FAI Cup semi-finals and finals are occasions to create heroes. These can come from established stars, such as Patrick McEleney scoring the winners in both ties for Dundalk last year.
Or Achille Campion coming from the bench to set Cork City on the way to the 2017 Cup final and make himself a hero.
Achille Campion gives Cork City the equaliser in the #FAIcupfinal pic.twitter.com/BDPSfT5WUc
— Soccer Republic (@SoccRepublic) November 5, 2017
This weekend's games offer the opportunity for some new heroes to emerge.
We have taken a look at some slightly less heralded players who have had a big impact on their team’s season and could help them to glory.
Rob Cornwall - Bohemians
The defensive record of Bohemians in 2019 is a curious one. A superb start disappeared as soon as the warm evenings of May arrived. Or maybe it was the absence of Rob Cornwall. Through the first 14 games of the season, Bohs had conceded a stingy four goals – half what any other team did. 11 of those games had clean sheets. Notably, no team scored against the Gypsies from open play until the Michael Duffy – Georgie Kelly combination for Dundalk in week 16.
Much credit was attributed to the off-season additions of the two Jameses, Finnerty and Talbot. However, when Cornwall began a run of 14 missed games with injury in their week 15 game to Cork City, it ended in a first home loss of the season. They would get just one point from five games and conceded 11 goals from six.
Since May, Bohs have only conceded fewer goals than Sligo Rovers, Finn Harps, Waterford and UCD. Shutouts only happened four times with three of those occurring in scoreless draws. The dominant defending from open play evaporated with 12 of their last 14 goals going that way.
Cornwall returned for the monster 10-1 win over UCD and maintained his place in the narrow 1-0 loss to Shamrock Rovers as well as the two games since. In total, Bohs concede double the amount of goals when Cornwall does not start – 0.53 with and 1.06 without.
It was not just Cornwall’s absence. Keith Long has been unable to settle on a consistent line-up at the back. At the heart of the early stout run, the manager used the same quartet of defenders for six games on the bounce. Since then only once has he had an unchanged rearguard. Having his preferred back four on Friday could be key to reaching a second final of the summer era.
Alan Mannus – Shamrock Rovers
Much of the focus on the improvement of Shamrock Rovers has been on the array of attacking talent they have added. The impact of mercurial forwards Jack Byrne, Graham Burke, Aaron McEneff, etc. is clear. But a greater improvement has come from reducing goals conceded rather than increasing goals scored. Goals scored have increased by 9% but the amount conceded is down 13%.
Alan Mannus has statistically been Shamrock Rovers best 'keeper since his first spell as number one from 2009 to 2011. Since he returned to the team last July, Mannus has played every minute of the 43 league games since and kept 24 clean sheets. Their previous 24 clean sheets took 67 games. And that was between four different netminders. In total nine were used in the seven-year gap without the Northern Irishman.
He immediately impacted the defence upon his return, helping to bring the goals conceded per game from 0.88 without him to 0.45 in his starts during 2018. The impact has been felt in the derbies too with five goals conceded in his five matches, though two were penalties. The five previous derbies resulted in eight conceded. While Dundalk may have put three past him during the week, it was the first time the Hoops have conceded more than twice in the league during his second spell.
He is one of three players to play all 2,880 minutes this season with fellow semi-finalists James Talbot and Gary Rogers also on the list. Bohs struggle for goals since the demolition of UCD (seven in seven since) will not be made any easier by having to beat a last line of defence like Mannus.
Georgie Kelly – Dundalk
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There has been little alteration for Dundalk season-to-season in terms of achievements, but it is a different story when it comes to change itself. Changes to starting line-ups that is. Last year they changed their starting XI the third-lowest amount in the league. This year they have made the third-most changes. One reason for that is that their squad depth has improved. An example is Georgie Kelly, who only six players have more open play goals than the Derry native in the entire league, yet he has only made five league starts. Not on that six-man list is Patrick Hoban – they both have seven goals.
Kelly has scored a goal every 87 minutes while Hoban is more than double that on 187. The last time anyone with more than three starts had a better record was David McMillan in 2014, he had a goal every 82. Oriel Park likes a super sub.
What is interesting with Kelly is that he is scoring important goals and not just taking advantage of a tired defence late in games when the team is already in front. Two of his goals came when losing and two when drawing. They include scoring when trailing to Bohs in May and Derry City in July. Those are the last two occasions Dundalk have trailed in the league this year.
Kelly also made crucial interventions in this edition of Dundalk’s perennial cup runs. He has already scored winning goals to eliminate Cobh Ramblers (as a starter) and in extra-time against Derry City (as a substitute).
A familiar role from the bench is likely for Kelly on Sunday but if the player who has been subbed on more times than any other in the league this year (18) is called on again, he might be a game changer.
Ronan Coughlan – Sligo Rovers
It may sound odd to select a player with nine league goals as being under the radar. But Ronan Coughlan’s strike partner Romeo Parkes has earned more of the attention due to his 11 goals, the third-most in the Premier Division. Only Dinny Corcoran’s 12 in 2015 has bettered this in the Bit o’Red since Anthony Elding’s 13 in 2013.
The #bitored squad has players from these shores and all around the world.
— Sligo Rovers (@sligorovers) September 26, 2019
Together this year they were #BorninTheShowgrounds, the place where so many #FAICup stories were written, and a blank page remains to try for one more tale.
Let them know what they mean to you Sunday pic.twitter.com/XVKnjO4CHc
Parkes has contributed 31% of Sligo Rovers league goals which is the most of any individual. But Dundalk cannot afford to focus solely on him. Second on that list is Coughlan at 25%. Having 56% of your goals coming from two players is very high, only two other teams have their two top scorers contributing over 40%.
Coughlan’s efficiency is on a par with the Jamaican, he has scored a goal every 228 minutes which is fractionally behind the 226 of Parkes. Two-thirds of Coughlan’s goals have been in home games. Eight of the 11 for Parkes have been away from home with his pace suited to counter-attacking football.
Coughlan’s collection of goals includes two headers from set-pieces. It would be a stretch to consider this a weakness of a fantastic Dundalk defence but 47% of goals conceded by Dundalk have been from set-plays – almost the highest percentage in the league. While a high 42% of Sligo goals have come that way.
That may give some confidence to Liam Buckley with the fact that only Derry City (four) have scored more than the three goals Sligo have against the Lilywhites and with two of those three being set-pieces.
It has given Rovers more points against the champions than anyone else this season. Another result would give Dundalk their first cup defeat in an away game since 2013.
Follow Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers (7.45pm Friday) and Sligo Rovers v Dundalk (5pm Sunday) with our FAI Cup semi-final live blogs on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News Now App, watch live on RTÉ2 and listen live on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra
