AS THE TEAMS left the pitch at half time in the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium with Sligo Rovers ahead by 1-0, the home fans let the Derry City team know just how disgusted they were as the boos rained down.
A win here and they would have gone top of the league. As it was, they probably deserved the draw, but would have been, by Higgins’ own admission, flattered by a win.
Rather than push against that vocal assessment, manager Ruaidhrí Higgins is embracing it.
“The boos were absolutely justified,” said the Limavady man.
“Of course they were. The minimum requirement that supporters want to see is people fighting for their club and we didn’t do that in the first half and it has happened too many times.
“We have missed another big opportunity and it is a hard one to take.
“But what do you do? We have to keep going and keep fighting. We certainly showed more fight than what we did in the first half.”
He added, “Supporters have stuck with us through thick and thin. When you see an abject performance and a lack of energy on the pitch then you are more than entitled to voice your opinion.
“It’s not what you want to hear, of course it’s not. But it is part and parcel of this game and you can either shrivel up or you can stick your chest out and stand up to the challenge and I hope that that’s what we decided to do, stand up and be brave and approach the last three games with no inhibitions.”
So here’s how it is.
With 33 games played, each have three games left.
Shelbourne sit atop the league with 54 points. Derry are second along with Shamrock Rovers on 52 but have better goal difference.
Tucked nicely behind them on 50 are St Pat’s Athletic and Galway United.
On Friday night, Derry have a trip to Dundalk. Rovers are away to Drogheda. Shels are at home to Waterford. And Shels or Pats have a chance of knocking each other out of the running at Richmond Park.
The following week, Shels are at home again to Drogheda while Derry have a mammoth test away to St Pat’s. On the Sunday, Rovers are away to Dundalk.
It could go down to the wire on 1 November, the concluding round of fixtures. Rovers are at home to Waterford and victory would seem likely. Pat’s are away to Sligo.
The title decider might just be the game that has been circled for a long time; Derry City entertaining Shelbourne.
For the last number of weeks, Derry City have looked like a side not coping with the pressure of a title race. Tactically they look risk-averse, leaving Pat Hoban up front on his own.
But after playing Bohs last Friday, there was such an absence of energy that Higgins refused to spare himself.
“Should I have made changes from Friday night to freshen the team up? Probably on hindsight but there was a real lack of energy in the first half performance and we were chasing our tail from there on,” he said.
He sent on Patrick McEleney, Colm Whelan and Jacob Davenport, taking off Will Patching, Adam O’Reilly and Andre Wisdom and they had a much improved second half but also benefitted from an own goal from Reece Hutchinson.
What will concern Higgins is the number of injuries, with Hoban joining Ben Doherty as the latest hamstring victim.
It appears though, that the pressure of a title race might be getting to the players.
“It’s been an awful long time since the club won the league. We were and still are in the best position we have been in a long time in terms of trying to win one, so that will be our focus,” said Higgins.
“You always have to self-reflect. You can’t point fingers and you have to look at yourself. Should I have made more changes to the starting team, given the short turn around, given the fact they hadn’t played in a couple of weeks and would be fresh? Possibly so.
“So I have to accept that, but we should have shown more energy. I am not sure about a lack of desire. Sometimes when you lack energy it can come across as that.
“But we were just very, very off it. They landed on seconds and deservedly went in, in front at half time.”
As to what kind of conversations are happening among the big characters in the dressing room, he said, “We have big boys in there. We have men in there. It’s one of them where before you look elsewhere, you have to self-reflect and ask if we individually do more? And if you do more as an individual, collectively it helps.
“Tonight we were short for 45 minutes. I hated what I seen.”
Onto Oriel Park now, and a club fighting for their very existence. He isn’t expecting any favours from his former club.
“They are still fighting for their lives and it is going to be really tough.
“We had a brilliant win down there last year. So we know we are capable of going down there and winning. It would need to be a big improvement on tonight.”
