Derry City FAI Cup 2006: Greatest FAI Cup final ever!

Derry City 4-3 St Patrick's Athletic

In the last game ever to be played at the old Lansdowne Road Stadium, Stephen Kenny was given special dispensation to return from Dunfermline to take charge of Derry City.

Kenny took his place alongside Declan Devine and Paul Hegarty and it was no real surprise that a season that had delivered a League Cup, a second placed finish on goal difference and an amazing European Dance, would produce a thrilling finale.

A key factor on December 3 was the atrocious weather conditions, which threatened the postponement of the game itself. Torrential rain and gale force winds made it uncomfortable for fans, but even more so for the players from both teams, who had to contend with the weather as well as their opponents.

The game started brilliantly for St. Patrick’s Athletic who were hoping to win the famous trophy for the first time in 45 years. Dave Mulcahy gave Pat’s the lead on 20 minutes but within five minutes Derry City were level, as a tremendous through ball from Paddy McCourt sent Mark Farren through to score his 18th goal of the season.

The game remained in the balance until 15 minutes from time when St. Pat’s were awarded a penalty after Peter Hutton had fouled Trevor Molloy. The Pat’s striker scored to restore his team’s advantage and all of a sudden, Derry City were running out of time.

The Candy Stripes mounted a late charge on the Pat’s goal and when a Killian Brennan free kick was headed out on 85 minutes, McCourt delicately lobbed the ball back into the heart of the penalty area, where the towering Clive Delaney flicked the ball over the head of goalkeeper Barry Ryan to level the game at 2-2 to send it to extra time.

The drama was far from over however. With half time in extra time looming, the Derry City defence was caught ball-watching and substitute Sean O’Connor ran onto a pass from Mark Quigley before driving the ball powerfully past David Forde, to give St. Pat’s the lead for the third time in a remarkable cup final.

Just as Pat’s were finally dreaming of getting their hands on the cup, Derry struck back yet again. Two minutes into the second period of extra time, and with the wind again rising, a Paddy McCourt corner attracted a host of red and blue shirts to the near post. Only Peter Hutton had peeled off to the back post, and when the ball was flicked on, the Derry City captain was all alone as he bundled the ball over the line to make it 3-3. An exhausted St. Pat’s team simply couldn’t believe it. The Candystripes just refused to be beaten.

The defining moment of the most momentous of cup finals came just three minutes after Hutton’s equaliser. Another Derry City corner caused consternation in the Pat’s defence, and in his desperation to clear the ball from Hutton, Stephen Brennan only managed to flick the ball on into the heart of the penalty area, where it sailed, wind-assisted, past his own goalkeeper and into the net. For the first time in 110 minutes, Derry City led the cup final.

A desperate St. Patrick’s Athletic tried to respond but their efforts were in vain and the final whistle, ten long minutes later, began wild celebrations, not just amongst the fans, but amongst the Derry City players.

Derry City captain Peter Hutton lifts the FAI Carlsberg Senior Challenge Cup Final, after an incredible victory over St. Patrick's Athletic. (Photos: Brian Lawless / SPORTSFILE)

In game 54 of a magical season, Derry City had achieved something remarkable, and in doing so, completed a League Cup and FAI Cup double. Captain and goal-hero Peter Hutton was presented with the trophy and he raised it above his head in celebration, the club’s fourth FAI Cup victory and surely the sweetest of them all.

For Stephen Kenny, it was the perfect end to a season that had promised so much yet delivered even more.

“We lost the league by a point and by goal difference, but if you asked me to swap the two cup finals and the games in Europe for a league title, I wouldn’t,” he reflected.

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“Everyone has their own view on that, but it was just such an amazing year and it captured the imagination of the city. There’s too much significance placed on counting trophies; it’s about affecting communities and rallying support and the whole emotion involved. That team had a number of players who went on to be internationals.

"That was a magical season and I wouldn’t swap it. I was very disappointed for the players to lose it on goal difference. They didn’t deserve that. It was a great squad of people and it was an incredible journey.”