Cork soccer: 100 years of FAI Cup memories for Munster Senior League clubs

100 years of Munster Senior League clubs on the national stage 2022 will be a special year in Irish football.

Not only will the FAI Cup celebrate 100 years, but the Munster Football Association will also mark its centenary.

The two have frequently crossed paths over the last century, with a number of clubs from the Munster Senior League progressing deep into the county’s premier cup competition.

The first team from the Munster Senior League to enter the FAI Cup was Fordsons in 1924.

After withdrawing from the competition before a ball was even kicked the previous season, the Cork club joined in the aftermath of their 1922–23 Munster Senior Cup success.

Their campaign began in the quarter-finals, as they were given a bye in the first round, and they beat Jacobs 2-0 in Dublin.

The semi-final draw saw Fordsons paired with St James’s Gate, who won a treble two years previously. The Cork club paid no attention to their list of titles and Fordsons booked their place in the final with a 4-0 win.

In the decider at Dalymount Park, 18,000 people turned up to see Fordsons lose 1-0 to Athlone Town, who were the only League of Ireland side from outside Dublin at the time.

Fordsons form wasn’t affected by the loss, as they won the MSL title shortly afterwards and a few months later they were elected to the League of Ireland.

Cork football had to wait until the 1968/'69 edition of the FAI Cup for the next MSL team to progress. This was Ringmahon Rangers and they beat Jacobs 3-1 in a replay to reach the quarter-finals. Their reward was a tie against Shamrock Rovers, who were on their way to their sixth successive FAI Cup. Ringmahon battled bravely in Glenmalure Park but they were beaten 4-0.

Tramore Athletic had a famous draw against Sligo Rovers in the first round of the 1979/'80 FAI Cup.

The reigning Intermediate Cup champions drew 0-0 at home with a Bit O’Red team who were two years on from their maiden League of Ireland title. A replay was needed to decide the tie and Sligo Rovers won 2-0.

One of the most famous stories from an MSL team in the FAI Cup was Cobh Ramblers’ run to the semi-finals in 1982-83.

They qualified for the competition after winning the Intermediate Cup and The Rams beat League of Ireland sides Dundalk and Finn Harps to set up a clash with Sligo Rovers in the last four.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw and the replay finished 2-2. When they met again, neither team scored. A third replay was needed and Sligo Rovers prevailed with a 3-2 victory at The Showgrounds. It was a marathon cup clash that captured the country’s imagination and as a result, the four games brought in 90,794 spectators.

Cup runs into the latter stages of the FAI Cup were few and far between following Cobh Ramblers’ marathon meeting with Sligo Rovers in the early 1980s.

Rockmount buckled this trend in 2004 and they narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-finals. Their cup story began against College Corinthians in the first round. The game ended 2-2 and Rockmount won the replay 3-2 in Donnybrook. Next up was a clash with Portmarnock and the MSL side won 3-1.

The last 16 brought Monaghan United, who were playing in the League of Ireland First Division, to Cork. Michael Deasy scored twice that day and Rockmount won 2-0, which set up a meeting with Waterford United in the quarter-finals.

The Cork club dominated the tie and they went 1-0 up through Stephen Hurley, who collected a pass from Shane Hennessey and slotted in.

Shortly after the restart, Pat Keane turned in a cross from Hurley to double Rockmount’s lead. Waterford hit back through Daryl Murphy and then Willie Bruton equalised. Rockmount pushed up after Burton’s strike and in injury time, Keane turned the ball in. The goal was ruled out over pushing and the game ended.

In the replay at Turner’s Cross, Willie Bruton knocked in a cross from Dave Mulcahy to put Waterford 1-0 up inside the first minute.

John Busteed made it 1-1 with a stunning strike and with seconds remaining in normal time, PJ Banville ran onto a through ball from Kenny Coleman and scored.

It took 10 years for another MSL team to reach the quarter-finals and it was Intermediate Cup kingpins Avondale United who reached that summit.

Their campaign began with a home game against Carrigaline United in the first round and Avondale won 4-1.

The result sent them on the road to face Collinstown and Avondale beat the Leinster Senior League side 2-0 in Dublin. The third round drew Avondale with FAI Junior Cup champions St Michael’s AFC and the two teams drew 0-0 in Tipperary. In Cork, Dave Warren and Danny Long both scored to put Avondale into the last eight.

Finn Harps awaited them in the quarter-finals. The League of Ireland side arrived as heavy favourites and they took the lead through Michael Funston. Avondale rallied and with 13 minutes remaining, Danny Long headed in to equalise.

A replay was needed to separate the two teams and this meant that Avondale had to travel up to Finn Park in Donegal. The MSL side went down 4-1, which ended their cup journey.

Over the last eight years, a number of MSL sides have progressed in the FAI Cup like Ringmahon Rangers and Cobh Wanderers, who reached the last 16 in 2016 and 2017.