Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins has hailed veteran Michael Duffy as the man for the big occasion as two goals from the wide player sent Derry into the FAI Cup final, at the expense of a limp Bohemians side, and put Duffy on course for the fifth FAI Cup medal of his career.
The league title is still in reach for Derry, their hopes boosted when challengers Galway United dropped points at home to bottom side Dundalk on Friday night, but they are definitely into the Cup final after a semi-final masterclass from Higgins’ side as Duffy scored a goal in each half to swat away Bohs.
“I’m really proud of the players, again responding to a setback in the way that I always expect. It was a tough few days after the Drogheda defeat but we got back on the horse and prepared brilliantly this week and the players carried it out to a tee. Michael is one of the most decorated players in the country, a top end player. Big players do it in big games,” Higgins said of Duffy, now hitting form after his season was interrupted by injury.
“He’s had two semi-finals at Dalymount Park and he’s got five goals. I reminded him of his hat-trick for Dundalk on Thursday, when he got three here for Dundalk. He’s got five in two semi-finals here which is an unbelievable return.
“Players want to watch themselves doing good things and hear about themselves doing good things. I remember the semi-final, I think it was during Covid, I remember one of the goals down in this goal [Tramway end of Dalymount Park]. But it’s important to remind players of special things they have done previously. Big games, special players and that’s what he is.
“He’s an absolutely brilliant footballer, we all know that. His time here, really, has been disrupted by injury. He had a terrible leg break against Drogheda a couple of years ago and he’s had a lot of setbacks since that. You can see now with a run of games what he’s capable of and he’s a special player, absolutely special player and that’s why we tried hard to bring him to the club. Big players produce in big games and Michael Duffy has done it once again.
“People will say he’s had a quiet-ish season but I think he’s near double figures. He’s on nine goals from a wide area and he’s missed quite a few games earlier in the season. It’s a really good return and he’s got six more games to get into double figures, which I’m 100% sure he will do.”
Higgins has a soft spot for the Phibsboro venue as he made his playing debut there two decades ago and enjoyed wins on the Dalymount turf.
“I don’t know if it’s lucky, but we’ve been on the back end of a lot of good results here over my 20-odd years involved around the league. It’s a tough place to come to, they have really improved in recent times and it’s an absolutely outstanding win and with a bit more care, we could have got more goals,” he said after the win.
“Everyone stood up and everyone carried their jobs through. I actually felt we could have been better in possession and retained possession a wee bit better. I thought we were deadly on the counter and when you get to the semi final it’s about getting to the final. A lot of the parts of our game were very, very good.”
Higgins and his panel can now watch Sunday’s semi between Drogheda United and Wexford to discover the identity of their opponents but minds are also on the league games ahead with a potential league and Cup double
“We’ll see. I’ll be able to answer that question properly in three weeks’ time. For now, we’ll enjoy tonight and get back in on Sunday and start getting ready for Bohs next Friday,” Higgins said.
“I don’t really want to talk about the league campaign. It’s about getting to the final of the cup and it’s about emptying Derry out once again. Cup finals are absolutely special, in an unbelievable stadium and with the fan base we have, hopefully we can travel in similar numbers to what we did a couple of years ago.”