FAI Cup Countdown - 1988 - "It was our first cup final and we knew it was historic for the club.”

May 1, 1988

Derry City 0

Dundalk 1

On May 1, 1988, Derry City fans travelled in their thousands to Dalymount Park for a cup final which would live long in the memory of those who attended, but for all the wrong reasons.

In the build up to the game, Jim McLaughlin spoke of the importance of getting the first goal, highlighting the strength of Dundalk’s defence. The words proved prophetic.

21,000 supporters packed into Dalymount Park and were witness to not only a poor cup final, but also arguably the worst ever penalty decision in the competition’s history.

With the game tied at 0-0 on 21 minutes, Stuart Roberts parried a shot from Gino Lawless and the loose ball broke to Larry Wyse, who had a brief coming together with Martin Bayly as he broke into the penalty area. The Dundalk man shrugged off Bayly and stayed on his feet but to the amazement of even the Dundalk players, referee John Spillane from Cork pointed to the penalty spot. The decision amazed everyone.

Regardless, John Cleary put the ball on the spot and sent Roberts the wrong way to give Dundalk the lead, one which they would never give up.

The Lily Whites, playing with five at the back, stood firm thereafter, and neither Speak nor Da Gama could conjure any magic to save Derry City. Derry had two penalty shouts of their own in the second half when Speak’s shot hit the hand of Cleary before defender McCue wrapped himself round the striker to prevent him from getting to a cross, but each time, referee Spillane turned down Derry’s appeals. The day ended in Derry City tears and Dundalk celebration, as the league champions had completed a league and cup double.

Sporting Derry City fans generously gave Dundalk a round of applause as they performed their lap of honour, but the manner of the loss still hurt.

As heart-breaking as the defeat was, the Derry City fans were still in awe of their heroes and thousands packed the Guildhall Square for the team’s homecoming a day later. The team was cheered on as if they had brought the cup home, making the players doubly determined to make amends for the defeat at the soonest possible opportunity.

“We were big underdogs going into that because Dundalk were the champions,” defender Pascal Vaudequin acknowledged. “We always had very tight games against Dundalk but we had nothing to lose because we had qualified for Europe and that was an achievement in itself. We had established ourselves as a Premier Division team that year and the bonus was Europe.

“The build up to that final was something else, and it was a big distraction. There were so many interviews from everywhere; I even had a French camera crew come over twice because I was only the third Frenchman to play outside the French territory and it was a great surprise to them that a French man was playing in Northern Ireland. But all that meant there was extra pressure on us all. The crowds were incredible to be fair. It was frustrating to lose it to such a soft penalty but it is a great memory because there were a lot of Derry players in that squad, and it was our first cup final and we knew it was historic for the club.”