​City of Derry one step from Kingspan Cup final as Cooke visit Judges Road

Twelves months ago at the same stage of the competition Enniskillen proved party poopers with 24-12 victory but McCarter is hoping the memory of that disappointing day can inspire his team to ensure there is no repeat this weekend.

"We'd have taken anybody at home. Home advantage is pretty big," explained the Derry coach, "I know we lost last season at home to Enniskillen but we have to take a bit of hurt from that semi-final and use it. I said to the lads this week, I don't really want to feel like that again and lose another semi-final at home.

"Take all these experiences we've had over the last few years, even going as far back as relegation, all the low points we've had; well this is the opportunity to have a real high, no matter how the league finishes up.

"Getting to a cup final is something I would never forget and the players would never forget, no matter how it goes. The main thing is to get over the line on Saturday and then have something like that to look forward to."

Derry's hopes will be boosted by the return of Tiernan Dillon and Cein McColgan while both Adam Marley and Tom Cameron face late fitness test but are hopeful of being available. McCarter has lost the services of the ineligible Conor Cummings but slowly numbers are beginning to return to the Derry squad.

Saturday's tie will be the second meeting between the teams in seven days after Cooke's controversial league victory in Belfast last week, secured by a hotly disputed second half try. McCarter didn't hide his frustration at a result that cost his team third spot in the table but he's determined to learn from the game.

"I think it does come into it," he said of the 20-17 defeat at Shawsbridge, "When you play a team back to back like this it would be foolish to say it doesn't. We have worked on things in training this week that we know Cooke like to do and things we need to improve on. Last week has definitely helped us.

"As I said, it was a game in which we put ourselves into a good position to win it and our game management didn't do ourselves an favours in terms of getting us across the line. We have to learn from that but that's one of the main things we'll take it. We'll be using last week as a learning experience."

It's a game that could define Derry's season but McCarter is keen to ensure his players don't allow themselves to become distracted from the job in hand.

"We can't hype it up to something that it's not. It is a massive game, the opportunity to get to a cup final in itself is huge. Many of our boys will never have played at Kingspan before so this is a great chance for that as well as an experience.

"But we have to try and see it for what it is and that's a game of rugby. If we do the basics and individually do the right things then the result we look after itself but if we don't that's when, if Cooke have a good day as they have in the past against us, we could be in bother.

"If we play with tempo and are accurate we can open up any team in this league and we've done that this season. We just didn't do it enough last Saturday and haven't done it enough since Christmas.

"It's going to take a big, big effort from the boys this weekend but I want us walking off that pitch absolutely gazumped because we've worked so hard and ran ourselves into the ground. If we do that we have a very good chance of winning the game."