College Corinthians hoping to create new history in FAI Intermediate Cup final against Ringmahon Rangers 

There’s not a football supporter in Ireland that doesn’t know the name College Corinthians, the club famous for producing current internationals Adam Idah and Megan Connolly.

Jake O’Brien and Chiedozie Ogbene also had stints in the blue and white jersey, in addition David Meyler and Matt Healy.

The list goes on and on, while a whole new generation dream of putting on the green jersey while hearing stories of those who came before on social media.

Saturday could see a whole new group become immortalised at Castletreasure, as Corinthians will be facing on Ringmahon Rangers in the FAI Intermediate Cup final at Turner’s Cross.

That’s the one trophy that is missing in Donnybrook, it got away twice and for the first time in a lifetime it is within reach.

And with that comes memories, of what happened 30-years-ago and how the trophy ‘should’ have been wrapped in blue and white ribbons on the road back to Cork.

Their first adventure came in the 1994-95 season, and ended with a defeat to Ulster Senior League side Fanad United at Terryland Park.

Corinthians had to take the long way to the decider in Galway, as their route to the final involved ties with Greenmount and St Francis, and a local derby with Avondale United in the quarter finals.

That campaign saw manager Fergus McDaid come up against his home county, but that had no bearing on a game magnified by the long wait for an Intermediate Cup triumph in Cork.

Tramore Athletic were the last team to win the competition, all the way back in 1987, and the hunger in Ireland’s second city was real. 

McDaid only looked internally as a source of inspiration, as he rallied his players for a game with a team that won the trophy in 1988.

“We will not be overawed by the opposition or the task facing us in trying to bring the cup back to Cork for the first time in almost a decade,” he told the Cork Examiner.

The words were for a group that included former Cobh Ramblers and Birmingham City player Eric Hogan. 

Niall Abbott also had a stint at St Colman’s Park, and Noel Healy was experience of playing for Cork City in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

All of this counted for very little on the day as Fanad United’s dug-deep to secure the win after scoring in just the eighth minute.

Corinthians got themselves back in that position three years later, and they did it the hard way by navigating a pathway that included bouts with Galway side Mervue United and local rivals Cobh Wanderers.

Cherry Orchard were on the other side of the draw, and the Dubliners were into their second final after losing to Bluebell United in 1993.

Once again there was heartbreak at the final hurdle, this time Corinthians losing 2-1 in the decider at Dalymount Park.

That stung. Not because of the defeat, but the way the Dubliners dominated and led twice on the day. 

‘Bitter’ and ‘hard to stomach’ was how McDaid described it in his post-match interview, following a game that saw goal-scorer Dave Morley sent off in the final minutes after picking up a second yellow card.

Nothing went on and Corinthians moved on, and their issue became getting to the final instead of winning the actual trophy at the start of the new millennium.

And then they defeated Douglas Hall in one of the biggest ever derbies that the competition has seen and it became real again, instead of a far-flung objective in the middle of a season that involves six different cup competitions and a league campaign.

Everything else was delivered at some stage along the way, from Premier Division titles to a cup treble during the 2021-22 season. 

They even reached the Munster Senior Cup final on one occasion, which is a harder competition to win over the presence of League of Ireland teams in the competition.

The desire for national silverware was satisfied at underage level, with various national cups going their way over the years.

Each one of those is special, and a testament to the youth-focused philosophy that guided a whole generation of senior Ireland internationals. Those are all big days out and in some cases, the highlight of a player’s career.

Saturday will see Corinthians contest the biggest one of all, with hopes of finally lifting the trophy that is the most coveted piece of silverware in Irish amateur football.