Danny Mullen braced for 'six cup finals' starting with Brandywell double header

​The Scotsman provided Ruaidhri Higgins with a major boost ahead of the first of a Brandywell double-header tonight by agreeing to stay on Foyleside until at least the end of the 2025 season.

And the ex-Partick Thistle striker, who recently welcomed a baby daughter into the world with his partner Kelsey, believes everything is beginning to fall into place at the perfect time.

"It's been spoken about for a while now and since I heard I wanted to get things sorted," said Mullen. "It can turn out to be a special season and that's kind of why I came here in the first place.

"I've settled in well and we're loving it over here. We've just had another wee baby as well and everything is looking good. Hopefully we can round it off with a good end to the season.

"Everyone has done well to make us feel welcome and we feel a part of it now. Obviously I was just delighted to extend my contract. It's rolling into place. We've got to the Aviva and we had a tough run in that cup and didn't lose a goal on the way. That's one box ticked off and we have to win it now.

"We've always felt we had the quality in the changing room to go and have a special season. We have ourselves in the cup final and we're not far away in the league. We have to keep building on our performances and hopefully that will be enough in the end."

Mullen, who arrived in the summer transfer window last season, has netted 13 goals in 51 appearances since and, more impressively, 10 from 14 starts this term!

He's made an invaluable contribution despite his obvious frustrations at not being afforded more game-time and he's hoping to play a key role in Derry's league and cup double bid.

With the Aviva Stadium date secured for next month, Mullen is bracing himself for another 'five cup finals' over the next three weeks starting with the visit of Bohemians tonight.

"You just take it game by game and take it as a cup final. There's five cup finals to win the league. If we win all of them then we win the league so it's in our hands. We can't look for any favours off any other teams at this stage.

"Maybe before we've dropped points when Rovers or Shels have dropped points and teams have done us favours but we can now push on and look to get it all settled and sealed in the next three or four games.

"It would be nice to come to the last game of the season where we don't need anything from it. If we do our job properly we should be fine."

Derry's record at Brandywell has been impressive this season with nine of their 13 league wins coming at the Lone Moor Road venue. Mullen knows the next four days can prove critical in the title race.

"It's going to be big. When we're at home we always feel we should be winning our home games. It will probably be a different game to the one we played in the cup but we will need the fans. They always give us that extra push. It's one we're looking forward to and hopefully they turn up in their numbers and get us over the line."

"I think it will be a different game. We will go out to win it. It will be interesting to see how they come and prepare for it. We're ready for this one. We can't afford any slip ups so lets hope we get the job done.