‘It's been mental!’ Jamie Stott blown away by Derry's Cup Final fever

JAMIE STOTT has been blown away by the FAI Cup final fever sweeping the city as Derry City Football Club visited hundreds of primary school children this week who left a lasting impression.

Alongside his Derry teammate Brandon Fleming, Stott kicked off the series of visits to local schools on Tuesday afternoon as pupils dressed in red and white for the day in preparation for the November 8th showpiece at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Derry City's Jamie Stott and Brandon Fleming amongst some of the pupils of St Therese PS who attended the school's red and white day in preparation for the FAI Cup Final.

placeholder image — Derry City's Jamie Stott and Brandon Fleming amongst some of the pupils of St Therese PS who attended the school's red and white day in preparation for the FAI Cup Final.

The pair were greeted by a sea of banners and artwork and treated to songs and poems from excited youngsters at St Thérèse’s PS, Lenamore.

Stott was both surprised and delighted to see so much excitement and so many smiles on young faces.

Derry City players Brandon Fleming and Jamie Stott take some questions from pupils at St Therese PS. Photograph by Kevin Morrison.

"It's been mental but it's been really good," laughed Stott. "It's been nice to see all the kids and teachers at all the schools and the whole community really buzzing for it.

"A Cup final is massive, not just for us but for the city. You can see all the kids and the fans are all buzzing for it. As a player you're excited, but you try not to get too hyped up and try to concentrate on the game. It's going to be a massive day for everyone.

"I was surprised at the reaction," added the Mancunian. "It was amazing. There was a girl at the school myself and Brandon went to, who wrote a poem which was really nice. They've all asked some really good questions. They gave me and Brandon a booklet of songs and poems they had written, and Kev [Morrison] took it away to put in the club.

"It's been really nice just to see everyone's reaction and how excited and proud they all are in the community."

IMPRESSIVE . . . Jamie Stott of Derry City after the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Derry City and St Patrick's Athletic at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

The visits across the city continued throughout the week with one highlight being Liam Boyce and Gavin Whyte's hilarious attempt at doing the 'Fandango' in front of pupils at Greenhaw PS.

Darragh Markey and Darragh Burns showed off their skills at St Oliver Plunkett's with a 'keepy-uppy' challenge before being treated to a passionate rendition of 'City 'til I die' by a talented primary two pupil.

Goalscoring hero from Monday night's win over St Pat's Kevin Dos Santos was welcomed to Rosemount PS, signed autographs and answered questions as visits from various first team players continue over the next couple of weeks to drum up support.

Derry still has work to do on the pitch before the Aviva Stadium date as the team returns to Brandywell on Friday night for the final home match of the season against Dundalk.

Derry City players, from left, Jamie Stott, Patrick McClean and Cameron Dummigan celebrate a clearance during the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division match between Derry City and St Patrick's Athletic at The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in Derry. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

However, Stott admits the players can’t ignore the cup final excitement and has persuaded plenty of his family and friends in England to buy tickets for the final.

"The ticket sales have been amazing and hopefully we can get as many as we can down there to really drive us on. I know I've got my fair share of family and friends coming over for the day and I'm sure everyone else has family and friends coming down from Derry or wherever the players are from so it's going to be an amazing day for everyone and for all the supporters and everyone at the club as well. Over 20,000 tickets sold is amazing. Hopefully we can get some more and get it as packed out as possible."