‘We have done nothing to turn our noses up at anybody’ – Ruaidhri Higgins parks talk of Danish trip before Gibraltar test

City are in Gibraltar to take on Bruno’s Magpies, a club formed in a pub in 2013 and who are facing opposition from Ireland for the third year in a row, having lost to Crusaders and Dundalk. With building work ongoing in the main stadium there, Victoria Park, Derry will play in the smaller venue of Europa Point, with a capacity of 770 which led to a scramble for tickets from Derry fans, and warnings from local authorities for ticket-less City fans not to go to the venue.

Bruno’s were unbeaten at home to Crusaders and Dundalk and those factors, along with high temperatures around the 5pm kickoff, have made Higgins wary in a tie where his side are favourites to advance to the second round and play Champions League regulars FC Copenhagen.

"It's not my interest, Copenhagen is so far down my list of priorities at the minute that it's frightening," Higgins said of a potential clash with the classy Danes.

“We understand we have a really difficult task in hand, they will be a well-coached team with some talented players, if we think like that we won't progress to the next stage, it's as simple as that. Teams from smaller nations, we have seen it over the last number of years, they are improving, we have done nothing to turn our noses up at anybody.

"That's not for me to decide, who is favourites and who is not, a lot of it's guess work, what we have see of them, they are a talented side, they can hurt you and if we're not at it and are not right, then will will get done over, but it's 180 minutes to get ourselves through and that's what we try and do. There are a lot of different things you have to factor in for the away leg, we want to come back to our home place in a strong position, that's the ultimate goal.

"With players and staff, we have good experience, it's not everything but it does help, no doubt about that. we just want to go there, stamp our authority on the game, the conditions will be slightly different to what we are used to and we'll have to keep that in the back of our minds.”

Higgins says he’d done his research on the opponents but will only get a feel for them one the tie kicks off. “There has been quite a big turnover in their playing squad, they are quite a technical team, they are fluid in how they move around the pitch, they are used the conditions over there better than we are, we will have to make sure we are right and ready to get a big result over there, their record at home in Europe isn't bad, in saying that what happened last year and the previous year is irrelevant as the team's different,” he added.

But getting through to face Copenhagen would be an achievement for Higgins on a personal level as he says that a 5-4 aggregate win over Finnish outfit KuPS last season, to get them into the third round, was a career highlight.

“Even in my time over the last few years, the European nights here have been special. Particularly the KuPS one last year was probably one of the best nights I’ve ever had in football, the noise, the crowd got us over the line, I’ve absolutely no doubt about it. They were a really good team, and the crowd helped us get over the line, one of the most special nights in my career, it will live long in the memory and we want to create more of them nights,” he added.