It’s all come down to the final here today. Two teams ready to battle out the full 90 minutes and possibly more. In this preview I will discuss details about the two teams, who over the full 90 minutes, will fight valiantly to bring the cup home.
The Managers
Ruaidhrí Higgin’s candystripes have had a tough season. This match means everything to Ruaidhrí. A disappointing season overall, second place to Damien Duff’s Shelbourne for most of the year, and bowing out of the title race with a game to go.
This put them in 4th place in the table. This cup final decides whether European football visits the Brandywell for next year. Everything is at stake here for the Northern Irish native, a loss could be the final nail in the coffin in his managerial role at Derry.
On the other side of the bout is the claret and blue army. Kevin Doherty has struggled all year to survive, securing his team 9th in the table, which leaves them in a tie against Bray Wanderers for survival in the Premier Division on the 16th of November.
A scrap at the bottom with the likes of Bohemians and Dundalk have led to an interesting end to the season for him. A cup final, and a relegation playoff. The chance of getting European football will not be overlooked by the Drogs manager, but he will have the thought of being relegated lingering in the back of his head today.
The Road to the Final
Drogheda started their road to the final with a fierce Louth Derby in the round of 32, where they got the better of their bitter enemies with a 2-1 win in Weaver’s Park. After that, they drawer a non league side, Wilton United, at home, which they comfortably won 9-0. They would then be drawed to play Athlone Town away, which they easily discarded them with a 1-4 win for the Claret and Blue Army. They faced a challenge for the semi final, facing Wexford at home. A very close game, they scraped a win over the first division team, scoreline being 3-2. Now they look for glory in Landsdowne Road, hoping for an upset.
Derry started their campaign with a 0–3 win away to Stephen Kenny’s Saints. They then went down to Cork and defeated them 0-1. After which, a huge challenge faced them, their league rivals Shelbourne would try to end their FAI Cup campaign, but Damien Duff’s Reds couldn’t defeat them, Higgin’s side pulling away with a 2-0 victory. They were then drawed away against the other North Dublin team, Bohemians, and easily dispatched them with a 0-2 win also. Now they look at repeating their 2022 triumph, and bringing back some silverware after a humiliating year.
This is it
Both teams look to bask in the glory of winning the cup today, both managers needing to bring this home. An interesting battle will take place today within the four corner flags in Landsdowne Road. One manager fighting to keep his job, and show the fans to be confident in him after a disappointing effort in the league and a failure in Europe, the other trying to get silverware after a tough relegation battle, which is still not over.
You can watch the Sports Direct FAI Men’s Cup final live today on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. The match will kick off at 3PM, with coverage starting at 2PM.