Ruaidhri Higgins expects Alan Reynolds to have 'something up his sleeve' as he returns to Derry with Bohs

The City boss must outwit two of his closest friends and former colleagues in Reynolds and his newly appointed assistant Stephen O'Donnell who will share the opposition dugout to add extra intrigue to a significant fixture for both teams.

Of course 'Rennie', who departed Brandywell for family reasons 13 months ago, has already made his first return to the venue as assistant to Keith Long at Waterford when the Blues were humbled in a 3-0 drubbing, describing the mismatch on the night as a case of 'men against boys'.

When Reynolds left the Derry he described the decision as the most difficult in his football career but there'll be no sentiment when he arrives on Foyleside this time around.

The Waterford native has done a stellar job at steadying the ship at Dalymount and despite a recent blip where they've gone three without a win, previously Reynolds had guided them through a run of four wins out of five which ultimately saw them rise through the rankings.

So for all the early season doom and gloom and chopping and changing in Phibsborough, Bohemians are just four points adrift of Derry City with a game in hand!

It leads to an interesting match-up with Reynolds going head-to-head with his good friend who he previously coached in 2006 as Stephen Kenny’s No.2 and helped lead to the 2023 FAI Cup triumph during a successful 16 months spell in Higgins' backroom team.

And adding an extra element of intrigue to proceedings was the appointment of former Dundalk manager and another of Higgins' close confidants, O'Donnell as Reynold's No.2. on Wednesday. So the sideline tactical duel is a fascinating subplot.

What does Higgins expect Rennie to bring to the table?

"God knows! He'll have something up his sleeve. He'll have something up his sleeve," he repeated. "But we'll be ready for whatever they throw at us. He's obviously had a very good coaching career, as a manager and as an assistant, and obviously with the 21s in Ireland, he's had a really good coaching career. He's a good man, and good luck to him, apart from Friday night,” he smiled.

“He's done a good job since he's gone in there. He's got a good squad of players, and I'm sure he'll look to strengthen in the summer as well. He knows me, he knows this club, so it'll be an interesting game and one we're looking forward to.”

Derry were left smarting on Monday night after Sean Boyd's 90th minute equaliser denied them top spot in the table. With a double header of away fixtures in Dublin against St Pat's and Shamrock Rovers coming up after Friday's visit of Bohemians, Higgins knows how important a first win in three attempts would be.

They are five points better off at home this season compared to 2023 and won five of their opening eight matches, losing just twice. Higgins hopes his side can continue their promising start at the Lone Moor Road venue and avenge a frustrating 2-1 loss at Dalymount earlier in the season.

"It is important, and it's something that we were conscious of going into the league campaign, that we wanted to pick up more points here at home. Obviously, we're five points better off than what we were at this stage last season at home, so we need to see if we can grow that and make that even better, starting here on Friday night.

“That night [at Dalymount], some of our play was really, really good. The scoreline didn't go for us, but we created a number of opportunities that night, and definitely didn't deserve to lose the game. But listen, we're creating chances, a lot more chances this season, so there's bits to be positive about, and hopefully we can play on the front foot here at home on Friday and try and get a big win.”