Cork City WFC will quality for semi-final with just a draw in Belfast against Crusaders
Treaty United v Cork City WFC: Christina Dring, Cork City WFC, tackling Aoife Mulkern.
WITH just one round of games left in the group stage of the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup, Cork City travel to Belfast to face Crusaders at Seaview, with kick-off set for 6:00pm.
The team will travel north knowing a point will send them through to the semi-finals.
The Rebel Army have played two and won two, with their most recent result in the competition being a 3-1 victory over Treaty United at the Market Fields.
If they lose, and DLR win their game in Limerick, things could get complicated as three teams will have the same points.
City have reinvented themselves in this competition after a winless start to the season in the Women’s Premier Division.
The only two results they got before the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup kicked off were draws with Treaty United and Wexford Youths.
The win in at the Market Fields was their most impressive performance to date, and it saw Fiana Bradley get her first senior goal for the club.
Christina Dring and Eva Mangan also found the back of the net, and the club experienced back to back wins for the first time all year.
Almost every member of the team excelled at the Market Fields, with Abby McCarthy solid in between the posts and Jesse Mendez spraying passes out from her new position in defence.
City displayed the same level of intensity that they did against DLR Waves at Carrick Park, and Danny Murphy’s young squad delivered once again.
This win does need to be taken with some dose of scepticism, as Treaty started the game with a number of academy players.
While three points is three points, City can’t take anything for granted as they try to book their place in the semi-finals of a national competition.
Crusaders will be a different challenge, as the Women's Premiership side are in the middle of their season and fighting for multiple trophies.
They are currently into the semi-finals of the Women’s Premiership League Cup, and they have yet to start their FA Women's Challenge Cup campaign.
This is being done with a squad led by manager Jonathan Tuffey, a former Northern Ireland international that played at home and in Scotland.
He oversaw Crusaders’ 3-2 victory over Treaty United last June at Seaview. The Women’s Premiership side cruised into a three goal lead that day before a brace from Cara Griffin brought the Shannonsiders back into it.
Crusaders hung on, and then lost 3-1 to DLR Waves at the Belfield Bowl, with Mairead McCann pulling one back for her sie with 15 minutes left to play.
The biggest takeaway from that result is that it has blown the group wide open, with advantage City holding all the cards as they make the trip to Belfast.
