St Patrick's Athletic vs Bohemians: FAI Cup Semi-Final Showdown

St Patrick's Athletic have been handed another Dublin derby in the Club Orange FAI Cup – and this one comes with history attached.

Fresh from dumping out holders Shamrock Rovers last Sunday, the Saints will face Bohemians at Richmond Park in a repeat of the 2023 final, this time with a semi-final place on the line. Home advantage, same opponents, same edge. The cup has circled back to one of its most compelling recent storylines.

Bohemians, the Gypsies, know exactly what this fixture brings: noise, needle and very little margin for error. For St Pat's, the reward for taking out the champions is clear. Survive another all-Dublin battle and they are suddenly staring at the business end of the competition again.

Away from the capital, Derry City and Dundalk will collide at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, a tie that feels like a throwback to some of the cup’s heavyweight nights. Two clubs with deep cup pedigree, one of them guaranteed to fall before the semi-finals.

The other half of the draw drags the league’s strugglers into the spotlight. All four remaining teams come from the bottom end of the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division table, but the cup offers them a different kind of stage.

Drogheda United will host Galway United, a meeting that could either fuel a late-season surge or drain already thin reserves. At the RSC, resurgent Waterford FC welcome Sligo Rovers, a tie that looks far more dangerous for the visitors than it might have a month ago.

All four quarter-finals are scheduled for the weekend of 4–6 September, with RTÉ Sport set to televise two of the games.

By then, we’ll know which of these clubs has turned a tricky draw into a genuine shot at silverware – and which have watched their season’s best chance of glory disappear in a single weekend.