Fagan: I'd swap it all for final goal

St Pat’s striker Christy Fagan has been the Dublin side’s go to man for goals all season but he would happily swap the lot for a precious strike in Sunday’s FAI Cup final against Derry City at Aviva Stadium (kick-off 3.30pm).

The former Manchester United trainee has weighed in with more than his fair share since March but admits that he would trade it all in for the ‘great feeling’ of scoring against the Candystripes.

“I would definitely swap all my goals for a cup final goal,” he said. “Whether it’s the equaliser, winner or whatever, to score on Sunday would be a great feeling.”

 “To play on those pitches and be in those changing rooms, like Hannover, that’s when you say this is what it is all about. This is why you play football, to play at stadiums like these. It’s going to be great.”

Nerves and excitement is always a potential problem on cup final week and although Fagan says he’s playing it cool at the moment, as kick-off approaches he knows it’ll be tough not to get roused by the event.

“I’m not too excited now. I’d say come Friday and Saturday, when we have our last training session, it’ll definitely start to kick in. I’m trying not to think about it now, but when you here Derry have sold x amount of tickets, and hopefully we bring a big crowd, then you can’t help but get excited.”

The Saints were beaten by Derry City two weeks ago in the Candystripes’ final league game, but Fagan, who signed for St Pat’s from Bohemians in January, believes form and previous encounters go out the window for games like these.

Pat’s won the other two league games this season, but come 3.30 on Sunday, that will all be irrelevant: “The cup final is down to the day. We were speaking about Derry being the form team, but form goes out the window. It’s about who turns up, two weeks ago up there we didn’t turn up and they made us pay. We can’t afford a slow start.”

Liam Buckley’s side finished third in the league, with Sligo Rovers and Drogheda United ahead of them, but fans and players alike felt an end of season title push would have been more than merit, a sentiment echoed by Fagan.

He added: “I think we have fulfilled what we set out to do, but I think as the league played out and as it came to the last couple of weeks I think we’ll be satisfied, but a little disappointed with a couple of results. We could have been closer, but considering it was basically a new team we have to be happy enough.”

On a personal note, the 23-year-old, like most of the league is out of contract come full-time on Sunday. However, e confirmed that he would like to be back playing in Richmond Park next year, and hopes he has done enough to merit a new deal.

“That’s the aim at the start of the season, to try and get another deal here. When it comes to speaking about it hopefully I've done enough and I’ll be still here.”