St Patrick’s Athletic 6 Finn Harps 1
If Finn Harps and their supporters had travelled to Dublin hoping against hope that the romance of the cup might manifest itself in a sort of great, one off date, they were sorely disappointed for their hosts, who now get another chance to resolve their own long-term relationship issues with this competition next month, proved to be not just from a higher league but of a different class.
The campaign to retain their league title has been all but lost due to bouts of indifferent form which sometimes struck against clearly inferior opposition. Here, though, they certainly looked like champions again with three goals in each half a perfectly fair enough reflection of their superiority against players who generally looked like they accepted deep down that this was where this year’s cup run was supposed to end.
The Dubliners’ reward is an eighth appearance in the final since they last lifted the trophy way back in 1961 although they’ll have to wait until Tuesday night to discover whether their opponents this time will be their close rivals Shamrock Rovers or Derry City, the side that has beaten them on each of the last two occasions they’ve got this far.
"It's great to be in another final regardless," said Liam Buckley afterwards. "It's always a great day and a great occasion although there's still a fair bit of playing to be done if we're finally going to win the thing again.
“On seven occasions we’ve tried but lost and I really have no idea why that is. But I can guarantee that every one of our lads will see themselves winning this final. History isn’t a burden; we can make our own history. We gave it right go a couple of years ago. Hopefully, this time we’ll get the bit of luck you need.”
Buckley admitted to having been just a little concerned when Harps declined to lie down after the first goal had gone in but, he said, “at 3-1 we knew that if we kept the ball in the second half we’d get chances and that’s the way it turned out. I thought we were very comfortable in the end.”
His opposite number, Ollie Horgan, could scarcely dispute that really and while he lamented the fact that his players "didn't really come out for the second half", he acknowledged readily enough that the game was essentially lost when the goal that made it 3-1 was conceded just before half-time. "That killed us but look, the better team won today".
Having fallen behind early on, Harps had briefly threatened to make a real match of it when they equalised 29 minutes in courtesy of Packie Mailey’s looping header off Gareth Harkin’s corner.
The centre back’s celebration was quite something with Mailey looking like a man possessed as he made for the visitors’ bench where Horgan must have been hoping that the goal might convince his team generally that they could play as equals through the rest of the afternoon. The notion was dashed quickly enough, though, with run of the mill mistakes repeatedly landing his side in trouble and the home side establishing that two goal lead by the break without ever, it seemed, having to work too hard at it.
Their first of the day had come from a fine Killian Brennan free that flew direct into the top left corner from 25 years and after Mailey's equaliser, it briefly seemed as if every set piece might end with the ball in the back of the net for the game's third goal came from another corner, Brennan's this time, with Sean Hoare's header lacking power but still somehow creeping in at the far post.
Conan Byrne then doubled the lead a minute or so before the break, from play this time with Fagan providing the through ball and the midfielder coolly chipping goalkeeper Conor Winn who, not for the last time over the course of the afternoon, gambled by coming a long way out and lost.
Harps were left needing to turn the game completely on its head in the second half but initially showed no real ambition to go for the goals they required. The locals coasted, completely in control, and when Harps did eventually start to nudge forward, Buckley’s men happily began to exploit the space that was left behind.
Brennan made it four when he pushed a Keith Fahey ball past Winn then fired home well from a narrow angle. After which Fagan and Byrne added easy goals to round off the scoring.
Long since dead as a contest, the game still ended just a little acrimoniously as Gareth Harkin was shown a straight red for a challenge on Chris Forrester, Horgan followed from the dugout for his reaction and 19 year-old St Patrick's Athletic substitute Sam Verdon was stretchered off following a challenge by Seán McCarron that might well have resulted in another sending off.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Clarke; O'Brien, Hoare, Browne, Bermingham; Chambers; Byrne, Fahey (Vernon, 81 mins), Brennan (McCormack, 73 mins), Forrester; Fagan (Durrad, 73 mins).
FINN HARPS: Winn; McNulty, P Mailey, Cowan, McGonagle; J Mailey (O'Callaghan, 81 mins); Funston (McCarron, 65 mins), McCann, Harkin, Coll (McGrory, 65 mins); McHugh.
Referee: D Tomney (Dublin).
