Pressure on St Pat’s to end cup drought

FAI FORD CUP FINAL:

Adding to the Groundhog Day feel as Pat’s make yet another attempt to lift the jinx at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow is their opponents this time are all too familiar, Derry City having edged out the Saints in two thrilling finals as recently as 2006 and 2012. And, as far as Liam Buckley is concerned, the still fresh memory of that 3-2 reversal two years ago should be more of a spur for the current crop of players than the 53 years of cup drought.

“They all understand that it’s a cup we haven’t won in over 50 years ,” says the manager, “not that that’s a motivating factor, because once you get over the white line, I think if we perform well we’ll give Derry a game, that’s for sure. (After the 2012 final), I remember saying to them, ‘It’s disappointing we lost, but these occasions are all part and parcel of being a sportsman, not everybody can be a winner every week, every month, every year’.