Pat Fenlon strode into the post match press conference with a smile on his face although his expression soon changed.

Firstly, he was asked if that was his last game in charge of Bohs, amid murmurs about the club's financial well-being.

"That's a ridiculous question," he said, looking bothered. He didn't appreciate the follow up either, which suggested that his team had been somewhat lucky to finish up with the trophy. Did he agree?

"No I don't agree" he replied. "And if I'm going to have to sit here and defend my team then I won't be here for too long. They were excellent, and I don't think they've been getting the credit they deserve."

Nevertheless, Fenlon did acknowledge that he would need to have a look at the two flashpoint penalty incidents before commenting and had his own gripe with officials who forced him to wear an orange bib.

"I was getting enough stick from the Derry fans as it was," smiled Fenlon. "Before they made me put on an orange bib."

For Derry boss Stephen Kenny it was a day in which penalties, or on one occasion a lack of one, very much changed the game.

First there were the decisions that went against them – Sammy Morrow should have earned one in the first half and was then cruelly punished at the other end when he was harshly adjudged to have handled in the box.

Then of course came the spot-kicks which finished the encounter which Kenny felt confident his side would win.

"We have won a few penalty shoot-outs and felt we would win this one. It is the first time I have ever seen Kevin Deery or Ruairi Higgins miss because they are confident and decisive lads.”

Derry’s new Northern Ireland international Niall McGinn couldn’t cap off a great week for him by landing the FAI Cup but he felt the best team lost on the day.

“We were the better team over the course of the game and we didn’t deserve to lose — it’s a heartbreaking way to lose a final,” he said.