‘This club needs to be playing in Europe’ – Derry City will use Shels’ league title win as fuel to land FAI Cup

But Ruaidhri Higgins insists that his Derry City side can regroup from that disappointment and cope with the pressure that's on them as they enter Sunday's FAI Cup final against Drogheda United knowing they need to win the Cup to qualify for Europe next season.

The Derry camp went from being in contention for a League and Cup double only a matter of weeks ago to their current status, needing that final win to save what's been a grim season, with the disappointment of a fourth-place finish.

"There's no doubt about it, this club needs to be playing in European football, and we need to win the Cup to qualify for Europe," Higgins said in Derry today, City aiming to win back the Cup they secured two years ago, then they hammered new Premier Division champions Shelbourne.

"Our focus is on trying to win the game, we get European qualification and we get the FAI Cup, kill two birds with one stone, we want to go and perform, if we can perform any way like the way we performed the last time we were there we will be extremely happy.

"I just think when you get to a cup final, there is always a huge responsibility to win. And when you get to a cup final, there is a pressure to win, that's human nature, that's why we're in the game. I'd rather be going to Dublin on Sunday than not, that's for sure."

City are aiming to win back the cup they secured two years ago, when they hammered new Premier Division champions Shelbourne. The Candystripes boss admits that it was a hard watch Shels win the league in Derry on Friday, that 1-0 victory crowning Damien Duff's side as champions.

"To see a team celebrating and lifting the trophy in our own back yard, it's tough," he said.

"In saying that Shelbourne are deserving champions, they stuck right at it to the end, and they deserved to win the league, we can have no complaints. But it's not nice to witness that and hopefully, going forward, we can use it as fuel.

"We have a lot of players with good experience. The ones who haven't played in cup finals, the likes of Paul McMullan, Danny Mullen, boys like that, they have played in huge matches in Scotland. That will help.

"Drogheda are not short of a bit of experience as well. They have some really experienced campaigners in their group and the ones who haven't played in finals in their group will lean on other lads.

"We know we're coming up against a really tough and difficult opponent but we know that if we play and express ourselves in the way that we can, it's a game of football and we can win it."

While City fell short of their targets in the league, their cup run breeds hope as they have beaten the previous holders (St Patrick's Athletic), this season's Premier Division champions (Shels), the First Division winners (Cork City) and also won away to Bohemians, without a goal conceded.

"If you look at the route, that we've had to take to get to the final, honestly I don't remember a more difficult route for a team. And the players deserve so much credit. We've scored eight goals in the four games and conceded none against really really good opposition, some of the best teams in the country," added Higgins.

"And so the players deserve huge credit for that and if we win it, if we play well on Sunday and win it, we'll have absolutely deserved to win it.

"St Pat's, away to Cork, Shelbourne league champions, and away to Bohemians in Dalymount Park, so if we play well on Sunday and win it, it will be an outstanding achievement."

Higgins says he will assess the fitness of top scorer Pat Hoban across the week as he tries to recover from the hamstring injury which has sidelined him in recent weeks.