The Gypsies face St. Patrick's Athletic in the Setanta Sports Cup final in Tallaght Stadium this Saturday (kick-off 6.30pm). Midfielder Keegan believes lifting silverware so early in the season would help push the club towards their third league title in a row.

Saturday's match is the first time the tournament final will be decided between two Dublin clubs. Indeed, it is the first time since 2005 that a Dublin club has reached the final of the Setanta Sports Cup.

While the Setanta Sports Cup is billed as a ‘north-south' competition, Saturday's final sees that phrase take on new meaning as north Dublin and south Dublin compete for the trophy. Keegan believes the trophy will end up on the northside of the River Liffey.

"It's nice the way it's fallen early," he said. "We have the prospect of winning a medal in May, early on in the season. It would give us good confidence to push on in the league if we were to win it.

"I've two medals now, Brian Shelley has two as well. It's going to be a good day and I'd be delighted to have three medals coming out of it. I think everyone's looking forward to it. It'll be a hard game because I think St Pat's are playing very well and deserve to be in the final. But we'll be confident that we can win the match."

Keegan is wary of the St. Pat's threat, knowing that Pete Mahon's side have started the season in excellent form. When the sides last met they had to settle for a 1-1 draw, but Keegan believes the experience of the Bohemians team can be vital.

"They [St. Pat's] have got off to a flying start," he said. "I think you always knew that with Pete Mahon there he'll have his team very balanced. They have a good balance between some young lads and some experience in the team.

"There is good experience in our team and it will count for something going into a final. Some young lads might be a bit nervous on the day, but it's a Cup final, anything can happen on the day.

"Pat's are going into the game with good momentum and that can carry them through the day. It's all about who performs on the night, I think you need your big players. We need Jason Byrne, Killian Brennan and Mark Quigley - players like that - to go out there and perform well. If we do that, we'll win the game."

Tickets for the Setanta Sports Cup final are available from Dalymount Park, Richmond Park and Ticketmaster outlets, priced €20 for adults and €5 for OAPs and Under-16s.