FAI Cup quarter-final draw: Cork City head to Finn Harps, Kerry to host Sligo Rovers
LAST EIGHT: The draw for the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup took place on Tuesday afternoon. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
It will be the road most travelled for Cork City to extend their FAI Cup run to the semi-finals.
All seven Cup ties since City beat Treaty early in the 2023 competition were at home until Tuesday’s quarter-final draw pitted them away to Finn Harps.
Drawing a side currently seventh in the First Division must be considered welcome for City when set against the other potentials of St Patrick’s Athletic, Shamrock Rovers or Cup holders Drogheda United away.
A survival bid that looked doomed before four points from the last six offered hope ahead Bohemians away on Friday and home to Waterford seven days later.
Then the respite of the Cup ensues, likely on Friday, September 12.
The round trip from Turner’s Cross to Ballybofey for players, staff and fans encompasses 800 kilometres and 10 hours of travel but an opportunity to move within two matches of a first final since 2019 is appetising.
Managed by a club legend from his playing days, Kevin McHugh, Harps reached the last eight by beating Bray Wanderers 3-1 on Friday. They’d won the league the previous week too, extracting a 1-0 win from Kerry.
The Kingdom are also in the quarters, drawn to face five-time FAI Cup winners Sligo Rovers at Mounthawk Park.
Incredibly, this will be Kerry’s tenth home game from a possible eleven in all cup competitions and their manager, Colin Healy, is relishing a big occasion in Tralee.
"We are coming up against a very good side with a very good manager,” referencing the Premier Division side managed by John Russell.
“It will be a difficult game but we’re at home and it's brilliant for the club and everybody connected with it.
"For last Friday’s win over Cobh Ramblers, the fans were magnificent and to get another home draw, to get another big crowd in to support the team and get behind the team.
“The players were talking about the atmosphere from Friday. We have a few league games before that but overall its fantastic for the town.”
Sligo’s recent blip in the league was mitigated by two defeats in which they had red cards subsequently overturned. Knocking in-form Bohemians out at Dalymount Park was a feat and their teen sharpshooter Owen Elding supplied the solitary goal.
Healy added: "John has strengthened in the window, they’ve got some very good results over the past few weeks so it will be a tough ask.
“Listen we'll do our homework on them by watching Sligo live.
“We'll have eyes on them everywhere and they'll probably have eyes on us as well. So, yeah, that's the other side of the job that we need to do our homework right on the opposition. They’re a Premier side but we'll back ourselves 100%.” Beating promotion-chasing Cobh 2-0 last Friday breeds confidence.
“We had a game plan and the lads stuck to it,” explained the former Ireland international.
“Cobh did have a lot of possession of the ball and we were probably giving away the ball in certain areas that we shouldn't have been.
"But I thought in the second half, we controlled it and obviously changing the system helped us as well."
Elsewhere, holders Drogheda United will host league leaders Shamrock Rovers while St Pats host Galway United in the second all-Premier tie. RTÉ2 showing two of the four live games will dictate the schedule up to Sunday, September 14.
The women's FAI Cup semi-final draw preceded the men's draw with Shamrock Rovers being drawn at home against Athlone Town, while Bohemians host Treaty United.
Both semis will be broadcast live on TG4 on the week ending September 14.
Kerry v Sligo Rovers
Drogheda United v Shamrock Rovers
Finn Harps v Cork City
St Pats v Galway United.
Shamrock Rovers v Athlone Town
Bohemians v Treaty United.
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