FAI Cup: Douglas Hall will certainly give Cork City Women one hell of a game
Douglas Hall's Emma McCarthy and Wilton's Lydia Looney chase after a loose ball during the recent CWSSL Senior Womens Premier Division match in Garryduff. Picture: Howard Crowdy
Cork City Women and Douglas Hall will meet this Sunday in the quarter-final of the Club Orange Women's FAI Cup at Moneygourney, with kick-off at 2pm.
It's a local derby with plenty of crossover between the two squads, and the prize is a place in the competition's semi-finals alongside some of the biggest clubs in the country.
Elsewhere this weekend, Bohemians host Shelbourne at Dalymount Park, reigning champions Athlone Town welcome Shamrock Rovers to Lissywollen, while Galway United face Sligo Rovers in a Connacht derby at Moyne Villa.
For Cork City and Douglas Hall, the focus is simple: local bragging rights.
The Rebel Army reached this stage of the competition by defeating DLR Waves 1-0 at the Munster FA Turner's Cross Stadium.
Zoe Finnerty's 12th-minute goal assisted by Eva Mangan proved to be enough to secure City's place in the quarter-finals.
That victory was another sign of the team's resurgence under new manager Derek Coughlan, who replaced Barry Ryan earlier this year.
His appointment has coincided with a significant improvement in form after City began the season with seven consecutive defeats across the Women's Premier Division and the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup.
The Rebel Army have only lost three times since Coughlan was installed, and two of those results have been incurred to heavyweights Wexford and Athlone Town in recent weeks.
The combined score between the two games was 6-1, which is a sign of progress given how the season started.
City now have an opportunity to reach the Women's FAI Cup semi-finals for the second time in three seasons.
They last reached that stage of the competition in 2024 by defeating Douglas Hall and Bohemians, and their hopes of a day out at Tallaght Stadium were ended by Shelbourne at Tolka Park.
Douglas Hall, meanwhile, have had very different fortunes over the last two seasons. That period has seen the club establish itself as one of the strongest sides in the Junior Ladies GE HealthCare Premier Division, while winning local cups to reinforce their position.
The Hall have continued that dominance in 2026 and currently sit five points clear at the top of the table ahead of nearest challengers Wilton United.
Their impressive campaign has also seen them progress in the Ladies Challenge Cup and Steve Quinn Cup.
They also reached the semi-final of the FAI Amateur Cup and lost to Whitehall Rangers at Moneygourney.
Their performances in the FAI Cup have elevated this entire season, as the club knocked out Whitehall Rangers and League of Ireland side Dundalk to reach the quarter-final. The Lilywhites were downed at the beginning of July at Moneygourney, after making the journey to Cork full of confidence following a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Douglas Hall gave nothing away on home soil, and their reward was a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals of Rebeckah Grant and Clare Shine.
The former Republic of Ireland international famously scored the winning goal for Cork City in the 2017 Women's FAI Cup final against DLR Waves and is one of several players to have represented both clubs.
Tiffany Taylor, Nathalie O'Brien, Maggie Duncliffe and Lauren Murphy have also worn the green, white and red of Cork City before lining out for Douglas Hall.
Those shared connections add another layer to a derby that already carries significant stakes, with both local pride and a place in the Women's FAI Cup semi-finals on the line.
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