Ruaidhri Higgins in 'full respect' for hometown club Limavady United but Coleraine chief targets Irish Cup semi-final berth
Ruaidhri Higgins and Paul Owens once played in the same primary school team at Termoncanice in Limavady – but the two men will now be in the opposing dugouts as they aim to guide their respective teams into an Irish Cup semi-final.
Coleraine chief Higgins and Limavady manager Owens were no strangers to each other in their childhood but one man will go further in the Irish Cup on Saturday afternoon as the north-west sides collide in the famous competition.
Despite Limavady being drawn as the ‘home’ team, the game will be played at the Coleraine Showgrounds as the Roesiders continue to lay an artificial surface at their own venue.
Higgins, who hails from Limavady, spoke of his mutual respect for everyone connected at his hometown club but vowed to do his utmost to guide the Bannsiders into the last four of the competition.
Limavady stunned Linfield in the previous round but have surrendered their lead at the top of the Championship table to Annagh United after two draws and a defeat in their last three games.
“If you had offered Paul the position that they're in now at the start of the season...an Irish Cup quarter-final and with the brilliant chance of getting promoted, he would have taken it,” Higgins said.
"Although they might have been disappointed with a couple of results recently, they're in a really, really strong position.
"I have so much respect for the people there and there's people at that club that I've known basically my whole life, but on Saturday, our job is to try and get Coleraine Football Club into a semi-final of an Irish Cup, which would be a brilliant occasion.
"I'm sure there'll be a big crowd. It’s great to have it here at The Showgrounds but we know how difficult they can be to play against.
"They've got some good players as well in attacking areas, some real experience throughout their team. No more so than the Lowry brpthers, who must have 100 medals between the two of them.
"No, but listen, full respect for them and we'll be going all out to try and get ourselves in a semi-final.”
Coleraine come into the game on the back of a 3-1 loss at Dungannon Swifts as the Bannsiders conceded three times in the opening 45 minutes at Stangmore Park.
Higgins labelled his side’s opening 45 minutes as “humiliating” but knows reaching the last four of the Irish Cup would prove to be the perfect response from the setback.
He added: “We know we were well below par last week and it's been addressed, very much so, it's been addressed and we move on.
"We have to move on, we're in a cup quarter-final, I've even had a shave, so it shows you how far I've moved on, but no, we need to move on.
"As gut-wrenching and as horrible as it was, we have an opportunity on Saturday to try and get ourselves into a semi-final of an Irish Cup and that's the target, that's the aim.”
Coleraine have beaten Premiership adversaries Crusaders and Carrick Rangers en-route to the last eight, with Limavady ousting Lisburn Rangers and Linfield.