Europa Conference League
HB Tórshavn v Derry City
Thursday, 7pm (Irish time)
Ruaidhrí Higgins insists Derry City’s magical 2006 Uefa Cup adventure was “the most special year” of his playing career and he’s hoping he can create similar memories as a manager.
The 38-year-old leads the Candystripes into Europe for the second time against Faroe Islands minnows HB Tórshavn in their Europa Conference League first-round qualifier at the National Stadium, Tórsvøllur. Seventeen years ago Stephen Kenny’s Derry City went on a giant-killing spree across the continent, stunning Gothenburg and Gretna before falling short against PSG in the third round.
Higgins is careful not to overlook his Faroese opposition tonight but he knows what an extended run in the competition would mean to the people on Foyleside.
“I’d have to say it was the most special year of my playing career without a shadow of a doubt,” said Higgins. “We live in a really unique city. People talk about Gretna away and Paris but we went out to Gothenburg in the first round and beat them and actually deserved to win the game and then came here and beat them again and thoroughly deserved to go through. Personally for me, and probably because I started both games, that was the most special couple of games I’ve ever experienced.
“They had a couple of players who had just come out of the World Cup playing for Sweden, Nicholas Alexanderson being one of them [and] Pontus Wernbloom. We were huge, huge underdogs and probably from that moment on until the end of the 2006 season, it really gave an injection of passion and life around the city.”
Higgins’s maiden venture into European competition as a manager ended in a first-round qualifier defeat to FC Riga last season. The Latvians were a class above their League of Ireland opposition but Higgins knows he’s got an excellent opportunity to get into the second round where Finnish opposition Kups Kuopio await the winners.
However, the last time the Candystripes advanced past the first round in Europe was nine years ago when they defeated Aberystwyth Town of Wales 9-0 on aggregate. The Faroese are the most successful club domestically with 23 league titles but while they’re unbeaten in their last three home European fixtures, Derry will expect to win.
For Higgins, European football is about making memories and making the people of Derry proud. “All you have after you retire as a player and go out of the game or retire as a manager, all you have is memories and hopefully medals … If I can help achieve that as a manager, by the way I’m only a small cog in the wheel, but if I can help the club achieve that in any way then it would be an extremely proud moment for me.”
