Derek Pender cannot escape the Bohs-Rovers rivalry even when he goes to work - but the Gypsies skipper wouldn’t have it any other way.
All day, every day in the treasury department of AIB, Pender is surrounded by rival fans of both clubs.
The banter and slagging is what you might expect, particularly in a week like this when everyone is counting down to tomorrow's FAI Cup semi-final.
And Pender doesn’t bother shying away from it. He will work until 4.00pm tomorrow before heading to Dalymount Park, resisting any temptation to take a half day or even a day off.
‘Detzer’ said yesterday: “If I wanted the day off, I could book it in because it’s such a big game but I don’t.
“I like going to work because I don't have to think about it all day. If I'm sitting at home all day….I'm just so used to working on the day.
“Last year, we were in Derry for the quarter-finals and we travelled up the day before and stayed over.
“We had the day of the game off and my head was wrecked. I had a headache going into the game.
“I'm quieter (around colleagues) on a Friday, but the lads I work with in the treasury give me everything they can in terms of time off.
“When I leave at 4.00pm on a match day, someone will come in to cover me which is great.”
But Pender - who also played for the Hoops - can’t move about the building without bumping into Bohs and Rovers fans, especially the latter.
“There are loads! We’ve this instant messenger in work and you get some abuse. It would be great to be able to go back on Monday and give them a bit back.
“I hadn’t heard from them in two years! I only heard from them when we came back from Tallaght (after defeat) the last time.
“But there are loads of Bohs season ticket holders in our building too, although I try to keep myself to myself in the bank.
“But sometimes in the canteen you'd walk up to someone or you'd get in the lift one day and there'd be someone in a Bohs or Rovers jersey and they're just staring at you.
“Going to work on a Friday, you see people on the street in Rovers and Bohs jerseys because it’s derby day - it’s a great occasion to be involved in.”
But Pender, who turns 35 next week, knows that keeping cool heads in the derby furnace will be half the battle at Dalymount tomorrow.
He’s the elder statesman in a particularly young dressing room but laughed: “I think they have to remind me not to lose my head most of the time.
“You try to keep them relaxed but the young lads these days, they’re not thinking of the occasion.
“They’re just feeding off the energy of the fans, going out and enjoying it. They’re not going out to break someone up or get sent off. They want to show their football ability.”
Asked if the pressure was all on Rovers, Pender said: “There’s big pressure on them with the budget they have and what they’ve put into it with the investment.
“Dalymount is a special place when it’s full and we’re going to need everything we can to beat Rovers.”
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