A DELIGHTED DAMIEN Duff says leading Shelbourne to their first FAI Cup final appearance since 2011 “absolutely blows away” anything he has achieved in his career.
An early goal from Gavin Molloy gave them a 1-0 victory over Waterford at the RSC on Sunday evening, and sends Shels through to the November decider where they will face Derry City.
“The guys are in there singing songs, you just want to be careful what you play,” Duff told RTÉ Sport after their win having already helped Shelbourne climb out of the First Division and achieve safety.
“But [it's] absolutely amazing, dreams come true. [It] absolutely blows away anything I’ve ever done in my career.
“An amazing day, obviously a hostile crowd. Did we play great? No, but I told the guys in the dressing-room beforehand [that] it was 18 lions versus 4,000 or 5,000 and we came out on top so I couldn’t be any prouder.
“It wasn’t pretty but we’re there.”
We've won, we're in the final and we shouldn't be here.
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) October 16, 2022
"'Little old Shels' as everyone calls us, and everyone hates us I think. This blows away anything I've done in my career."
Damien Duff talks pride in taking @ShelsFC to the FAI Cup final #rtesoccer pic.twitter.com/r9rKNHbV2v
When asked by RTÉ’s Tony O’Donoghue if his side will be underdogs for the final against Derry, Duff replied:
“I’ll have to change my mindset because all I’ve said all along is ‘get to the final.’ I never addressed winning the final. We’re in it to win it now but we shouldn’t be here. Little old Shels [is] what people call us. Everyone hates us, I think. We’re in the division for another year and we’re in a final.
“It doesn’t get any better than this.”
