Two teams with little to lose but much to gain go head-to-head in this year's FAI Cup final on Sunday afternoon at the Aviva Stadium.
Derry City and Shelbourne have already exceeded expectations throughout the 2022 campaign, which means the season finale can become a true cup final, a straight shootout to see who gets to lift the historic trophy at Lansdowne Road.
Victory, of course, will be on the mind of both sides as the curtain comes down on what has been a positive year for both clubs, but securing silverware will have very different implications for either team.
For Derry, the team who pushed Shamrock Rovers all the way in the race for the league title, a cup victory would prove the perfect ending to an important season, while kick-starting next season’s title charge going into the close season.
Ruaidhri Higgins needs to look no further back than the 2019 campaign when Shamrock Rovers ultimately ran out of steam in the title challenge with Dundalk, but ended the season in style to win their first FAI Cup for 32 years.
The Hoops have not looked back since that penalty shootout victory, as the baton was passed that day, and Stephen Bradley’s side have since won the league title three years in a row.
And the Candystripes manager will be urging his side to follow in their footsteps by developing that winning mindset on Sunday to take into the 2023 campaign.
Higgins will, no doubt, be fully supported to strengthen his squad during the close season, however, some silverware in the cabinet would also help attract more quality players to the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
For Shelbourne, despite the shaky start, it has been a dream return to the top flight of Irish football.
The appointment of a high-profile manager set out the Dublin club’s intentions from the start of the campaign, however, the Damien Duff project has certainly jumped a couple of steps ahead of the ambitious plans at Tolka Park.
Avoiding relegation and establishing a side in the Premier Division were Duff’s main remit, and while those opening games revealed a team very much in transition, they have developed into a very useful unit throughout the campaign, and are now more than a match for most teams in the league.
An injury-time defeat to Shamrock Rovers and an impressive away draw at Derry City throughout the final weeks of the campaign proved that Duff has moulded a fine team and one worthy of a place in Sunday’s showpiece.
Duff admitted that he would have to change his own mindset after the semi-final victory in Waterford, stating that his aspiration was always to reach the cup final, but that now he needed to instill the belief that they can actually win it.
Cup success would do wonders for the once-great Dublin club, and would satisfy the ambitions of many of its players, who may be looking enviously across town at the success that is becoming perennial at Shamrock Rovers.
A victory would see Shelbourne perhaps leap-frog Bohemians in terms of attracting players to the club in the close season, and look to match St Patrick’s Athletic as the main Dublin challenger to the Hoops.
The win might also see the club return to its original name of Shelbourne, rather than Damien Duff’s Shelbourne, which took on a tone of disrespect to the players and traditions of the Dublin institution as the season progressed.
As for the game, the odds are stacked in favour of Derry to win with Shelbourne rank outsiders to cause an upset.
The 25-point gap between the two teams may have a large part to play with those odds, which are predicting a one-sided affair, however, the recent meeting between the sides would suggest that things are a lot closer on the pitch at season’s end.
Derry dominated that recent clash at the Brandywell and should really have taken the three points, yet Higgins' outfit found it very difficult to create in the final third, often relying on hopeful balls into the box.
Shels occasionally played themselves into trouble, working out from the back, but looked very solid in the closing stages and while they eventually conceded the equaliser, the winner rarely looked like coming.
Jack Moylan was on hand to grab that goal in Derry, and he will again be the main creative threat for Shels, ably assisted by the tenacious Sean Boyd, whose work-rate and aggressive approach can open up space for those playing around him.
Between the pair, they account for the majority of goals scored this season, including seven of the 11 during the cup run to the final, while there are others who have also contributed, most notably the energetic Shane Farrell, who scored six league goals from midfield, while it was a super strike from Gavin Molloy that secured safe passage to the final.
But Shels strength comes from the solid base that they eventually established throughout the season, with captain Luke Byrne playing his best football after ten years in the league, with Shane Griffin, Kameron Ledwidge, Aaron O’Driscoll, John Ross Wilson, Molloy and Stephan Negru offering options in defence.
Expect Shels to open with a solid back three, while the two wing-backs will probably opt for a conservative approach to the opening exchanges, however, should Duff’s men get through the first 15 relatively unscathed, the sense of occasion should see them become more ambitious in attack.
Derry have certainly the stronger squad, and no doubt, have the experience for the blue riband event in Irish football, with players like Patrick McEleney and Michael Duffy bringing all that Dundalk glory into a team looking to make their own mark.
McEleney will certainly be targeted, and should Shelbourne keep his influence to a minimum, they will have a fighting chance in this one, however, the loss of Matty Smith, due to the loan rule, will be a major hindrance as they look to establish parity between the sides.
And yet, it is hard to look past a Candystripes victory when you consider the quality that exists throughout the team, and indeed the entire squad.
Jamie McGonigle and Will Patching are two of the top scorers in the league this season with 11 and 10 goals respectively, while behind the attacking unit, Mark Connolly and Cameron Dummigan were both named in a trio for the PFAI Player of the Year award.
It is worth noting, however, that six of the last seven FAI Cup finals have gone to extra time, and two of the last three decided by penalties, so there really is a good chance that it could all come down to a goalkeeping duel.
Veteran Brendan Clarke brings a wealth of experience in the goalkeeping department, having won the cup with St Pat’s in 2014, while winning another, on penalties, in Sligo Rovers’ 2011 victory.
Brian Maher, on the other hand, is considered one of the best young keepers in the league, keeping 14 clean sheets in the Premier Division this season, while also playing for the Ireland Under-21 side.
The former Bray shot-stopper is on the standby list for the senior squad’s upcoming games against Norway and Malta, and what better opportunity to impress Stephen Kenny, who will be maintaining a watching brief during the cup final.
Watch the FAI Cup final, Derry City v Shelbourne, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player on Sunday from 2.15pm with live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 and follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app.
