There's not a lot of love these days between the two cup finalists.

In the absence of a natural sworn enemy – a Glentoran to a Linfield, say – Derry City have had to manufacture rivalries over the years in order to get the fans’ boiling.

Since joining the League of Ireland they’ve talked up Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, even Finn Harps as potential bet noirs but none has ever been really convincing.

In Bohemians, though, there is the making of something special.

Boss Pat Fenlon has never been the most popular figure even when he was in charge at the Brandywell. Some might say BECAUSE he was in charge at the Brandywell in what proved a less than inspired spell.

They have long thought of him as something of a big baby and the match officials at the RDS yesterday seemed to agree, forcing him to wear an rather unflattering bib in an unflattering shade of luminous orange on the touchline.

The ref was perhaps making amends for his appaling decision not to give Derry an early penalty after Sammy Morrow was scythed down in the box by making a monkey out of the Gypsies boss.

Certainly Fenlon was less than impressed as he was with most of his players as Derry gave them the runaround on the pitch for large parts of the game.

When Derry boss Stephen Kenny grabbed a quick word before kick-off he may have said something to the effect of “watch your back”. He has never forgiven Bohemians for having the temerity of sacking him less than 12 months after he had delivered a much longed for league title.

Privately Kenny was delighted that Bohs were his side’s cup final rivals this year as he has always savoured victories over a club which he has always felt treated him shabbily.

Pipping Bohs to the league title might be his ultimate dream, but a cup final victory would have done nicely.

The events of yesterday afternoon will do nothing to dampen the appetite for future encounters.

Derry, and in particular Sammy Morrow, will take a good healthy sense of injustice into their meetings next year after suffering the worst penalty decision since, well, the one that wasn’t given in the first half, when the ball bounced up and hit the lanky striker on the arm.

Just a few minutes before he had scored the opener with a haymaker of a free kick but redemption was at hand when he arrived with a vengeance for the equaliser at two each. (In between Glenn Crowe had scored just about the flukiest goal of his career thanks to a lovely through ball by the right hand post).

Thanks to Derry’s attacking nature, it was another belter of a final, an open game which really could have gone either way. That it went to extra time and penalties was really no great surprise.