Graham Cummins: Derry need this 'springboard' to avoid being tagged nearly men
IN THE RUNNING: PFA Ireland Player of the Year Award nominees Mark Connolly, left, and Cameron Dummigan, Derry City, at the launch of the PFA Ireland Awards 2022 at the Marker Hotel in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
There’s no better feeling as a player than having a cup final to look forward to. Since securing their place in the FAI Cup final four weeks ago, those Shelbourne and Derry City players would have been focusing their attention on Sunday’s showpiece. Their league form reflects that.
It’s hard not to get distracted. For the last four weeks, the players would have been going into the games with fear of picking up an injury that could rule them out of the final. A few may have been fighting for places, but in truth, Ruaidhri Higgins and Damien Duff have probably long known their starting 11s for the final.
However, Sadou Diallo’s sending-off in Derry’s final league game against Dundalk means the midfielder will be a huge loss for the Candystripes and a boost for Shels. When I was part of the Shamrock Rovers side that won the FAI Cup in 2019, in the build-up to that final against Dundalk we were told Chris Shields would miss the game through suspension. It gave the squad a massive lift. I believed the mindset changed from believing we could win the game, to feeling it was our cup final to lose.
The pressure will be on Derry. No one expected Shels to reach the final, whereas the Candystripes are a club with ambitions to be the number one side in the country, and have the finance to do so. The FAI Cup would be regarded as a 'springboard' to winning the title in the future.
That was evident when Cork City won the cup in 2016 before winning the double the following season. Also the 2019 cup win — the first trophy Stephen Bradley won as Rovers manager — prefaced the club’s dominance of Irish football since. It gave Hoops players the belief that the balance of power in Irish football was shifting from Dundalk and was the first step in instilling a winning mentality.
Victory for Derry could have the same impact while defeat might undo much of the progress made in this campaign. When Cork City lost the 2018 final, I believe we carried that defeat with us into a disastrous 2019 campaign.
The outcome of Sunday’s final will also play a role in Derry’s off-season recruitment. Victory could reduce the number of signings Higgins makes in the off-season if he believes this is a team capable of winning major trophies. Defeat will spark reflection and perhaps fears he has too many ‘nearly men’, especially after falling short too at the business end of the league.
Shels have their own agenda. After an underwhelming start to the season, Duff’s side has gathered momentum. I have really enjoyed the Shels’ manager this year. His interviews have been refreshing and honest and he seems to be improving as a manager.
It takes time for managers to impress their ideas on players. Speaking to some of the Shels players, they admitted to not being able to cope with the demands Duff placed on them at the beginning of the season. But they have adjusted and we have seen the improvement on the pitch. They are a much fitter team now. They are a threat in attack but their biggest improvement has come in defence where they look a much more organised side.
It will be important that they start the game on the front foot. That they don’t let the tag of being underdogs influence the players to stand off the Derry players and let them dictate the tempo of the game. Derry would be delighted with that. What you want in a cup final as a player is early touches to settle your nerves. Pressure-free touches are ideal.
Yes, Shels have to respect Derry but if they are passive in the game and rely on being defensively strong, the Candystripes will inevitably stroll to victory.
