History beckons for Treaty United this Sunday, who are just one game away from reaching their first ever FAI Women's Senior Cup Final.
The Limerick side want to be involved in the December 12th showpiece, which will be broadcast live on RTE2 as a standalone event for the first time, and they know the prestige that it brings.
Cork City, who lifted the Cup in 2017, are standing in Treaty's way and they will have ambitions of their own. But Dave Rooney believes the clash between the two sides this time around will be different to when Cork claimed the spoils in their Women's National League clash earlier in September.
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We are delighted to confirm that Sunday's FAI Cup Semi-Final against Treaty United will be broadcast live on the FansVoiceTV YouTube channel!
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— Cork City FC Women (@CorkCityFCWomen) November 6, 2020
Treaty United’s Rooney has spent the past week working on a specific game-plan and anybody who has seen his team play this season will warn that they should not be taken lightly.
This season, Treaty United are making their debut in the Women’s National League. Rebranded and re-energised from Limerick to Treaty United, they have won three League games and a Cup quarter-final.
"If we can keep a clean sheet then I believe we have a great chance of winning the game, because I believe that we can score. So keeping a clean sheet is our first target," said Rooney.
"Both teams know each other very well. It's a local derby but it's a friendly rivalry. They are the favourites so the pressure will be on them, so it's up to us to catch them off-guard and to play to our strengths.
"If you had of said to me at the start of the year that we would be in the semi-finals of the FAI Cup and be in with a chance of finishing best of the rest in Group 2 then I would have viewed that as being a successful season. But there's still a lot to play for.
"We know what is at stake on Sunday and the impact that reaching the Final could have, but we've taken everything training session by training session and game by game, so we just need to focus on this next game and play to how we know we can."
Massive matchday ahead of us tomorrow as we take on @Peamountutd in the FAI Cup semi final!
?️ It kicks off tomorrow morning with your free match programme!
? Enjoy our full match livestream on https://t.co/5aTKmgcl0w
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— Wexford Youths Women (@YouthsWomen) November 7, 2020
In the other semi-final, holders Wexford Youths have home advantage over the team who they have beaten in the last two finals, Peamount United. Not only that, Youths defeated Peamount 3-0 earlier this season with Ellen Molloy scoring two in a game that ended the Peas’ unbeaten start to the season. There is little doubt that either team will need motivating going into this tie.
Wexford want to make it three Cup wins in a row, while League champions Peamount are chasing a domestic double after being knocked out of the UEFA Women's Champions League in midweek despite registering a laudable performance against Glasgow City.
Both semi-finals will kick off at the same time, 14:00, and both promise to be thoroughly entertaining encounters.
