night.
“We know that Bohs have improved, we know that they have a certain way of playing now, and they’ve had some good results in recent weeks, so we know we’re going to have to do our very best to win the game.”
Higgins, who confirmed that striker Pat Hoban may not be involved as the striker has had a tough week after a bereavement and defender Ciaran Coll misses out through suspension, insists his side have had a tough cup run so far.
“We’ve done it the hard way, the only all-Premier Division tie, in the first one against St Pat’s, where we were brilliant here at the Brandywell,” he stressed.
“Then we had a difficult task down in Cork, then we had the league leaders (Shelbourne) in the quarter-final, played really well again, quite recently, so if we get to the final, it’ll certainly have been done the hard way, which makes it even more special really.”
Meanwhile in the Premier Division tonight in-form Galway United host bottom side Dundalk, while on Sunday the other semi-final tie takes place at Weavers Park as free-scoring Drogheda face Wexford, while in the Premier Division champions Shamrock Rovers face Damien Duff’s leaders, at Tallaght Stadium.
In the First Division this evening, champions Cork City host Treaty United; Bray Wanderers visit UCD; Kerry travel to Cobh Ramblers and on Saturday evening basement men Longford face promotion hopefuls Athlone Town.
