Derry City’s Ben Doherty wants to build on ‘massive’ FAI Cup win over Shelbourne

Ben Doherty at the launch of FC 25

Ben Doherty at the launch of FC 25 Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

When Derry City last won a major trophy, Ben Doherty was plying his trade in the Irish League with Larne.

Doherty joined the Candystripes in the wake of their FAI Cup triumph over Shelbourne during the 2022 campaign.

And he is hoping that he and his Derry City teammates can get over the line this season with a double still on the cards.

Derry are just four points behind leaders Shelbourne and are in the semi-final of the cup having dumped out the Reds last weekend at home.

But Derry have taken some flak this season at times and Doherty is determined to right some of those wrongs. 

“We took our flak when we deserved it,” he admits when speaking to extratime.com at the launch of EA FC 25.

“I think there's been a few where, it's not cheap shots but whenever we're down or when we've gone through a bit of a bad result, there’s a bit of bad press or opinions that have gone around about us. 

“It's always nice to go through to the semi-finals of the FAI Cup, and obviously doing that by beating your rivals in the table is massive for us. 

“But it's only going through to the next round of the cup. It's nothing more than that.”

Prior to joining Derry City, Doherty was a leading light in the Irish League with Larne and won a league title at Inver Park.



The gap between the two leagues has often come into focus - and it will be put under the microscope again in a couple of weeks when Shamrock Rovers face Doherty’s former side in the Conference League.

But Doherty reckons the gap is not as big as many think.

“There's not a massive difference in the quality of player,” he explained. “I think it's more of the style of the leagues. If you were to ask the Irish League, they would probably go a bit more direct. 

“In the League of Ireland, everyone is trying to build out from the keeper and work it through the thirds, and it's a lot more like a game of chess. 

“But the leagues are massively improving. Facilities are something now that needs to just get up with it. The standard of the football has been on the pitch, but I wouldn't say there's a massive difference in quality. 

“Some people are quick to say the players in the League of Ireland are better but there’s there's not a massive difference. 



“Your top players in the League of Ireland are probably a lot better than the Irish League players, but in terms of teams and styles of play, that's probably where the difference is.”

But for now, Doherty is determined to win a league title with Derry City and join an elite list of players to win titles on both sides of the border. 

And he is hopeful that he can achieve that this season.

“If someone came to you and said, there's a month to go in the season and this is where you're at, you would take it,” he revealed. It's a big opportunity for us.

“Everyone is talking about this last day showdown between us and Shels but there's a long way to go before that. There's a lot of points for us and Shels to gain.

“It's up in the air at the minute and with the way the league is going this year, everyone is beating everyone. So as a fan or as a neutral, I'm sure it's pretty exciting. 

“But the players are just focused on getting their own three points every Friday.”

Win For The Club as EA SPORTS FC announces the return of the League of Ireland to FC 25! Featuring the individual club crest of all 10 SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division teams, these exclusive sleeves will be available to download free from https://www.ea.com/fc25 when the game launches worldwide Friday, September 27th!

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