Final frontier:
Graham Cummins celebrates the opening goal of the night in Cork City’s 2-1 replay victory over Bohemians which booked their place in the FAI Cup final against bitter rivals Dundalk
CORK CITY showed just why they are the kings of the cup in the domestic game as a hard-fought and tense semi-final replay win at home to Bohemians booked their ticket to a fourth successive final.
For the fourth year in a row, the final will be a divvy-up between Cork and Dundalk, Bohemians’s road to Lansdowne Road running short at the semi-final stage.
Another Cork-Dundalk final also means that Shamrock Rovers and Waterford are guaranteed Europa League football next season.
For Bohemians and their 700-strong support last night, the highlight of their evening was a stunning second-half goal from defender Ian Morris, a contender for goal of the season, but the Gyspies’ season is now over, denied what would have been a first final appearance in a decade.
Worst
Bohs looked out of sorts and out of the game at half-time, Keith Long’s outfit 2-0 down after one of the worst 45-minute displays of the season, a spell when nothing went right or looked right for the men in white.
Bohs were much better in the second half, that superb strike from distance by Morris – only his third goal of the season – some reward for their efforts.
But the second-half bravado was not enough as the damage was done in that first period, Cork were dominant before they were pegged back for spells late on.
But this side know how to win semi-finals – it’s a long time since they lost one – and it showed.
“It was a hard game. In the first half, I thought we were excellent. In the second half Bohs really came at us. You expected that,” said Cork striker Graham Cummins.
“Fair play to the boys, they dug in in the end and that’s all that matters. Now there’s a final in four weeks.”
Bohs have played some thrilling football in their recent nine-game winning run but that was absent in the early stages of his battle, Bohs second best at everything in the first half, a period when nothing worked or looked right.
This Cork side know how to win a semi-final and they showed that with their first-half display, though the second half was more a test of what they were about.
A sluggish Bohs looked like they were there for the taking.
And they were taken on the halfhour mark when Cork took the lead.
A Darragh Leahy foul led to a freekick, left-back Shane Griffin sent the ball into the box and when Sean McLoughlin flicked the ball on, Cummins was first to react as his diving header had the beating of Shane Supple in the Bohs goal.
Bohs did react by scoring, but Derek Pender was offside and the goal was disallowed.
Supple was beaten again on 36 minutes. City ’keeper Mark McNulty was the instigator as his long ball was aimed at Cummins, he managed to win his aerial battle with Morris and the flicked header from Cummins fell just right for Karl Sheppard who went between defenders Darragh Leahy and Rob Cornwall and he fired home past Supple.
Long and his assistant Trevor Croly seemed to get some confidence into their side at the break as they had more shape about them in the second half, and were more of a threat.
Centre-half Morris was not seen as a goal threat but the ex-Leeds United man will scarcely have scored a better one than his strike on 58 minutes.
Morris took the ball inside his own half, moved just outside of the centre circle and let fly with a shot which went past McNulty, on to the underside of the bar and over the line.
There was a delay in the decision by ref Neil Doyle to give the goal but it was awarded.
That gave them confidence and impetus, JJ Lunney shooting from distance soon after, Kevin Devaney forcing a save from McNulty and it was nervy in the latter stages, especially during five minutes of added time, and tensions were raised when Bohs retained possession after the ball had been sent out so Sheppard could be treated.
But Cork held on, and marched on, to yet another final, job done for John Caulfield who can now put a winning finish to a difficult season.
CORK - McNulty; McCarthy, Bennett, McLoughlin, Griffin; Keohane, Morrissey (McCormack 65); Sheppard (Barry 89), Buckley, Sadlier (McNamee 77); Cummins.
BOHS - Supple; Pender, Morris, Cornwall, Leahy; Lunney, Buckley (Byrne 91); Grant (Reghba 77), Ward (Stokes 86), Devaney; Corcoran.
REF – Neil Doyle.