Pat’s hoping to book final spot
ST PATRICK’S Athletic are just 90 minutes away from securing a place in the FAI Cup Final and all they must do is beat Cork City again, who they narrowly dispatched on a 1-0 scoreline in the league last week.
This weekend is dedicated to the FAI Cup semi-final, with Bohemians facing Galway on Saturday and the Saints challenging the Rebels on Sunday, both games kicking off at 2.40pm at the Aviva Stadium.
Confidence will be high for Jon Daly’s men coming into the occasion after beating Cork in their most recent fixture, in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division at Turner’s Cross.
While the Inchicore outfit dominated much of the game, Cork did cause problems on the counter-attack – only being let down by their lackluster performance in front of goal.
When John O’Donovan was sent off on the hour mark, it gave St Pat’s license to push further forward, and Mark Doyle converted to take all three points.
It is an interesting tie for another reason as well, with former St Pat’s boss Liam Buckley doing solid work behind the scenes with Cork City as the sporting director.
The Perrystown native joined the club in that role in May but after Colin Healy’s departure, Buckley had been serving as interim manager.
Last Thursday it was announced that Richie Holland would take charge for the rest of the season, allowing Buckley to return to his new role as sporting director.
En route to the semi-final, St Pat’s have played all three games away from home, securing great wins over Derry City, Finn Harps and Longford Town.
Jobstown native Jonathan Afolabi has been in prolific form for Bohs so far this season, scoring in every round of the FAI Cup ahead of the semi-final on Saturday.
The 23-year-old is playing his best football, earning a call up to Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland senior men’s team and his brace against Sligo Rovers last Friday taking him to 17 goals in all competitions.
Securing passage to the semi-final, the former St Mark’s Community School student has scored four goals in three games, including a double in a 3-1 quarter final victory over Drogheda United last month.
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