Cork City get back to winning ways with derby win over Waterford

Could this be the spark to ignite a late-season City revival?

Ruairí Keating scored an emotional goal within a minute, pointing skyward in tribute to his late father, Ciarán.

Josh Honohan wrapped up this Munster derby before Waterford could wake up and Cian Bargary added the cherry on top late on.

It sends Cork City into the FAI Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2018, when they were contesting their fourth final in a row.

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 N25.

City now have four days to recover for a league trip to Drogheda United which could make or break their hopes of automatic survival.

Such has been the swing in momentum between the top-tier strugglers and promotion chasers that the bookies made Waterford favourites for this tie. That confidence was mirrored by the strong away support among the 2,407 attendance at Turner’s Cross.

City entered with just one win in their last 10 games (three draws, six losses), while Waterford were unbeaten in seven (four wins, three draws), albeit at a lower level.

The visitors had lost Barry Baggley to injury and Eddie Nolan to retirement since their last outing, giving starts to 17-year-old prospect Romeo Akachukwu and Fleetwood Town loanee Drew Baker.

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.

Top-scorer Keating, back in the starting team, netted for the first time since the passing of his father, Ciarán, last month.

Jaze Kabia won possession (far from the last time in a performance full of endeavour) before City found space down the right through Kevin Čustović and Bargary. He pulled it back for Keating who produced a clever finish back across the keeper.

The emotional significance of the strike, his ninth of the season, was obvious to his teammates as they flocked to the striker.

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 Čustović-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 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).