Cork City 3
Waterford 0
Stephen Barry reports from Turner’s Cross
RUAIRÍ KEATING SCORED an emotional goal within a minute as Cork City advanced to the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup for the first time since 2018.
The Leesiders’ top-scorer pointed skyward in tribute to his late father, Ciarán. The emotional significance of the strike, his ninth of the season, was obvious to his teammates as they flocked to the striker.
Josh Honohan wrapped up this Munster derby before Waterford could wake up and Cian Bargary added the cherry on top late on.
If this Storm Betty-delayed second-round tie is to prove a promotion/relegation play-off rehearsal, it showed Waterford still have much ground to make up on their rivals down the south coast.
There was a minute’s silence for former FAI president and lifelong Cork football volunteer Tony Fitzgerald before kick-off.
It took City the exact same length of time to open the scoring, with Keating, back in the starting team, netting for the first time since the passing of his father last month.
Jaze Kabia won possession (far from the last time in a performance full of graft) before City found space down the right through Kevin Custovic and Bargary. He pulled it back for Keating who produced a clever finish back across the keeper.
They extended that lead in the 17th minute from a Ben Worman corner. Honohan, who scored in the first-round victory over Treaty United, doubled his Cup tally, overpowering his marker to bundle in with a diving header at the back post.
The Custovic-Bargary partnership along the right flank is starting to show real promise and they almost created another two minutes later. The Swede’s defence-splitting ball sent Kabia in and he smacked the crossbar. Keating was next to come close but Sam Sargeant was equal to his snapshot.
Waterford’s first real threat came when Christie Pattison skinned his man down the right and skittled his effort across the goal and inches wide.
City were otherwise untroubled as they starved record-breaking Blues’ goalscorer Ronan Coughlan (32 goals this season) of any space or supply. More worryingly for Keith Long, he limped off the field in obvious pain after 51 minutes when injured attempting to reach a driven cross.
Keating saw two long-range efforts whistle over the bar, one created by another Kabia tackle and the other by a Bargary run. Otherwise, he continued to bully the Waterford centre-backs under long balls throughout.
Cian Coleman was in inspired form at the back while Aaron Bolger produced a sliding block to deny teenager Romeo Akachukwu. Darragh Power and Serge Atakayi injected some freshness into the Blues’ right flank and their good work allowed Atakayi to blast just wide.
City’s new signings Andrii Kravchuk and Malik Dijksteel both made their debuts off the bench as they experienced a first City win at the Cross since the start of June.
They capped it with a goal celebration, fellow substitute Barry Coffey’s cross headed in by Bargary, who was full of running right to the end.
Waterford ended with 10 men, Roland Idowu shown his second yellow six minutes into stoppage time.
CORK CITY: O Byrne; K Čustović, C Coleman, J Honohan, C Drinan (J O’Donovan 90+2); R Stanulevičius (A Kravchuk 82), A Bolger (O Crowe 90+2); C Bargary, B Worman (M Dijksteel 70), J Kabia (B Coffey 70); R Keating.
WATERFORD: S Sargeant; N O’Keeffe (D Power 70), D Baker, G Phillips, R Burke; C Pattisson (S Atakayi 70), R Akachukwu (D McMenamy 75), S Perry, C Parsons; R Idowu; R Coughlan (C Cresswell 51).
Referee: E O’Shea.