Darragh Burns goal sends FAI Cup to Derry City for seventh time

FAI Cup final: Derry City 1 (Burns 69) Waterford 0Patrick McClean always dreamt about sharing the Aviva Stadium pitch with his older brother James.The idea of lifting the FAI Cup together for the Candystripes was partly why the two brothers returned home to Derry City this season. The younger sibling will have to be content with a towering man-of-the-match performance at the heart of Derry’s defence, keeping the prolific Waterford striking partnership of Podge Amond and Tommy Lonergan quiet in a final that was decided by Darragh Burns’ 69th-minute goal.“I said it to Tommy after we scored, that was probably against the run of play,” McClean told RTÉ at full-time. “Words mean nothing, it’s all about actions. We have to take this and bounce into next season and challenge for the league.READ MORE“Derry has been built on resilience. You could see it in the crowd that came down here today. In my mind, I was thinking about lifting the trophy in front of the Guildhall tomorrow.”Some dreams come true, other don’t. Dublin Fire Brigade was out in force after Burns slotted home what turned out to be the winner. The Derry ultras couldn’t resist raining red flares on to the grass in celebration after his goal down the north end of Lansdowne Road. The lack of visibility forced referee Kevin O’Sullivan to pause for a water break.Waterford's Pádraig Amond and Derry City's Patrick McClean. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/Inpho It was a fitting goal to settle the decider. Burns showed his quality just as Waterford’s dominant midfielders, Noah Mawene and Evan McLaughlin, were becoming the difference between the sides. Waterford invited the 24-year-old winger to come off the right and turn on to his better left foot. Burns, who returned from his second stint in England last July, had to move away from goal to create space, easing past Benny Couto and McLaughlin before beating Stephen McMullan with a low finish for his first Derry goal.In a sliding doors moment, Derry manager Mark Connolly had indicated that Burns’ day was done, with Kevin Dos Santos ready to replace him seconds before he left fly. It took another eight minutes before the substitution came to pass. As Derry sought to unleash Michael Duffy, Waterford relied on the set-piece accuracy of Couto. Duffy was denied any freedom down the left, mainly by Waterford’s marauding midfielder Mawene, but the captain put the ball in the net after 28 minutes. A large Derry contingent didn’t see the linesman’s flag, but every Waterford player had stood still. Duffy had to wander off the left to create two speculative efforts from distance. One lacked venom, the other, accuracy.Conan Noonan should have done better from Waterford’s only clear-cut opportunity in the first-half. The former Shamrock Rovers midfielder shot straight at Brian Maher after John Mahon, Amond and McLaughlin won their duels.Goalscorer Darragh Burns with the FAI Cup. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Maher has struggled with a wrist injury all season and the former Republic of Ireland under-21 goalkeeper looked uncertain when he misjudged Couto’s early free-kick. The ball zipped through his gloves and off the crossbar. The Portuguese wing back’s long throws asked Derry plenty questions, which were mostly answered by the forehead of McClean, although Lonergan was disappointed to miss the target after a flick-on by Mahon.Connolly started without an established centre forward as James Clarke and Ellis Chapman alternated in the false nine role. Waterford seemed content to let Chapman get on the ball in front of their three centre-halves.Since Graham Coughlan replaced Jon Daly as manager in May, Waterford have been lethal in transition. A quick out-ball to their Norwegian winger Jorgen Voilas was key to allowing Lonergan and Amond to run off each other.The strikers have an equal share of 36 goals between them, and the 37th might have earned them a lucrative place in next season’s Europa League qualifiers. But McClean and Jamie Stott refused to buckle or lose concentration. Both sides’ attacking threat meant the game never felt like 0-0. Instead, it looked like Derry needed a proper centre-forward to break the deadlock. Burns had other ideas. Mawene and Lonergan had penalty shouts late on that O’Sullivan waved away. But on the overall balance of the contest, Derry City deserved to turn a nightmare season into a celebratory homecoming at the Guildhall.DERRY CITY: Maher; Dummigan, Stott, McClean, Fleming; Twisk, O’Reilly; Burns (Dos Santos 77), Chapman, Duffy; Clarke (Boyce 85). WATERFORD: McMullan; Cann, Mahon, Long; Volias (McMenamy 75), Mawene, Noonan, McLaughlin (Heeney 89), Couto; Amond, Lonergan. Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan.