Duffy double inspires Derry City into FAI Cup last four

Derry City FC secured an impressive 4-2 Club Orange FAI Cup quarter-final victory over Dundalk to put themselves just 90 minutes away from another Aviva Stadium outing, with Mark Connolly’s charges now drawn to face Galway United in the semi-final, while Bohemians and Waterford will face off in the other last-four clash.

The FAI Cup now represents the Candystripes’ best hope of salvaging something from a campaign that has failed to deliver on so much of the pre-season optimism and promise, with a seventh title certain to go some way towards easing the frustration of a subpar showing from the Foylesiders.

A brace from skipper Michael Duffy, as well as goals from Patrick McClean and Kevin Dos Santos, saw City come from behind to overcome the Oriel Park men, and Connolly will be hoping his side can now drive on with a massive cup semi-final at Eamonn Deacy Park coming down the tracks.

The Clones native, who took over on an interim basis following the dismissal of Tiernan Lynch, was full of praise for his troops after they coped with the expectation of the 3,000 patrons who descended on the Ryan McBride Brandywell on Sunday afternoon in what was essentially a season-defining game.

“The importance of today can’t be downplayed. We knew how tough Dundalk were going to be; there was a lot of pressure on the boys. This season has not gone the way we would have hoped. We all know that, but the boys are really digging in, and since I’ve come in, they have just been a breath of fresh air.

“We showed serious character, and the character of that dressing room has been questioned this year, and these boys have it in abundance. I thought the boys played some lovely football at times; we scored four great goals, and I’m just delighted.

“Galway is a really tough draw. It doesn’t matter who you get at this stage; it’s going to be a really tough draw regardless. Of all the teams: Bohs, Waterford or Galway, home or away, it’s going to be a really difficult game, but we’ve given ourselves a chance. We know that we are one game away from the Aviva Stadium, so we’ve done what we wanted to do.”

Skipper Michael Duffy was at his brilliant best for his hometown club, notching his twelfth goal of the campaign to help see the Candystripes into the hat for the next round.

Duffy will be hoping to become the first native of the Maiden City to captain the Candystripes to a cup title since Kevin Deery did so in 2012, when the Foylesiders defeated St Patrick’s Athletic 4-3 on penalties.

Another local footballing legend who has fallen considerably down the pecking order at the Ryan McBride Brandywell, however, is Creggan native James McClean.

The former Republic of Ireland captain’s younger brother Patrick put in a heroic performance against the Lilywhites, but once again James was omitted from the matchday panel, with a persistent hip injury hampering his playing time this year.

Off the field, however, McClean has remained in the spotlight. Following a bizarre series of events last month, with rumours circulating that the former Wrexham captain had had his contract terminated after a spate of social media posts about the club before showing up for training the next day, the situation remains unclear.

Connolly was full of praise for Duffy but remained guarded when asked about McClean's current situation.

“Look, Michael is a top player,” said Connolly. “We all know that. Everyone in the country knows that. He’s a wonderful human being as well, and he works tirelessly off the ball as well. He’s a credit to the club, a credit to the city, and we’re just so lucky to have him.”

“As regards to James, he has been training, and we’ve just stuck with the same squad the last number of weeks, and, as you can see, it’s worked. At the moment, we’re not looking to change things around because the squad is where it is at the moment and that’s just where we are at.”

“Every player is always under consideration, but at the moment that’s just where the squad is, and that’s what we went with.”