Tiernan Lynch opens up on how past FAI Cup Final anguish is fuelling Derry City's push to hit back at Drogheda United

Belfast Telegraph

a day ago

The 2024 Final at the Aviva Stadium is still fresh in the mind of the City fans and the majority of the players, seven of whom started the decider and could well play a part on Saturday night.
Drogheda won 2-0 to deny City a seventh FAI Cup triumph, a defeat which marked the end of Ruaidhri Higgins' time as manager.
It is now a new era at the Brandywell with Tiernan Lynch and his staff hoping to make it to their first Final, but he is also hoping that his team will have some extra motivation on Saturday evening because of what happened previously.
'Yeah, you hope so,' he said. 'Everybody knows and is well aware of losing the Final last year, and I'm sure there were a lot of hugely disappointed heads, no more than the players and the staff because of the effort and the commitment and the work that they put in to get there.
'You can hope that you can use that as motivation to put that right.'
Being in the hat for the FAI Cup Quarter-Finals is all that matters for Lynch in what is a potentially season-defining game against the holders.
Having watched their title hopes fade away in recent weeks thanks to a return of just one goal and two points in the previous four League games, Lynch understands the importance of Derry winning the Cup.
But given his team's poor form and the criticism which has followed, Saturday night's Cup tie at the Brandywell may have come at just the right time.
'As long as you win it,' Lynch insisted. 'It's a great distraction as long as you get your name in the hat at 10.00pm on Saturday night. We're under no illusions about how difficult the game is going to be on Saturday night.
'Drogheda is a really difficult team to break down. I don't think they've conceded a goal now for four or five games, and they're just one of those teams who are very good at what they do, and great credit to them for it.
'We know we have to be at our very best, and whether it's at home or whether it's at Drogheda, it makes no difference. There's a challenge in what comes with Saturday night.'
With the title now lost, European qualification and an FAI Cup win have become the priorities, and the importance of delivering is not lost on Lynch.
'I think that's what comes with managing big clubs,' he continued.
'It's not something that we take personally or something that we take any offence at. The expectations are high, and we understand that. It's our job to get better at it.'