Cork Youth Leagues 5-2 Limerick & District League
This is Cork’s second win ever in this tournament and the only other time they won this Cup was back in 2012 in a side that included Preston North End’s Alan Browne.
The opening exchanges of this game were a tight affair, but it was to be Cork with ten players in their squad who will be playing the FAI Youth Cup Final next week between Ballincollig and Ringmahon, to score first after 12 minutes. A Ciaran Kearney corner was kept in play at the back post by Matthew Draper and David Hurley falling to man of the match Jordan O’Regan to poke home.
The game was level on 26 minutes with Ruairi Casserly firing home from 16 yards after Troy O’Sullivan had blocked Jack Barry’s shot.
But Cork struck the front on the half hour when Dean Swords played in Kearney who made no mistake finishing low to the net.
Casserly scored his second of the day on 36 minutes when he got free on the edge of the box and fired past Owen O’Sullivan in the Cork goal.
With the teams tied two apiece at the interval, it was all to play for in the second half. But on 60 minutes O’Regan popped up with his second of the day when he finished home the rebound after Sean McNamara had done well to save Kearney’s shot.
Limerick tried for the equaliser but it never arrived and the game was put beyond doubt in the closing five minutes when substitutes Chris Hull and Matthew Whelan scored. Hull fired home from 20 yards of the underside of the crossbar on 85, while Whelan tapped home Kearney’s cross to seal the victory in stoppage time.
Cork Youth Leagues: Eoin O’Sullivan; Bryan Cotter (Aaron Quilligan 90), Troy O’Sullivan, Matthew Draper, Scott McCarthy; Darren Murphy (Chris Hull 69), Shay Daly, Dean Swords, David Hurley, Ciaran Kearney; Jordan O’Regan (Matthew Whelan 83).
Subs not used: Chris Hull, Aaron Quilligan, Matthew Whelan, James Cotter, Simon Falvey, Nathan Brown, Shane Hogan.
Limerick and District League: Sean McNamara; Clive Healy, Dylan Sheehan, Steve Daly, Ben Quirke; Dylan Kennedy (Aaron Murphy 71), Eoghan Creegan, Anthony Barrett (Dean Shinners 54), Jack Barry (Trevor Daly 37); David Hannon, Ruairi Casserly.
Subs not used: Jack Cross, Shane Donnegan, Seamus Moloney, Robert Madigan.
Referee: Jonathan Walshe (Tipperary)
Report by Stephen Walsh