Cork City book FAI Cup semi-final spot by seeing off a spirited Finn Harps 

SEMI FINAL BOOKED:Cork City's Evan McLaughlin celebrates with teammates Darragh Crowley, left, and Benny Couto. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup quarter-final: Finn Harps Cork City 3 (McLaughlin 2’, 74’, Maguire 10’)

Two goals inside a whirlwind opening ten minutes from Evan McLaughlin and captain Seani Maguire helped to catapult Cork City into the semi-finals of the Sports Direct FAI Cup.

And although a spirited Finn Harps recovered from the initial double set-back and gave as good as they got for much of this quarter-final clash in Ballybofey, they were always chasing the game and Ger Nash’s charges sealed the issue with McLaughlin getting his second and City’s third on 74 minutes.

City, buoyed by an encouraging 2-0 defeat of Waterford in the league last week, made two changes with Alex Nolan and Sean Murray in for the injured Joshua Fitzpatrick and Matthew Murray.

Meanwhile, Harps were dealt a major selection blow with two key players being suspended for the game, namely trusty centre-half Conor Tourish and the versatile defensive midfielder Max Hutchison, who have both been key players throughout the season. In came Republic of Ireland U17 internationals Gavin McAteer and Josh Cullen City got off to an incredible start as they went ahead in the second minute as a long ball over the top saw Magurie heading the ball into the path of McLaughlin, who outfoxed the defence as he strode through and tucked the ball past a disbelieving Lorenzo Barbosa in the home goal.

And shortly afterwards McLaughlin was almost in again but shot over, Kaedyn Kamara wasn’t far away with a header and Maguire saw a close range effort pushed on to the post and out for a corner by a shell-shocked Barbosa.

Just over 10 minutes were on the clock when rampant City doubled their advantage as a long ball forward from Conor Brann was misread by Josh Cullen as he attempted to head clear and in nipped Maguire who showed his class as he deftly chipped the ball over the advancing goalkeeper.

The gulf between the Premier Division side and their Division One opponents was vast at this stage, and Harps were in real danger of being totally overwhelmed.

But, assisted by some tactical changes, Harps gradually settled and looked more capable dealing with the Cork attack.

Indeed, Harps actually had the better of this in the second quarter. Their first attack of note came on 25 minutes when Hans Mpongo slipped the ball into the path of Gradi Lomboto who burst into the area before seeing his shot well saved by Conor Brann.

The move lifted the Finn Park faithful and Harps then tested Brann who failed to deal with a free and also had a penalty claim dismissed while Tony McNamee saw a piledriver of a shot blocked as they finally put Cork under pressure.

City’s only other scoring threat before the break was an Alex Nolan shot saved by Barbosa.

But with the strikeforce of Mpongo and Lomboto looking lively in each foray, one sensed that a goal for the home side could yet put the game back into the melting pot and Harps trooped off at the interval down but now out.

With the rain teaming down in the second half, the pace of the game inevitably slackened on an increasingly heavy Finn Park surface.

Kamara forced Barbosa into a decent save while for Harps CIaran Cooney saw a header looping over the target and Lomboto then fired narrowly wide just after the hour mark, But McLaughlin pounced again from close range to kill off any Harps hopes of late drama.

Without an away win this season in their Premier Division campaign, this was a welcome and positive display by the Leesiders and it maintains their great record against the Donegal side who last beat them in 2010 - when the only goal was scored by Harps’ current manager Kevin McHugh.

Finn Harps: Barbosa; Place (Coyle, 83), Cullen, Bradley Walsh (Cunningham, 83), Cooney, Zerrouk (Bradley, 66); Brogan, McNamee (McLaughlin, 79), McAteer (Hodgins, 79); Mpongo, Lomboto.

Cork City: Brann; Crowley, Anderson, Feely, Kiernan (Dreenan, 79); Murray (Bolger, HT), Nolan, Kamara (Lyons, 68), Nelson (Couto, 52); McLaughlin (Hanover, 79), Maguire.

Referee: P. Norton (Dublin).