 So then it's time to look forward to the FEI senior cup final for 2022 Dairy City playing against Shelburne this Sunday at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. I'm delighted to say soccer writer with the Dairy Journal, sports writer with the Dairy Journal Kevin McLaughlin joins us to look forward to the game. Hi Kevin, good to see you. Kevin, I'm utterly disappointed you don't have your Dairy City colors on you. No, no, no. You know professional to the core will worry about that after the final whistle and somebody will maybe have a few colors on them. Oh, you could have had the wee thing around the neck at least or even a wee cap or something on your Kevin. But anyway, what's the balls you like around the city? Oh, it's tremendous to have to admit that I haven't seen this ball since possibly the 2006, 2007 European runs and stuff like that. It really is like the players are going out in the schools. The schools are doing sort of non-uniform day on Friday. Bring your Dairy City and your rain white stuff to the schools. Look, as I say, the feel good factor is there. It's all about now all roads leading in abundance all day. Yeah, and it's nice to have a feel good factor around the club. Listen, as we go into the cup final, from Dairy's perspective, it's been a it's been a good season with one game to go, finishing second behind the Champions. Kevin? It has. It could have been, you know, a great season with four games to go. They were right on the hunt for the league title, things went awry then. But look, you offered a Dairy City fan to start last season, second spot and a cup run. They were ticking your hand off and that's exactly what they've got. They've closed the gap, the Rovers and now they have a cup final on Sunday against Silver. Yeah. Sadio T'Allo was ruled out after having been sent off. He's not going to play in the cup final. How big a blow is it and how can Dairy cope without him? Well, it is a blow because he's been playing regularly. He's come in in the summer, actually made his debut down at Fun Harps in that game where Hammond patting Magalene, particularly Patrick that day, by the way, turned things around in Dairy World 2-1. But D'Allo, like he knows himself, he was stupid, he lashed out and he retaliated so he had to go. But probably Centre-Mudd Field is the sort of one position where Roy's got a luxury of Mudd Fielders on there. So, if it hadn't been maybe a Centre half or a left back or a right back, I might have struggled. But Centre-Mudd Field, while he's a loss, he's got enough players that can replace him, like Joe Thompson, Brad and Keavana. They're all going to be champion at the Batte, to get on the start of the level. Now, obviously, Shelburne had known for a number of weeks from the cup final and they really had nothing to play for Dairy. We're sort of chasing the titles, so they were. But they've stuttered in their form over the last number of weeks. Who would be the form team get under this? Who's going to carry the form under the cup final, do you think, Keavana? Well, I have to be honest, both teams have been disappointed in the last four or five games. Shelburne will sort of feel that they came to the brand oil and ended Dairy's title, hopes that night when they get the point. They had, they got a great result in a couple of weeks later where they scored five or six. But then they suffered a heavy loss the week before, just last week, against some Pats. Yes, they're going to be one eye in the cup. I get all that. Dairy on the other side, look, they struggled, the draw against Shelburne, then the disappointment draw Slago on the Monday night. And more worryingly for Rory Higgins is Dairy haven't scored in their last three games during all the way Slago beat one, no, with Shammer Rovers and beat one, no, with the Doc. So that's a wee bit of a concern. But look, because both sides had one eye in the cup final, they were giving out, they were making changes. They were giving voice game time. You're basically, if you're Demonduff and Rory Higgins, you're going to be sitting this week saying, we give everybody their, their time to have that off down tools for a couple of weeks or whatever way you want to describe it. But this is why we don't, we're all focused on Sunday. Yeah, huge game. And as we know, anything can happen on cup final day, Kevin, but experience can be a telling factor. Well, Dairy may be aged at having more players and there'd be more of the background team involved in an FEI cup final day. Well, yeah, definitely both correct there to be fair. Demonduff might reply to that, you know, if you played in many World Cups, Rory Higgins or Alan Reynolds or, but no, don't get me, I know what you're saying. Like, but player wise, I think, yes, experience for Dairy is, is definitely too full. We've got like Mark Connelly, maybe not an FEI cup final, but he can cross the water in Scotland on all a few things. He then, through the sort of spine of their team, Jamie McGonagall's played in two Irish cup finals. He then have Patrick Magalene, Cameron Dunnigan being there, done up with the Doc, Michael Duffy, Shane Magalene, he's played in a lot of experience on these belt two, and young Brian Maher, while, you know, he doesn't have that much experience in cup finals and stuff like that there. He has played in a lot of big games, obviously, we earned under 21s in the playoff hard deck this season, so he's played in big games too, young Maher. Yeah, Dairy will obviously be seen as favorites then for