Out of all the games I've played in my career, I can only recall one attendance figure: the 2010 FAI Cup final at the Aviva Stadium — 36,101 fans.
That day has stuck with me, not only for the sheer spectacle and the fact we came out winners with Ciaran Kelly’s heroics in the penalty shoot-out but because, looking back, it feels like the day the FAI Cup final became the showpiece it now is. The pinnacle of our season.
The occasion never disappoints. It’s where Irish football truly shines.
As this year’s final between Derry City and Drogheda United approaches, it’s looking likely we will see around 40,000 fans attending, another remarkable attendance highlighting how fast the game is growing here.
You’d think I might be impartial on the outcome, having never played for either side. But, there’s a personal connection that has me firmly in Drogheda’s corner.
My cousin, David Webster, will be out there for Drogheda, and we go way back. We grew up more like brothers, with just a field between our two houses in Firhouse, roughly 200 metres apart.
From the early days, kicking a ball around that field and our roads, football became a constant in our lives.
With only a year and a half between us, we were inseparable for most of our childhood, and a ball was never far from our feet.
David doesn’t have many flaws — being an unsufferable Manchester United fan the only one that comes to mind.
He holds season tickets at Old Trafford, pops over to see them as much as he can. It’s been an entertaining decade or so watching him endure United’s struggles, although his love for his club has never wavered.
On the pitch, he’s always shown leadership, captaining various clubs. David has a remarkable game-reading ability, he's strong in the air, dependable with the ball at his feet and a character around the lads. He’s a player who commands respect.
David represents a generation of League of Ireland players that’s fading away — those who balanced football with work; he played part-time for most of his career. His career has been long and successful, he's now an 'aul fella’ of the league at 35 having played over 400 games.
Bray, Shamrock Rovers, Waterford, St Pat's, Finn Harps then back to Bray for a short stint before joining Drogheda, a love for the game so strong that I never heard him giving out once about the commute up to Donegal a few times a week.
There’s a great pride I feel watching him on the precipice of something special.
Nothing would make me happier than to see him lift the cup on Sunday.
David was always there for me when I played in cup finals across the water, and the pride I felt with him watching me, is now mirrored in the butterflies I feel hoping he comes away with a winner’s medal. Of course, the challenge ahead is formidable. Derry City are, without question, the favourites, and they’ll be eager to end the season on a high after a disheartening conclusion to their league campaign.
But cup finals are one-offs. Drogheda have shown resilience and a knack for upsetting the odds this season, and with their large following on the day and the threat they have with their front two they’ve got a fighting chance.
Derry’s ending to their league campaign was disappointing. If Drogheda can capitalise on that vulnerability, we might just see a memorable upset.
Last year, I brought my grandmother Rita to the FAI Cup final on her 86th birthday.
It was her first time ever at Lansdowne Road, despite having grown up in Harold’s Cross.
On Sunday, now 87, there’s a real chance she’ll watch her grandson raise that trophy, a thought that I can’t help but smile about.
David’s journey to this moment is a testament to the sacrifice and dedication that still defines the League of Ireland.
His experience, resilience, and sheer love for the game has brought him to this final, and it feels like a culmination not only of his career but of a family’s shared passion for football.
Sunday will be a celebration of what makes Irish football unique — the community, the loyalty, the occasion, the sacrifices that players like David make to keep the dream alive.
The FAI Cup final is our day, a chance to showcase the heart of the Irish game on its biggest stage. So, while Derry may have the advantage on paper, Drogheda have spirit and a confidence solidified from beating them the last time the two met.
For me, it’s personal — seeing David lift that trophy would be a crowning moment not only for him but for all who’ve cheered him on from Firhouse to the Aviva.
Here’s hoping the football gods are smiling on David Webster this Sunday. If we lose Rita in the mash-up of the celebrations and any of you come across her, her drink is vodka with a drop of water.
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