Maguire and McLaughlin fire Cork City past St Pat's to book FAI Cup final return
Cork City's Seani Maguire celebrates scoring the first goal of the game. Pic: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
It began with a toilet paper protest against Cork City’s owner but ended with a flood of goals to secure an FAI Cup final place and potential European qualification.
In a season of contrasts for City, their league form which has them on the brink of the drop was overturned to brush past St Patrick’s Athletic and ruin Stephen Kenny’s 1000th club game. Amid weather warnings, this was a storm of a different kind.
Seáni Maguire is one of the few players to speak out against the managerial stalwart from their previous experience and he instigated the landslide to seal a first FAI Cup final appearance since 2018.
Maguire had denied Kenny’s Dundalk a double by sinking a late winner for City in 2016, and upon his return to Leeside, is ending a season that began with a nasty injury on a high.
After a fan demonstration against Dermot Usher delayed kick-off by five minutes, Maguire took just nine minutes to round display his predatory instincts by rounding Joseph Anang and pocketing the opener.
Conor Brann was never troubled despite the fifth-place team in the division enjoying spells of pressure and a quickfire brace by Evan McLaughlin in minutes 71 and 72 had The Shed in raptures.
Kenny’s game plan was easily suffocated by the hosts but the reality is their big-name players simply didn’t perform.
Mason Melia won’t, after all, have his swansong on November 9 before he moves to Tottenham Hotspur in January.
They’ll need to leapfrog Drogheda United and hope Shamrock Rovers win the Cup to avoid the disaster of missing out on European qualification.
For City, it’s a rare piece of respite to Ger Nash’s bruising introduction to senior management since May.
He highlighted the recent run of three wins and a draw against Shamrock Rovers at home for optimism and eventually, belatedly, it clicked for himself and assistant David Meyler.
Relegation would have been all but confirmed had Waterford avoided defeat at home to Drogheda United but that was one of the four league fixtures across Friday’s series scotched by Storm Amy.
That will be parked in the final four league games as the tenth final in the club’s history is prepared for.
It will be interesting to see if fan discord subsides for the big day.
According to Usher’s last public declaration, €1.4m of personal investment had been pumped in. That encompassed two years at the helm and before a Premier Division return that raised the largesse beyond €2m.
David Cronin’s purchase of 20% for €500,000 diluted Usher’s entire stake but he remains the benefactor associated with City. His entrenched view on matchday ticket prices, the highest within the 26 counties, especially antagonised the support base.
Revolt from fans has been simmering throughout a dire season, manifesting in chants from The Shed, as well as a smoke bomb in June, but with the campaign petering out, the Rebel Army were intent on creating a spectacle on a live national broadcast.
Pleas from players in midweek for fans to channel their noise at backing the team were met by a joint statement from supporters’ groups explaining that the planned protest was aimed “squarely at the owner and the direction he is taking our club”.
City’s woes began with a 2020 relegation but, according to fans, the malaise was “accelerated” once Usher’s takeover from supporters’ trust FORAS was completed for the 2023 season. They’ve complained of “no clear vision and constant instability”.
Taking a ‘leaf’ out of the playbook for the tennis ball protest against John Delaney in 2019, City’s hardcore hurled rolls of toilet paper onto the pitch in a bid to delay kick-off.
It was designed to embarrass a sheepish-looking Usher sitting in the main stand but clearly the stunt was anticipated, for stewards had black bags at the ready to clear the pitch.
Black paint daubed on a white banner read: ‘End Kildare Rule, Usher Out’. The man who made his fortune from selling bathrooms resides in the K Club.
On the pitch, Freddie Anderson’s long ball allowed Maguire to supply one of his trademark finishes.
McLaughlin, who also scored in the quarter-final over Finn Harps, arrowed a shot over as the Saints floundered.
Time after time, set-pieces were wasted. Their nippy wingers were denied the freedom they gorge on.
There would be no siege from the Dubliners after the interval, rather a Kitt Nelson effort into the arms of Anang.
Jay McClelland dipped a shot wide of the far post but McLaughlin took control, firstly smashing a volley with his weaker right foot inside Anang’s post with 20 minutes left.
His repertoire was demonstrated by drilling a low shot with his left when Saints' hesitancy led to the ball dropping kindly.
Not since Dundalk in 2002 have a club won the FAI Cup and been relegated in the same season.
One piece of history City will be glad to match this year.
C Brann; D Crowley, F Anderson, R Feely, C Lyons (F Kelleher 77), J Fitzpatrick; A Nolan (K Kamara 77), G Bolger, E McLaughlin (S Murray 72), K Nelson (M Kiernan 78); S Maguire (B Lee 86).
J Anang; R McLaughlin (C Carty 66), J Redmond, T Grivosti, J McClelland (B Kavanagh 77); J Lennon (B Baggley 77), C Forrester; S Power, K Leavy (A Kazeem 79), J Garrick (J Mulraney 46); M Melia.
Rob Harvey (Dublin).
5,408.
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