SOCCER/FAI cup final countdown: Emmet Malone talks to Drogheda United's Damien Lynch whose reputation as a defender of note is steadily growing in league circles

Long used to having been regarded as one of the game's "next big things", Damien Lynch is only slowly coming to terms with his new-found status as a senior player at a seriously ambitious club.

In common with Drogheda United as a whole, the 26-year-old's reputation has grown steadily of late. He knows that victory at Lansdowne Road on Sunday will ensure both he and his employers finally get to take their place at the Irish game's top table.

Lynch, a quick and technically gifted player who first made his name at St Kevin's Boys before spending time at Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, is determined to make his mark and is quietly satisfied with the progress that has been made during the year since he left Bohemians.

"A lot of players, more than a dozen for sure, have arrived up there in the last year," he says, "and it's difficult in a situation like that where the lads are still trying to get to know each other.

"I think you could see over the second half of the season, though, that things were settling down, we were playing better football, things were more settled and we began to play with a bit more consistency . . . there's definitely a sense that things are moving in the right direction."

The defender's impact has been particularly impressive with him emerging as an important figure for manager Paul Doolin over the course of the campaign. Having reverted to the right-back role he occupied for all but the last few months of his time with Bohemians, he has been a calming influence on those around him, looking steady and composed both on and off the ball.

Along the way, he has chipped in with some important goals too and, in a young squad, finds himself in the unfamiliar position of being considered one of the side's most experienced figures.

"It feels a bit strange really," he admits. "Everywhere I've been up to now I've been regarded as one of the young lads. Now suddenly, because most of the lads are that much younger, I seem to be regarded as one of the older hands. I'm still getting used to it, to be honest, but it's been good. I feel that from a personal point of view I've had a decent season and as a group we feel that we can build on this year."

Beating Cork on Sunday would be a major stepping-stone, he believes, to bigger things but defeat, he believes, would not be the end of the road.

"Not that we're thinking about it that way," he says, "but what's being done here is a gradual process and the future success of the club certainly doesn't hinge on this one game."

For Lynch, like most of his team-mates, this will be a first opportunity to take part in a cup final and a first chance to play at Lansdowne Road.

"Obviously it's special to get the chance to play there after being there for so many games over the years. It's great for the fans too, because it's been so long since the club has reached this stage of the competition and they haven't really won anything so naturally, there's a lot of excitement around the place."

The level of interest shown in Sunday's game has highlighted the potential for developing a club that has had something of a roller-coaster existence to date.

United appear to be within striking distance of serious success and Lynch is certain that they won't allow the opportunity to pass. "I came here believing that they could make the breakthrough, I mean when you talk to Paul Doolin he takes you in very quickly because he's been so successful as a player and in everything else that he's done that it's almost hard to believe he wouldn't win things here now.

"Some people have said that we should have done better this season, but you really can't just expect to come from nowhere and suddenly challenge the likes of Shelbourne and Cork. We're getting there, though. Sunday will help and the fact that we're playing in Europe next year will be another good experience for everybody. We believe we have a great chance to win the cup on Sunday but whatever happens, we're moving forward."

Cork City defender Alan Bennett was last night cleared by an FAI appeals panel to play in Sunday's Cup final after it was accepted that the yellow card he received in the recent league game against Waterford United arose from a case of mistaken identity.

"I'm delighted on two counts," said Damien Richardson. "The obvious one is that Alan didn't deserve the booking, but I'm equally happy that in this case the system both acknowledged the mistake and rectified it."