A big day out for the McJannet family this weekend!

Cameron McJannet will have his own specific fanbase at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, with several of his family members coming to Ireland to cheer him on.

Of all the players hoping to be named in the starting eleven this weekend, McJannet is almost certain to be included, having won the faith and trust of his manager since Ruaidhri Higgins arrived at the club last April.

No other player has made more appearances under Higgins than McJannet (68), and with the defender even being given the captain’s armband on occasion this season, it is clear that he is in an elite group of certain starters against Shelbourne.

From an unknown defender signed by Declan Devine during the covid pandemic just over two years ago, to arguably the most reliable player at the club, his improvement has been clear with every passing season.

Now he is hoping that he can win his first trophy with a club that has come to mean so much to him and his family.

“It’s only a few days away now so the excitement is settling in,” he said. “It goes without saying that all the focus is on Sunday. The buzz around the city makes it even more exciting. Every time you go on social media you see something, and vey time we’ve gone to visit a school every kid has their Derry City top on or red and white bobbles. That’s when it sinks in that this is a whole city thing and it’s great to see and great to be a part of it.

“It’s been on our minds a little bit in the last few weeks but that’s a part of being a footballer You have big games coming up in the future so you just have to make sure you win the games you’re playing in the meantime.”

It was a leap into the unknown for Cameron back in 2020, when he arrived in a strange city in the middle of a pandemic. It was a brave step to take as he left his family behind in the hope of finally getting some first team experience. It was a risk which met with great reward as he is now preparing to play in the biggest game of his career.

“When I first came, I didn’t know what to expect, but fast forward two years and we have finished second and were in a cup final,” he reflected. “You do feel that attachment and it’s great to be a part of and I hope that we have brought the city together a little bit.

“At the time it was all Covid and the only time we left the house was for training and I was away from home, but other than that it has been great. I really do think that people have made it easy for me to settle in and when the family come over, they see how settled I look and feel and that’s down to the people being so friendly.”

Ambitious

McJannet’s only experience of the Aviva Stadium in Dublin so far was an Ireland rugby game, but this time around he will be in the thick of it in the middle of the pitch, with close to 30,000 fans adding to what will be an incredible atmosphere. The dream of winning the cup, and even scoring a cup final goal is driving him on.

“I feel the more you play for a club like Derry, the more you want to be a part of it,” he admitted.  “We said we were going to try and push to do special things and hopefully we can continue to do that. When the boss says that, you’d be silly not to want to be a part of it. I’ve got to the point now where I try and lead the boys sometimes as well. It’s great to be playing every game and I try and ush myself on as well as push the lads on as well.

“I only scored four or five last season but if I score on Sunday that will make it three for the season. Scoring in the Aviva in a cup final is the stuff that dreams are made of. You have got to enjoy every second of it, but at the end of the day there is still a job to e done and I feel that the atmosphere and the fans will only drive every one of us on.”