THIS SUNDAY SEES the four remaining teams in the FAI Cup battle it out for a place in the final.
Before the semi-final draw was made, I felt that home advantage was going to be key. There isn’t much between the teams in the meeting of Shamrock Rovers and Derry City. Both squads are quite similar in terms of quality, potential and how they have performed this year.
Neither have been able to show much consistency. If both of these sides were playing at a neutral venue you would probably find it difficult to call. On their day, Derry have goals anywhere around the park whereas you would question Rovers’ ability to score from all around the pitch as they have been quite shy of doing that.
I know Jason McGuinness has scored a couple and got one in the EA Sports Cup final but he is capable of being more of a threat from set-pieces.
It is an evenly-matched contest but the fact that the game is in Tallaght should be significant in that it will be an advantage towards the Hoops especially if they can get the crowds there.
Since Pat Fenlon has gone in, there has been a little bit of an injection into the club in terms of enthusiasm. The season is over in four weeks so you would think that a strong home support will show up on Sunday, which could swing it in Rovers’ favour.
The other game, between St Patrick’s Athletic and Finn Harps, is a different matter. Pat’s may be heavy favourites but I don’t believe it’s a foregone conclusion. The issue is be what will Richmond Park be in terms of an atmosphere at 1.45pm on a Sunday afternoon?
It won’t be an issue for Finn Harps, who will be well used to playing in front of less enthusiastic crowds, but it could be for the home team. With it being early, I would be fearful of the atmosphere.
The Pat’s crowd can be fickle at times and can sometimes go missing. The core supporters are great but they can struggle trying to generate an atmosphere at that ground. If they can do that, the place will be hopping as there is no doubt that it is one of the best grounds to play in.
But the league has almost gone beyond them but are the casual fans going to come out and support them at that time on a Sunday afternoon? They are league champions and should be well capable to deal with it but that could be an issue as Richmond Park can be a very quiet place.
If they turn up on their day and go about their business in a professional way, however, it shouldn’t be a problem.
