Ambitious Maiden City see off Institute to win Palmer/McDaid Summer Cup

Cassidy, who watched his side defeat Institute after an epic penalty shoot-out in the Palmer/McDaid Cup final on Saturday, said the structures and long term ambitions of Paul Kee and John Cunningham are already in place to ensure Maiden City join Derry City and ’Stute in the senior ranks.

“We’re ambitious as a club,” stated Cassidy. “Paul Kee and Bugsy (John Cunningham) have got a vision and I’m just so happy to be part of it at the minute.

“We don’t see any reason why there can’t be a third senior club from the city. The talent within Derry is second to none, people talk about it, so we are ambitious and we want to see ourselves move up through the leagues.

“I’m not saying this because I’m involved with Maiden City, but the standards that Paul Kee, John Cunningham, Craig Lynch, Parky (David Parkhouse) and Semps (Ryan Semple) have set are second to none.

“For someone like myself, coming from junior football and getting involved with Maiden City over the last six years, I think that’s my 10th trophy; the club is like a factory as it has a conveyor belt of players coming through.

“Most of Saturday’s squad were made up players from 2002s, 2003s and 2004s, but we have got more coming through and it’s a privilege to be part of it.”

Cassidy hopes that the club can continue to progress having secured a treble in the Intermediate League this season.

“The Intermediate League and D&D have been brilliant for us as we have introduced young players to adult football, so when they come into our first team, they all know their role,” he added.

“We also know when they are ready and we do see ourselves hopefully in the future as potentially becoming a senior club from Derry.”

Cassidy was delighted by his side’s never-say-die attitude to come from 2-0 down to secure the penalty shoot-out success over Brian Donaghey’s side.

“We spoke about a few things at half-time, things like not showing enough personality,” he explained. “In the second half the boys coming on made a massive impact. We also said that if we got the next goal we fancied ourselves to go on and win it, because we hadn’t performed until then.

“Let’s be perfectly honest, we had control in the first half and the two goals they got, they didn’t have to work for them, we gave them away. We knew if we cut that out and did what we do in training which is moving the ball quickly, moving forward quickly, then we would be okay. The boys are a credit, which they have been all season.

“It was a great competition and, listen, I’m an ex-Don Boscos’ player myself. God rest big Terry Kelly who gave me my debut in the Saturday Morning League at 15, so I’m privileged to be here and I’m privileged that the club have won the competition.”

Maiden City: Ray Kelly, Garth Faulkner, Conor McGee, Michael McAnea, Luke Curry, Josh Kee, Bobby Sweeney, Kealan McDermott, Adam Docherty, Ryan McCaul, Tiarnan O’Connor. Subs: Conor Moore, Brenan Moore, Jack Devenney, TJ Begley, Mark Toland, Cahir Melaugh, Mark Forker, Dylan McGavigan, Logan Street.

Institute: Dylan Doherty, Rhys McDermott, Micheal Barr, Sean Leppard, Tiarnan Brown, Sean Doherty, Robbie Morrow, Jamie McCormick, Jamie Dunne, Cormac Burke, PJ Millar. Subs: Paddy McLaughlin, Aidan McCloskey, Jack Millar, Niall McGlynn, Kealan McGill, Oisin Devlin, Nathan Harkin, Joe McConnell.