Ruaidhri Higgins paid tribute to his former teammates and late Derry City legends Ryan McBride and Mark Farren after the Candystripes booked their place in the FAI Cup final.
Derry defeated First Division side Treaty United 2-1 at the Brandywell, the stadium which is named after former captain McBride, while a new stand at the venue is named after Farren.
Goals from Jamie McGonigle and Brandon Kavanagh gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before Enda Curran got one back from the penalty spot for the visitors.
READ MORE: FAI Cup semi-finals live updates
It was a hugely emotional day in Derry as a minute's silence was held before kick-off in memory of the ten people who lost their lives in the Creeslough explosion.
And speaking after the match, Higgins said he had been thinking of McBride and Farren since he woke up on Sunday morning.
He told RTE: "It's on days like this you remember Ryan McBride, who would probably still be playing and captaining the club at this stage. You remember Mark Farren, I played with both.
"Mark Farren scored a cup final goal. Ryan McBride played in cup finals so for me personally it's on days like this that you really remember those two and they're in our thoughts.
"It's a massive day for the football club and hopefully now we can bring a huge crowd to Dublin."
He added: "Derry's unique in a sense. It's had a lot of hard times and there's a lot of special players who have come from a stone's throw of this ground and the end that we scored the two goals in, Ryan lived about 100 metres behind that, if even that.
"It's special. It's a unique football club and it's important that we educate new players on who these people are and what they mean to the club.
"For me personally, they've been in my thoughts from the minute I woke up this morning."
READ NEXT:
Irish Horse scoops €160,000 top prize at American Grand National despite being bought for just €850
Antonio Conte gives Matt Doherty the ultimate praise after Tottenham revival
Claressa Shields beats Savannah Marshall to become undisputed world champion
Mason Greenwood arrested on suspicion of breaching bail by contacting alleged victim
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
