Barry emphasises Cork's strength as a unit

In the Cork City dressing-room, as well as outside the ground, the celebrations were well under way amongst players and supporters. Dave Barry sat in the Bohemians board room on Saturday night and reflected on his side's cup victory. It was, he said through a beaming smile, "hard to put into words".

"It's a 24-hour job. From the time I'm eating my breakfast in the morning to the time I bring in a Chinese late at night I'm thinking about this team, and that takes a lot out of you. But moments like this make it all worth it.

"I'm delighted for the players, because I think there's a passion for soccer in Cork and this team has managed to bring it out. And I'm very grateful to the board who have done a tremendous amount for the club and supported me in everything I have tried to do since they asked me to take over as manager."

Over the course of the next 10 minutes he paid tribute to just about every one of his players for their part in the victory, singling out some, such as Fergie O'Donoghue for his performance on Mark Rutherford at right full, but emphasising the distance his panel had come as a unit in such a short space of time.

Some, such as Patsy Freyne, who seems certain to go into management with Castleview over the summer, may not be there for what Barry sees as the completion of the journey. But, he said, "for Patsy to come back and have the two years he had for us is unbelievable. He wants to go out on a high now and I respect that, but he'll be missed next season when, hopefully, we'll be challenging for the league."

Freyne explained his decision, saying that he felt he was capable of going on for another year but feared he would end up looking on from the stands as the team went on to greater things. "I wouldn't want it to end like that," he said shortly after receiving his Man Of The Match award.

This was the first major honour he had won since a League Cup medal in 1987, but "it was worth waiting for and a great way to finish up".

Freyne's former team-mate, Pat Morley, meanwhile, admitted to being "bitterly disappointed" with the way things had turned out, even if the fact that City had triumphed did go some way towards providing consolation.

"It's tough for everybody now," he said, "but Shelbourne will bounce back from this next season. For now, I'm delighted for City, they probably deserved it over the two games and I wish them well."

For Damien Richardson, the fact that his former club had come out on top probably didn't help much at all. But, characteristically, he was attempting to look on the bright side. "If I'd been told when I came here that we'd win two cups in two years and then get to the final hurdle in the third year, then I'd have considered that success," he remarked, dismissing suggestions that his future may lie outside of Tolka Park.

"We've worked very hard to get to this stage and there's a base at the club which we need to build on. Yes, there's a dark cloud over us now, but tomorrow will be another day."