Athlone Town will face Bohemians in the FAI Cup Final in October thanks to a professional win over Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght.
Goals either side of the half from Kelly Brady and Madie Gibson ensured The town would return to the showpiece in October with the aspirations of going one better than last season as they battled past a strong Hoops side by the same score as in their league meeting last weekend.
The hosts, who had been dealt a massive blow during the week when star centre back Scarlett Herron joined SWPL side Hibernian - who coincidentally came on for her debut at the same time as this massive clash - to their credit showed no fear, flying out of the blocks hoping to catch their illustrious visitors cold.
Former Athlone striker Emily Corbet was making a nuisance of herself with some excellent hold up play and was inches away from finding the experienced Áine O'Gorman with a clever through ball that was quickly read by Megan Plaschko.
It took until the quarter of an hour mark for the visitors, somewhat surprisingly unchanged from the team that lost in Glasgow a few days previously, to come to life. As the powerful gusts swirled around the ground causing havoc for both sets of players, the exciting Roisin Molloy tested Shamrock Rovers player of the month, Summer Lawless, from distance. The Hoops stopper did well to get behind the moving ball, but spilled to the feet of Kelly Brady, who was unable to bundle home under pressure.
The double chasing visitors would have been forgiven for having some flashbacks of playing at a windswept Tallaght stadium in a huge FAI Cup game, similar to the conditions in last season’s final defeat, as Stephanie Zambra’s side began to ramp up the pressure.
The O’Gorman-Corbet axis combined well again with the former stinging the palms sandwiched in between two big chances for Corbet. The first of these was a beautiful curler from 25 yards that narrowly missed the top corner but the clearest chance was yet to come. Ella Kelly showed tremendous pace to burst down the left flank and cut back to the striker who shot straight at the grateful Plaschko with the goal at her mercy.
Despite the turbulence in the background of the club, and on the pitch thanks to the conditions, the visitors showed just why they were champions, weathering the storm and, on the stroke of half-time, got themselves in front when O’Gorman was fractionally late, clipping Hannah Waesch as she burst into the area.
And just as she did over a week ago Kelly Brady got on the scoresheet against the Hoops, this time keeping calm to slot home the penalty into the bottom right corner to give her side a valuable lead.
Looking for a bit more control in the second half, interim boss John Sullivan introduced Jamaican International Izzy Groves from the bench and straight into the engine room, swinging the tide in their favour.
And it was The Town who were unlucky not to double their lead moments later. From a dangerously whipped Maddie Gibson corner, Kate Slevin managed to wriggle free in a crowded box and guide a header back across goal that was inches away from finding the bottom corner.
The reigning champions were finding their groove and began popping the ball around confidently against the resilient Rovers and, despite having a quieter game than her normal high standard, it was the talismanic Madie Gibson who struck her side's second with just over a quarter of an hour remaining.
Following some neat one touch passing, the ball eventually found its way to Groves who played a clever ball in behind Fiona Owens to find the American winger.
Gibson, who’s powerful early shot seemed to catch out Lawless at the near post, crept in to ensure her side would return to Tallaght in five weeks' time, for their fourth FAI Cup final in a row, hoping to repeat the feat of 2023 and bring the trophy back to Westmeath.
Shamrock Rovers: Summer Lawless; Fiona Owens, Maria Reynolds, Aoife Brophy, Ella Kelly; Melissa O’Kane (Katie O’Reilly, 69’), Jamie Thompson; Anna Butler (Della Cowper-Gray, 80’), Mia Dodd (Claire O’Reilly, 58’), Aine O’Gorman; Emily Corbet
Athlone Town: Megan Plaschko; Kellie Brennan, Kayleigh Shine, Natalie McNally, Shauna Brennan: Hannah Waesch, Kate Slevin; Roisin Molloy (Isabel Ryan, 76’), Alexis Strickland (Izzy Groves, 46’), Madie Gibson (Hazel Donegan, 84’), Kelly Brady
Referee: Ryan Maher
