Stephen Barry reports from Turner’s Cross
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC may not have bossed this game but they made the most of their advances at a sold-out Turner’s Cross as goals from Mark Doyle and Conor Carty sent them into the FAI Cup final.
The 12 November showpiece will be a repeat of the 2021 decider against Bohemians, won by Pat’s in front of over 37,000 fans at the Aviva Stadium.
Their bid for a fifth title was kept alive by soaking up waves of City pressure while striking with a clinical composure that the hosts lacked in front of 6,335 fans.
The goals came as early and late daggers to the brave home resistance. Doyle gave Pat’s a cushion they defended resolutely before Carty’s superb strike ensured their strong away support could enjoy the final 10 minutes.
There were three changes from last Friday’s League meeting of this pair; Conor Drinan in for John O’Donovan at left-back for City, while St Pat’s had Jake Mulraney’s suspension served and Ryan McLaughlin fit again.
Doyle got the only goal last week and he was at the end of a cross again in the 12th minute today to put Pat’s ahead.
It was that returning duo, Mulraney and McLaughlin, who combined down the right, with the latter supplying the deep cross for Doyle to volley home.
Pat’s could’ve already been ahead moments earlier after some more good work by Doyle. His cut-back found Kian Leavy with the goal gaping and while he beat Ollie Byrne, Josh Honohan recovered to make the goal-line block.
Apart from those two attacks, it was City who were applying consistent pressure. Cian Bargary’s driving runs, Ruairí Keating dropping into space, and Ben Worman’s crosses were all causing trouble in City’s brightest showing for ages. For all that, however, they failed to work Dean Lyness.
Keating shot just wide of either post, Cian Murphy and Worman each had a couple of shots blocked, and Bargary twice skewed the ball off-target. A couple more crosses fell either just behind Keating or were cut out by Joe Redmond’s reading of the play.
The half-time shot count was 8-2 in their favour but none of those found their way to the target.
When they did force Lyness into action on the resumption, Worman’s shot was too weak to worry the keeper.
Conor Drinan and Thomas Lonergan headed over at either end as Pat’s began to exploit the spaces left behind by City, even if the chances were nothing as clearcut as the first half.
City interim boss Richie Holland rolled the dice, calling on Malik Dijksteel, Tunde Owolabi, Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh, and Barry Coffey, and switching to a 3-5-2 formation. Keating glanced a header wide before Owolabi, with his first touch, had a shot blocked by the ever-reliable Redmond.
Jon Daly replied with his own switches and one of them immediately paid off in the 83rd minute. Jason McClelland’s first touch was to lash a shot at Byrne. The keeper saved well but Carty, another substitute, was on hand to brilliantly blast to the roof of the net.
That sent Pat’s away support of over 1,000 home happy while City’s sole focus will now turn towards another final, their likely relegation play-off next month against First Division opposition.
CORK CITY: Ollie Byrne; Josh Honohan, Cian Coleman (captain), Jonas Hakkinen, Conor Drinan (Tunde Owolabi, 72); Cian Bargary, Aaron Bolger, Andrii Kravchuk (Barry Coffey, 80), Ben Worman (Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh, 72); Ruairí Keating, Cian Murphy (Malik Dijksteel, 61).
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Dean Lyness; Ryan McLaughlin (John-Alan McGrath, 77), Joe Redmond (captain), David Norman, Anthony Breslin; Chris Forrester (Thijs Timmermans, 76), Jamie Lennon, Kian Leavy (Jason McClelland, 82); Jake Mulraney (Alex Nolan, 82), Thomas Lonergan (Conor Carty, 68), Mark Doyle.
Referee: Rob Harvey.
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