Soccer

Ruaidhrí Higgins believes Derry City in with ‘a real fighting chance’ of making playoffs

Candystripes manager urges supporters to turn Tallaght red and white for return leg against Tobol

Derry’s Adam O’Reilly is challenged by Bojan Mladovic of Tobol Kostanay during the Uefa Europa Conference League third qualifying round first leg at the Central Stadium in Kostanay. Photograph: Valeriy Kaliyev/Inpho

Simon Collins
Thu Aug 10 2023 - 18:56

Ruaidhrí Higgins believes his brave Derry City team has left themselves with a “fighting chance” of making history after a “courageous” performance against Tobol Kostanay in Kazakhstan in their Europa Conference League third round tie.

A spectacular second-half strike from former Kazakhstan under-21 international Roman Asrankulov handed Tobol the advantage going into next Thursday’s tie in Tallaght Stadium while Brian Maher produced two stunning saves in either half to keep the result to the minimum.

Michael Duffy came so close to levelling the match during the final 10 minutes and Higgins’s troops can take encouragement from a brave display 6,000km from Foyleside in the sweltering summer heat of northern Kazakhstan.

He believes the Candystripes, seeking to navigate past a third-round tie in Europe for the first time in the club’s history, can look ahead to the return leg in South Dublin with “real hope and optimism” with either Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic) or Gzira United (Malta) awaiting the winners.

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“I felt there wasn’t much in the game at all,” said Higgins. “I felt they put us under a wee bit of pressure as the home team early in the game and we weathered the storm.

“As the game settled we settled. I thought it was a very, very even contest. It was an absolute wonder goal that put them in front but coming home with their travelling, it gives us a real fighting chance of going through to the playoff. And that’s what we wanted coming out here. We wanted the tie to be alive coming home.

“We have to take the positives out of the game and there were plenty. We need to try and ram home home advantage and hopefully we can take a huge travelling contingent from Derry down to Dublin and get as much red and white in Tallaght as possible.

“We give ourselves real hope and optimism for next week and that’s what we wanted coming home.”

[ Brian Maher’s heroics keep Derry City well in contention against Tobol ]

Before that return leg in Dublin, Derry must ready themselves for a difficult league clash at home to Drogheda as they resume domestic duties with much at stake.

“We understand that Sunday is now a huge game, a really big game. We’ll need a real vocal home support behind us on Sunday to really get behind the players and the team and see if we can get a big three points. We’ll be ready to go when we get back. ”

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