Kenny hungry for Derry cup success
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The League Cup (EA Sports Cup as it is known now) has always been a competition that Derry City have enjoyed great success in and manager Stephen Kenny has guided the club to victory in three finals.
After a three-year gap Kenny is delighted to be in the final of the competition again. “There are three competitions that you can win so it’s great for the players,” he told extratime.ie. “For a lot of them it’s their first cup final. The club have done terrific and everyone behind the scenes has worked extremely hard to galvanise the club over the last couple of seasons. To win the First Division was a high point. We’re in the Premier and leading it at the moment and are also in a cup final. It’s a great opportunity and one that we want to grasp. We’ll enjoy it.”
Saturday’s game will see Derry City come up against old rivals Cork City. Kenny admitted it’s a friendly rivalry between two proud clubs. “They are two great clubs. Two clubs who have good tradition. Derry is a great football city. The club is very important to the city. This is a chance for two great clubs; from the north and the south who are meeting in the final.”
Whilst the Premier Division title is the main aim for the Candystripes Kenny would dearly love to come away from Turners Cross with the EA Sports Cup. Cup competitions are important to the amiable Dub. He said, “It’s great. It’s an honour to manage Derry in any final. You can never have enough finals. It’s a great occasion. We’ve had five finals since I’ve been here. We’ve won four and lost the FAI Cup Final to Bohs. Hopefully we can win on Saturday.”
Although the EA Sports Cup has given Derry extra games to contend with, Kenny has used this season’s run to his advantage. He has given fringe players an opportunity to come in and stake their claim in the side. He believes the side have benefited from that. “We’ve blooded a lot of players in this competition and it has really helped us in the league. They’ve come in and stayed in the team, that’s what it’s about. I won’t say it was easy because we’ve had to go to extra-time twice and penalties once to get here. We were nearly knocked out in the first round in Salthill.”
Kenny is passionate about football and has a deep affinity for his club and the people of Derry City. He knows how important the club is to everyone involved and would love to bring silverware to Foyleside this season. “We’ve been on a great run this season and want to win a trophy. Football is very important in the city. There are great players who want to express themselves. They’re from working class areas but are players who believe in themselves and want to be the best that they can be.”
