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League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Can Seani Maguire and Cork City bring the FAI Cup back to Leeside?Morgan Treacy/INPHO tale of two cities Superiority abounds but only one of Cork City and Shamrock Rovers can reign supreme Could this year’s FAI Cup final be the spark for a club on the margins to eventually threaten the established order? 6.31am, 9 Nov 2025 Share options David Sneyd THIS FAI CUP final sees the League of Ireland champions take on the side that finished dead last and were relegated from the Premier Division. Both sets of fans will still feel a sense of superiority as they make their way to Aviva Stadium today. As is tradition, Shamrock Rovers supporters will gather in Ringsend and be led towards Lansdowne Road by a white horse. Some of those making the walk will see it as a welcome stretch of the legs after the flight home from a spirited 1-1 draw with AEK Athens in the Uefa Conference League on Thursday night. Rovers are chasing the club’s first league and cup double since 1987. The emotion and resonance of such an achievement formed part of the chat at the early part of this week. Pat Byrne, who captained the Hoops almost 40 years ago, is a revered figure not just by the Milltown faithful but also the current squad pieced together by Stephen Bradley. Rovers effectively had their fifth league title in six seasons confirmed as far back as September. Cork City’s relegation had long been on the cards, too, but once Ger Nash outwitted Stephen Kenny and his players did a number on St Patrick’s Athletic their season had renewed purpose. The yo-yo club now have the opportunity for cup glory and a European adventure worth upwards of €700,000. Rovers, for context, earned 10 times that amount from their progress to the knockout phase play-off round of the Conference League last season. Advertisement Still, matters at home were to the forefront of their mind heading into this 2025 campaign. Graham Burke and Rovers are chasing the club's first league and cup double since 1987.Nick Elliott / INPHO Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO Doing the double eluded Bradley and Co in 2020 when they lost to Dundalk in a deserted Aviva Stadium due to Covid-19. Righting that perceived wrong was the target set by Bradley on day one of a pre-season that was effectively a roll over from last year’s Conference League. Rovers finished 42 points better off than Cork in the Premier Division. They scored 23 more goals and conceded almost half the amount of the Leesiders. Cork held their own in the two home games with a pair of 1-1 draws, while in Tallaght the gulf was evident with two 4-1 defeats. They must hope that capital punishment doesn’t extend to Dublin 4. Cork, and by extension its football club, does not do inferiority complexes. When Karl Sheppard caught up with The 42 earlier this week he discussed some of the differences between playing for Rovers and City. He represented both at times of great success, winning the league under Michael O’Neill in 2011 and becoming the first League of Ireland club to qualify for the group stages of the Europa League. At Turner’s Cross he was part of a John Caulfield battle-hardened group that had a bloody-minded desire to defend with an explosiveness in attack – typified by the revitalisation of Seani Maguire who provides a connection to the past by leading them out as captain today. Sheppard made the point that, in Dublin, Rovers players could blend into the crowd of the capital city, enjoying nights out without recrimination. In Cork, a walk down Patrick Street would lead to numerous comments, chats and requests for the odd selfie. Times, though, are beginning to change. Related Reads 'We were probably putting as many hours a week into Rovers as we were into our own jobs' Often down, but never out: The mad and irresistible appeal of Cork soccer Shamrock Rovers defender Dan Cleary on fight for his autistic son - 'That's the boy I love' Rovers’ success and the emotional human interest angle of Bradley’s family story has begun to penetrate a mainstream consciousness that, for so long, was clouded by apathy. If they do the business today then do not be surprised to see him sitting on the Late Late Show at some point in the build up to Christmas. Someone like Roberto Lopes, who a decade ago was working as a cashier for EBS in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre while studying to become a qualified mortgage advisor, has become a poster boy for the possibilities of this modern, professional age in the League of Ireland. Born and raised just off the Long Mile Road in Dublin, he qualified for next summer’s World Cup with Cape Verde, the country of his father’s birth. Fitting that someone from so close to the Walkinstown roundabout will give locals a chance to congregate there to once again celebrate one of their own doing something truly inspiring. Rovers’ Graham Burke can also make Irish football history, as a goal in the final will make him the first player since Finn Harps’s Charlie Ferry in 1974 – 51 years ago, would you believe – to score in every round of the competition. That 2020 cup final defeat for Rovers may have been an even more miserable, brutal experience due to Covid-19, but the post-pandemic world also led to a boom in League of Ireland attendances, one that has been sustained by an organic, youthful fan-led movement. In the Premier Division season just gone, a total of 670,439 people attended games, according to figures compiled by Transfermrkt. Of the 14 FAI Cup finals with a crowd (2020 excluded) at the redeveloped Aviva Stadium, 399,869 fans have come through the doors. With just over 33,000 tickets snapped up so far it’s shaping up to be the fifth best attended final of the modern age – although three of the last four have had upwards of 37,000 and 33,208 attended the league opener between Rovers and Bohemians. One dispiriting element of a boom that finally feels like becoming the norm is Cork City’s drift towards the margins. They’re front and centre today and victory might just inspire a kind of Rebel revival to eventually threaten what has become the established order. It may feel like an age away from becoming a reality but at least anything is possible over the 90 minutes – or more – to come. David Sneyd Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Superiority abounds but only one of Cork City and Shamrock Rovers can reign supreme”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Superiority abounds but only one of Cork City and Shamrock Rovers can reign supreme”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. 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