All eyes on FAI Cup as Derry City prepare to welcome Dundalk to Brandywell
Ciarán Kilduff’s Dundalk look to extend their hold over a Derry side they remain unbeaten against this year
The Candystripes will hope to take another step on the road to the Aviva Stadium on Friday evening as they host Dundalk in the quarter-final of the Club Orange FAI Cup at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.
Derry City FC last lifted the FAI Cup in 2022, when Ruaidhrí Higgins guided the Candystripes to their sixth-ever title with a convincing 4-0 win over Damien Duff’s Shelbourne at Lansdowne Road. Interim boss Mark Connolly remains firmly in the hunt to return to that stage, with the Lilywhites standing between Derry and a semi-final berth.
The cup will be the Foylesiders’ best chance of salvaging something from a season that has so far delivered well below expectations. It had been hoped that a winter of heavy recruitment would launch Derry into a title-chasing campaign. However, with just seven rounds of fixtures remaining, City are without both the manager who began the campaign and any realistic chance of challenging at the summit, sitting 21 points off top spot.
They remain in the battle for the final of the four European places, with Dundalk currently six points ahead of the Candystripes. But even that may not be enough, should a team outside the top four win the cup.
A cup victory would provide a welcome antidote to what has otherwise been a brutal season for the Candystripes, as well as securing a much-coveted Europa League qualifying berth, a privilege Derry were afforded but failed to capitalise on earlier in the summer.
The Lilywhites come to town on the back of a hard-fought 3-2 Louth derby victory over Drogheda United last time out. Goals from Cian Dillon, Ronan Teahan and a last-gasp winner from captain Daryl Horgan got the Oriel Park men over the line as they look to hold on to that precious European spot and secure a first league win in eight games.
Dundalk reached the quarter-finals after convincing wins over non-league sides St Mochta’s and Castlebar Celtic, with their last cup outing resulting in an emphatic 8-0 victory over the Mayo side. Derry, by contrast, stumbled over First Division side UCD. The Students hit the woodwork three times in their last 16 clash as Derry scraped over the line thanks to goals from Michael Duffy and Tyler Smith.
Friday’s game with the Louth men will be the Candystripes’ first cup meeting with a Premier Division opponent, with their second-round clash coming against Leinster Senior League side Tolka Rovers. It will also be a first cup meeting with the Lilywhites since the 2019 Second Round, when Dundalk won a thriller after extra time thanks to a late goal by Georgie Kelly.
Last time out against Shamrock Rovers, Derry showed some of the quality within their ranks that has been scarcely visible during what has been an infuriating campaign for supporters.
Ellis Chapman, Michael Duffy and Darragh Burns all looked potent in an attack that put three goals past the reigning league and cup champions. Despite ultimately being pegged back by Rovers, Mark Connolly will have taken huge encouragement by some of the passages of play his charges demonstrated, particularly their high press, which contributed to two of their three goals.
Connolly will have to plan without frontman James Clarke, who picked up a two-game suspension as a result of his sending-off in the Candystripes’ 5-3 collapse to Bohemians. Darragh Markey, Liam Boyce, Kevin Santos and Carl Winchester remain significant doubts, while James McClean continues to be omitted from matchday squads.
In the opposing dugout, Ciarán Kilduff will likely be without Harvey Warren, Tyreke Wilson and John Wilson, as well as former Candystripe Danny Mullen.
It will be the fourth meeting between the sides this year, and, if the previous three are anything to go by, there will be absolutely nothing between them. So far, the record stands at two draws and a narrow Dundalk victory.
Friday evening represents a potentially season-defining game for both camps, with a place in the final four up for grabs. Mark Connolly will be hoping his charges can harness the energy of their Rovers performance rather than their previous cup dud against UCD, although what awaits them is undoubtedly a formidable Dundalk challenge.
As cup games of this magnitude often do, Friday’s clash could take on a life of its own. A packed Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium and the energy created by a boisterous home crowd could prove the difference as the Candystripes aim to take one step further along the road to Dublin 4.