The first man in history to captain Drogheda to FAI Cup glory reckons there will be ‘plenty of emotions going around’ on Sunday
It was just a dink, delicate and measured, but it hit with the impact of a wrecking ball. The instant the leather left his laces, Declan O’Brien knew Drogheda United had won the cup.
The Drogs are back in the final for only the fourth time in history – they lost in 1971, 1976 and 2013. Sunday’s opponents Derry City have won the competition on six occasions, most recently in 2022. Drogheda were engulfed in financial difficulties in 2008 and that October they entered examinership. The following January, O’Brien, with a new house and baby daughter to consider, took the only full-time contract offer on the table – it came from Dundalk.
“As two of the foreign players there at the time, we would have spent quite a bit of time together,” recalls O’Brien. “We’d go out for food, go to the cinema, he was very laid back. For a guy who played at such a high level himself and whose father is an icon in the game, he was so humble. I could only say good things about Jordi.”
When O’Brien came back to Ireland he had brief stints first with Athlone Town and then Monaghan United, before eventually returning “home”. In January 2012 he joined Drogheda for the second time, staying for three seasons. Drogheda’s opening goal arrived shortly after half-time, O’Brien whipped in a cross from the right and Gavin Whelan netted. Then, in the 83rd minute, O’Brien raced in behind the Cork defence to meet a looping ball over the top.
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