Derry City defender Ben Doherty gives his reaction to recent criticism and the club's big Cup win over St Pat's.
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00:00So Ben, that was an emphatic victory. Progression in the cup is all that mattered but it wasn't
00:06that bad. I think the result was the most important today and look we had to cut a few
00:10things right from Thursday night. I'm disappointed obviously with this going out of Europe and
00:17it was something that we spoke about over the past few days. We sort of had to lick
00:19our wins and everyone was giving us a bit of a kick when we were down. So now look it
00:23was about coming out today and putting on a performance and getting our goals and getting
00:26through to the next round and thankfully we did that. I suppose it does feel like the
00:29knees were out for Derry I suppose after going out of Europe and as you said the players
00:34were hurting more than most. That's it, we're a bit used to it up here. Everybody wants
00:40to give you a kick whenever you're down and obviously after the European run last year
00:43everyone probably thought we were going to go and kick on and look we had a tough week
00:48of it and as I say it was something we just had to go and put right today and thankfully
00:52we are through to the next round. That's what I was just saying, you would think Derry was
00:55sitting maybe 7th or 8th from the table. We don't want to get carried away but there's
01:00a potential for two competitions you're still in and they go all the way in both. Sitting
01:05pretty at this stage and you have to take everything into perspective don't you? We're
01:09still fighting on both those fronts. We've still got obviously through in the cup that
01:14can take care of itself whenever that comes round again but we have the league to focus
01:17on now as well and as you say we have an enforced break now for the next two weeks so it's just
01:22something now that we need to get bodies back, get on the training picks and put a
01:25few things right now. Looking forward to the run in. Within the group there's no doubting
01:30about the character and they show after going 120 minutes and almost on Thursday they come
01:35out and show that kind of intensity and performance. That was excellent. Definitely I think after
01:41the missed penalties it probably would have been easier for us to feel a wee bit sorry
01:44for ourselves or lay down or come off a wee bit but I think it sort of spurred us on a
01:48wee bit more, not surprisingly but against what people probably thought of us and look
01:53we kicked on, we knew we were knocking on the door but it was just a matter of time
01:57for us then before we took the lead. It's the type of performance and result that can
02:00galvanise you now just going into, I know there's a bit of a break before the Shelburne
02:04game but that can really kick you on now. That's it, as I say it's something after Thursday
02:09we just need to put a few things right and thankfully within the changing room we have
02:13a good group in there and we've stuck together over the past few days and we've got through
02:17that hurt and it's worked out well for us here tonight and we look forward now to the
02:21next round. Very much a squad effort this isn't it and you look at Danny Mullen, it's
02:27his first start in nine, he comes on, I think he's credited for the first one too, you flick
02:31maybe you give us a wee bit of insight into that first one but definitely the second one
02:35there was no doubt about that, he powered that one but he's been excellent, professional.
02:40I think he'd have something to say about the first one, I think he's running away claiming
02:43it so not going to let them fight over that, the ball went in the net, that's all that
02:47matters but for the second one from the corner Danny's done very well, he got his head on
02:51it and Danny's one of those that he's kept his head down over the last few weeks training
02:55and he's looked sharp and I think he's sort of just been waiting for his chance, as you
02:58say he didn't look out of place there tonight and he stepped up, got his goal and he gives
03:01the manager something to think about now. As we said, a wee bit of an extended break
03:06now, he has his good and bad points on that, he'll rest the feet for a while but then get
03:11back at it and it's a business end of the season as they say.
03:15That's it, there's a few people that probably need a bit more of an extended break and then
03:18there's a few that will probably have to do a bit of work and people that are injured
03:22have to try and get themselves back and it gives them a chance as well, there's people
03:25that have been missing a few games, I think it will benefit them a lot, the likes of Collie
03:29Whelan and stuff like that, it gives them an extra few weeks to get back, stake a claim
03:32now for as you say a massive game now in two weeks and all attention will turn towards
03:36that. How important is the forum being at the Brannagh
03:39I think it's 11-1 out of 14 all competitions and there's a free score in here, in the last
03:46four or five games there's an average of nearly three a game which is phenomenal compared
03:50to the way it was last season, it's a key to everything.
03:53As you say, last season wasn't good enough here and it was something that before the
03:57season started we sat down and had a chat about, that we have to make this place not
04:01a nice place to come for people, a fortress as they would say, but look it's something
04:05that we've definitely focused on, it's something we've worked on and I think you see the best
04:09version of ourselves here, free flowing and as you say we've had a go at everybody that
04:13comes here and even on Thursday night I think we set up camp in the opposition's half, we
04:18just couldn't get that goal that got us through, but teams don't like coming here and we just
04:24want to make it that way now.
04:25I suppose it would be nice to get a home draw given the performances here and the results
04:31here, but you're not going to look at that, you want to go all the way to final obviously,
04:37but just a home draw I suppose, it doesn't matter who you get.
04:39We have to look at it, we fancy ourselves against anybody here and as you say we have
04:45to just wait now and that takes care of itself when it comes around, but focus now for us
04:50is back on the league and we'll take the second round of the cup whenever it comes.