While the ‘Cup team’ tag isn’t one Derriaghy CC captain Gareth Henderson is overly willing to embrace, there are few Amateur League sides who have performed better in knock-out competition over recent times.
As a case in point, last term Owen Forsythe’s outfit won the Clarence Cup while also reaching the Fourth Round of the Irish Cup and last-16 of the Intermediate Cup, and in December 2021, they were crowned Border Cup Champions at Rathfriland Rangers’ expense — a record that is not to be sniffed at.
The Seycon Park men also made it into the ToalsBet.Com Steel and Sons Cup Semi-Finals last season, agonisingly losing on penalties after extra-time to Crumlin Star following a pulsating 3-3 draw at Blanchflower Park.
Understandably, Derriaghy were especially keen to put those ghosts to bed and, after seeing off Killyleagh YC 2-0 in this year’s Steel last-four battle, Henderson admits victory over Willowbank in their first ever appearance in the Final of the competition on Christmas Day (10.45am) would be something of a cherry on top.
“We don’t like it, we are probably known as a bit of a Cup team, League positions in the last couple of years probably haven’t been as good as what we’ve wanted,” he explains.
“I don’t know what it’s been in the Cups, we’ve had good runs recently and we’ve obviously won the Border Cup a few years ago, we’ve won the Clarence Cup this year.
“But the Steel and Sons is probably in a different universe altogether, so if we were able to win that, it would just be incredible to top it all off.”
Henderson is approaching five years at Derriaghy, joining from Armagh City in January 2020, and has first-hand experience of the club’s highs and lows in that time.
That painful shoot-out defeat to Crumlin Star last year certainly figures in the latter category when talisman Curtis Black’s brace ensured they fought back from 3-1 down to force extra-time and penalties, only for Star to break their hearts from the spot.
Having jumped that hurdle a year on, does Henderson see the nature of that reverse as fuel to Derriaghy’s fire? Or are those bad memories firmly consigned to the past with their focus purely on the present?
“I think it’s a bit of both,” he says. “When we come here for the Final, when we’re training here this week, you know, we won’t be thinking about last year’s match.
“But I think everyone that was involved remembers that changing room after getting beat on penalties like we did last year because we played so well, we put so much into it and it was just a cruel way to lose it.
“I think at the start of this season, it was definitely at the forefront of our minds, it was definitely a goal to get here, to go one better and to try and win it.
“But this next week and obviously the match, it’ll all just be about the 90 minutes and about trying to beat Willowbank.”
Alongside Henderson, Derriaghy boss Owen Forsythe isn’t short of Irish League experience at his disposal.
Former Knockbreda and Ballyclare Comrades stopper Jonah Nicholl will mind the nets; Barry Moore at centre-back is once of ‘Breda and Lisburn Distillery; Lewis Higginson played for the Whites and their rivals Ballymacash Rangers and, in a statement coup, Ethan Taggart is back after being a top performer in Ards’ midfield, though is ineligible to play in the Final.
Frontman Black (31), who scored the opener against Killyleagh before Higginson bagged an added-time clincher, is also a player Willowbank must keep close tabs on.
Those on the pitch are determined to represent their fans in the best possible light — and it’s definitely not lost on Henderson, who wants to reward them and the Derriaghy Board for the hard work done behind the scenes to put the players in this position.
“It’s huge to represent Derriaghy in the Final. We’re not the biggest club, there’s so-called bigger clubs around us everywhere, they are literally overlooking us,” says Henderson.
“We’re not that well-known, it’s a small group of people that run it but it’s an incredible group of people that run it. The committee, they do so much work, they put in so much effort.
“It’s not unique to Derriaghy, but when you’re there — I’m there five years — when you see it day to day, week to week, year to year, it’s incredible. So to walk out for them would just be brilliant.
“We want to do our fans proud. Going back to us being a Cup team, we’ve managed to play here quite a few times over the last number of years and we always seem to have a crowd.
“As I say, we’re not the biggest club, but the club always turns out really well on those occasions.
“So for anyone coming here on Christmas Day, to be able to win it to reward them would just be really special.”