Peamount look primed to bring up double at Cork City’s expense

Women’s FAI Cup Final: Cork City v Peamount United, Tallaght stadium, Saturday, 3.15 – Live on RTÉ2

Cork City will aim to repeat their surprise FAI Cup success of 2017 when they take on league champions Peamount United in Tallaght on Saturday afternoon. The Dubliners start as firm favourites to complete the double but manager James O’Callaghan insists that his side “will have to be on our game if we are to lift the Cup”.

Both sides are close to full strength for the game and with the league having been wrapped up a week early, O’Callaghan had the luxury of resting key players for Peamount’s 2-1 defeat of Wexford Youth last weekend.

His side beat City 3-0 at home and away over the course of the shortened season, finishing 14 points ahead of them in the end and that, along with the experience of players like of league top scorer Áine O’Gorman, Karen Duggan and Claire Walsh explains Peamount’s status as favourites.

City, though, are seen as a coming team with a talented group of very young players being brought through by the club’s former academy manager Ronan Collins.

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Just four players survive from the team that beat UCD Waves in the final at the Aviva stadium three years ago and one or two of those who have emerged as stars of the side since are about to depart. Goalkeeper, and captain, 19-year-old Maria O’Sullivan is only in a position to participate because her departure for a scholarship at Fordham University in New York was delayed from the autumn due to coronavirus.

Collins can point to the run of six league wins on the trot, with 18 goals scored, that his side went on after an opening day defeat by this weekend's opponents, as evidence of what they are capable of and the likes of Saoirse Noonan and Christina Dring, both of whom have winners' medals, have the potential to make big impacts on the game. They probably need to and even at that, City look to have their work cut out.