this one. Well, we are the bookmaker's eyes, I think that, you know, if you went sort of squad by squad, then yes, Dairy should be rightfully our favorites, but if you looked at the games this year, every game against Shelburne has been very close. Dairy have won twice down at Tolga, won up to the odd goal last minute goal, lit goal. Shelburne have won at the Brandiwell 2-1 and Miller's games, our game was a draw, you know, and that was a couple weeks ago when Joe Thompson equalized a little, so it's, they've been tight, they've been close affairs and haven't spoke to a few people this week. You know, Shelburne's style of play will suit playing against Dairy, so they'd sit and let Dairy come at them and then hit them in the counter attack. Yeah, what about the Aviva factor then? Who's that going to sit? Will that suit Shel's as well, do you think? Listen, we're speaking here, what, Wednesday, so we're just going to sort of look at where things are well our way and stuff like that. The big thing is Saturday, you know, Ireland's playing rugby in Saturday and Fiji in the Aviva Putsch. If it's Lashamarian, the Putsch is caught up, then don't disrespect the Shelburne, they'll be quite happy with that, but if the Putsch isn't in any way decent shape or fashion, Dairy and the Grass Putsch this season is proven they'll be hard to stop. Yeah, you mentioned Demian Duff there and obviously he's played at a World Cup, but what's the Demian Duff factor with with Shel's? Well Demian, to be fair Demian, he's got the team working hard, they're very, you know, defensively good when they go forward, this is Steve good, Boyle up front does well, Mark Cole's selling unsuperdely well, coming down from Harps. A blow for them actually is Maddie Smith, who's all known from Dairy City, can't play in the final because of that fact, he's done well for them since he's come in, Mowlin in Manfield, two Jack Mowlin's, another Boyle's done well and scored a few goals, so they have a good experience with Alexis Sheehan Griffiths and Bretton Carkin Nets as the experience. So look, yes, Wiley with a young squad, they've a lot of legs in their squad too, so look, I expected to be a close game, luckily tonight. Any other injury worries for Rory Higgins? No, you attended a press earlier on Wednesday where there was players there on management and what's the feeling around the actual camp as we head into a Cup final and is there any other worries apart from the Allo for Higgins? No, that's what he's been saying, he says, you know, and he alluded to it at the presser that look, after Shelburne, that really was her chance of sculling from Cats and Chamber Rovers, so then it was all about managing minutes, managing players' minutes and managing players that may need to be called upon, given them game time, so he's a fully fed squad and it's now basically down to the players now, everybody's there ready to go, champion at the but, but they're very relaxed, I have to admit that today, there was a lot of no feel good factor and let's get ready to go and they just can't wait for it now. Yeah, where's the goals going to come from if they've dried up then over the last couple of weeks? Well, like, they have the talent there, like as I say, you have McGonagall, you have Hagen Toonday, you have Patrick Maglini, Michael Duffy, Patsy, like they have the talent there to get them, it's just taken the chances, that has been the big factor this season, they've created so many chances in games, well they should have killed teams off and haven't, but I just think, as I said, all depends on what our great lovely Irish weller November is like, if the weller is anyway decent and the pitch holds up from the rugby, then it'll suit their idea, I think. Right, okay, just two more questions for you, from a club point of view, and we all know that Phillip Bordard has been instrumental in helping this progression with Derry, there's been huge investment there, how big a return is an FAI senior cup in year one under the management of Ray Higgins? I think it's a massive return, particularly as you say, year one, I think they had a sort of two or three year project of what way they want to go, and one of the FAI cup gives the players and that squad an unbelievable confidence going to be next year, and if you're Shamrock Rovers, you're definitely looking over your shoulder, you were sort of looking over your shoulder this year with four games they go, and Derry faded, that belief, that confidence, and that hunger, if you do want a cup that you want more, will be added to it, so Phillip will be, and the club, will be over the moon if they can win the cup, and it gives you, as I say, that belief, and you know, it just depends on the hunger then for next year, Shamrock Rovers, can they keep it going, there's so many of them have been there, done that, Derry on the other hand, they've got one test out of trophy, if they want it, can they get the end of the big one that they do the year after? May I call it now, Kevin, what's it going to finish in Sonda? Close one, I'm not going to lie, I think it's going to be a close one, I will not be shocked if it goes the extra time in Pelties, because of that, I'm just going to say Derry, Snicket, either one, or two, one, Derry. Okay, we'll wait to see if you're right. Listen Kevin, thanks for joining us, and the very best of luck, they've even Sunday, you're going to be sitting high in the press area watching down, and I hope you get the result you want, thanks, Kevin. Thanks, Audrey.