Treaty aim to open up a new chapter
HISTORY is on the line for Treaty United this afternoon as they aim to reach their first FAI Women’s Senior Cup final. The Limerick side crave a place in the December 12 showpiece, which will be broadcast live on RTÉ2 as a standalone event for the first time – and they know the prestige that reaching such a stage and the exposure that goes with it will bring..
Cork City, who lifted the Cup in 2017, stand in the way and Treaty manager Dave Rooney feels the Women’s National League clash between the sides in early September will have little bearing on today’s game.
Rooney has spent the past week working on a specific game plan and, from the form they have shown consistently this season, his side shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Rebranded and re-energised from the now defunct Limerick FC, Treaty United have won three league games and a Cup quarterfinal and Rooney’s shrewd stewardship is one of the main reasons why they go into this final-four clash with a positive mindset and a genuine belief that they can make history.
‘If we can keep a clean sheet then I believe we have a great chance of winning the game, because I believe that we can score. So keeping a clean sheet is our first target,’ said Rooney.
‘Both teams know each other very well. It’s a local derby but it’s a friendly rivalry.
‘They are the favourites so the pressure will be on them, so it’s up to us to catch them off-guard and to play to our strengths.
‘If you had said to me at the start of the year that we would be in the semi-finals of the FAI Cup and be in with a chance of finishing best of the rest in Group 2 then I would have viewed that as being a successful season. But there’s still a lot to play for.
‘We know what is at stake on Sunday and the impact that reaching the final could have, but we’ve taken everything training session by training session and game by game,’ he added.
‘So we just need to focus on this next game and play to how we know we can.’
In the other semi-final, holders Wexford Youths have home advantage over the side they have beaten in the last two deciders, Peamount United.
Motivation won’t be difficult for either side to call on.
Wexford want to make it three Cup wins in a row, while League champions Peamount are chasing a domestic double after being knocked out of the UEFA Women’s Champions League in midweek despite performing admirably against Glasgow City.
Both semi-finals will kick off at 2pm and they promise to be enthralling encounters.
Women’s FAI Cup semi-finals (KO 2pm): Cork City v Treaty United, Bishopstown Stadium; Wexford Youths v Peamount United, Ferrycarrig Park.