Cork Youth League beat Waterford to reach FAI Youth Cup final
Cork Youth's Adrien Thibaut celebrates his side's opening goal against Waterford. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Cork 4 Waterford 1
THE Cork Youth League are through to the final of the FAI Centenary Youth Interleague Cup as they comfortably defeated the Waterford District Association Football League 4-1 on the astroturf at Moneygourney on Saturday afternoon.
A superbly taken brace from Adrien Thibaut as well as neat finishes from Stephen Kennedy and Dylan O’Regan Forde ensured it was Cork that progressed to the showpiece occasion with this sensational win over a talented Waterford side, who grabbed a stunning late consolation through Hugh Munro.
The Rebels will now travel to and then face the Galway District League in the cup decider following their 2-1 victory against the Wexford Football League on the same afternoon.
This was expected to be a tough battle as is usually the case when a team from Cork faces a team from Waterford for a Munster Derby but the home side dominated here from the first whistle.
It took them just 11 minutes to finally make their superiority count on the scoreboard when Thibaut, who scored the two goals in their quarter-final win over Limerick back at the beginning of December, blasted his team into the lead with a thunderous finish.
O’Regan Forde’s cross from the left flank picked out the run of Thibaut and from close range, the number 10 emphatically drilled the ball into the roof of the net on the half volley.
The hosts continued to pile forward and just four minutes later they were celebrating their second goal of the game thanks to Stephen Kennedy.
The excellent Adam Delurey whipped in a dangerous cross from the left and Kennedy used his pace to get to the ball before the goalkeeper and he expertly tucked it home to put Cork in complete control of this tie.
Waterford went close to reducing the deficit midway through the half but Andrew Norris could only fire over after Ryan Walsh’s floated cross found him unmarked inside the penalty area.
Captain Daniel Apantaku then produced an incredible last-ditch tackle to prevent Hugh Munro from racing clear where he surely would've made it 2-1 just before half-time.
The Leesiders regrouped during the interval and they all but sealed the victory moments after the restart when they made it 3-0 following a superb move.
Jack Dennehy’s incisive pass out from defence released Delurey and his delivery from just inside the box was turned in from a difficult angle at the back post by O’Regan Forde.
Delurey claimed another assist just past the hour when his fine free-kick was flicked past the keeper by Thibaut to complete his own brace.
But they wouldn’t march on to the final with a clean sheet as Munro, who had earlier struck the crossbar with a free from distance, sent a dipping effort into the net from 25 yards late on.
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