Shamrock Rovers take out Cork City after extra time in FAI Cup final rematch

Shamrock Rovers 4 Cork City 1 (after extra time)

Substitute John McGovern bagged a brace as holders Shamrock Rovers needed extra-time to see off First Division leaders Cork City at Tallaght.

The scoreline will flatter Stephen Bradley’s side as two of the goals, through McGovern and youngster Max Kovalevskis, arrived in the final nine minutes as the quality of the Hoops bench created a chasm unseen during the regulation time.

European commitments were foremost in the thought process around scheduling the first round of FAI Cup fixtures for league clubs on this weekend, making it understandable for Rovers to overhaul their team.

Having achieved the minimum target of hurdling the first round of the Champions League by sweeping aside Floriana on Tuesday, and heading to Yerevan on Sunday, Bradley opted for nine changes to his selection.

The only outfield player to retain his spot, Pico Lopes, also made way at half-time for Lee Grace in what seemed a pre-arranged move, with the Armenian assignment in mind.

Rovers will hope to have Will Fitzgerald on the flight after lodging a bid of €75,000 with Sligo Rovers for their captain – just days after losing their manager John Russell to Shelbourne.

Few teams have the luxury of rotating their team to promote €2m-rated striker Michael Noonan from the margins. Maleace Asamoah, who two years ago was brought by Wigan Athletic for €550,000, had to settle for a substitute’s appearance as the Hoops chased a winner in the second half.

He was inches from providing it with the last kick of the 94 minutes, drilling his low shot fractionally off-target, with Conor Brann glued to his line, but did earn the extra-time penalty that reclaimed the lead.

Runaway First Division leaders Cork City didn’t need to rest any of their main cast and their cohesive structure frustrated an expectant home crowd in the opening stages.

Indeed, City almost caught the Hoops cold inside the first minute when Charlie Lyons was left unmarked from Greg Bolger’s corner, only to hook his half-volley from eight yards over.

Bolger is still holding his own in the engine-room at the ripe age of 37. He began his League of Ireland career at UCD alongside Enda Stevens and, after the pair were rival coaches in last week’s U20 fixture between the teams, they revived their battle on the pitch here.

Stevens usually has fellow thirtysomething Graham Burke in front of him generating the wizardry but as the track-suited matchwinner from Tuesday sat in the stand this was the platform for a younger cohort to shine.

Cian Barrett, back from a loan spell at Waterford, was first to threaten for Rovers with a volley that Brann batted away before Kovalevskis, from the right flank, forced the stopper to turn around his shot at the near post for a corner.

Still, the visitors fashioned the best opening midway through the first half on the breakaway from the Rovers corner. Hans Mpongo has been prolific this term, collecting a dozen goals so far, and he’ll rue not adding an FAI Cup one when sent clear from his own half.

Once the Dutchman veered wide rather than straight, the angle was narrowing, affording Ed McGinty a comfortable save.

Amid the tension came a moment of brilliance just 19 seconds after the restart. Stevens contributed a minor part by laying a pass into Naj Razi’s feet, but the teenager delivered the rest by cutting in from the right and unleashing a 25-yard rasper which arrowed into the top corner.

Seven minutes later, City were level through a penalty. Luke O’Regan, on his first start for the Hoops, mistimed his tackle on Darragh Crowley, enabling the experienced Keating to send McGinty the wrong way from the spot.

Staunch defending by the Rebels restricted the champions to scant goalmouth action but pressure was likely to tell with every star substitute they sent into the fray.

One of City’s late entrants, teenager Donal O’Connor, was guilty of catching Asamoah four minutes extra-time and his goalkeeper was unlucky not to keep out McGovern’s spot-kick. Not even his strong arm could prevent the ball looping up into the net.

O’Regan atoned for his earlier mishap by teeing up McGovern to round Brann for 3-1 before the scorer turned supplier by squaring for Kovalevskis to find the top corner.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: E McGinty; T Sobowale (M Asamoah 64), P Lopes (L Grace 46), E Stevens; M Kovalevskis, M Healy (A Brennan 76), C Barrett (J O’Sullivan 76), L O’Regan; N Razi, A Greene (J Byrne 91); M Noonan (J McGovern 76).

CORK CITY: C Brann; K Feely (H Nevin 95), F Kelleher, C Lyons (D O’Connor 90), C Drinan; D Crowley, G Bolger (J Aidoo 105); J Fitzpatrick (N O’Keeffe 60), C Murphy (M Murray 105), H Mpongo; R Keating.

Referee: Rob Harvey (Dublin).