Cup final memories, family ties and a day for granny Rita
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,