Waterford FC Advance to FAI Cup Semi-Finals After Dominating Sligo
Waterford FC are back in the Club Orange FAI Men's Cup semi-finals for the first time since 2022 – and they got there with a ruthless second-half surge at the RSC that Sligo Rovers simply couldn’t live with.
Graham Coughlan’s side were nowhere near their slick best in a scrappy first half, but they still went in ahead thanks to the ever-reliable Pádraig Amond. After the interval, they tore into Sligo. Tommy Lonergan struck, Ollie Denham turned into his own net, and the tie was done long before the final whistle.
Amond settles the nerves
Waterford started quickly and struck inside eight minutes. Conan Noonan clipped a clever ball to the back post, where Lonergan nodded it back across goal for Amond. His first header was blocked by Sam Sargeant, but the danger didn’t disappear.
The rebound fell to Evan McLaughlin on the edge of the box. He threaded it back into Amond’s path and the veteran forward, calm as you like, drilled a right-footed finish from close range. Early jitters in the home stands vanished in an instant.
Waterford almost undid that good work five minutes later. Benny Couto misplayed a pass straight to Luke Pearce, handing the Sligo striker a clear run on goal. Pearce burst through, but Stephen McMullan stood tall and smothered the chance at his feet – a big save at a big moment.
McLaughlin then fired over from the edge of the area, but the flow of the half shifted. Sligo began to see more of the ball, pinning Waterford back for spells without carving them open.
Their best opening came on 39 minutes. Seb Quirk took a pass from Gareth McElroy, shaped his body and whipped a teasing cross into the danger area. Archie Meekison attacked it but couldn’t make contact, the ball flashing across goal and away.
Waterford almost punished that miss right on the stroke of half-time. Jorgen Voilas slid Amond in, 16 yards from goal, and the striker unleashed a thunderous effort that looked destined for the top corner. Sligo captain Carl McHugh threw himself back and produced a superb goal-line header to keep it at 1-0.
Blues explode after the restart
If the first half was patchy, the second half was anything but. Waterford came out with purpose, aggression and a cutting edge Sligo couldn’t match.
Their second arrived just five minutes after the restart. Couto released Noonan down the left, and the winger delivered a measured cross to the back post. Voilas climbed to nod the ball down into the six-yard box, where Lonergan pounced. One touch, one crisp right-footed finish past Sargeant from 10 yards. Clinical.
The pressure finally told again on 59 minutes. Noah Mawene fed McLaughlin on the left, and the winger drove into space before fizzing a vicious ball across the face of goal. Denham, stretching to deal with it, could only steer it into his own net. A harsh moment for the defender, but a fully deserved 3-0 lead for Coughlan’s side.
Waterford smelled blood. Three minutes later, they almost had a fourth. Couto laid the ball off to McLaughlin on the edge of the box and he unleashed a powerful left-footed strike. Sargeant reacted brilliantly, tipping it over the bar to keep the scoreline just about respectable.
Sligo, to their credit, kept searching for a response. Their best chance came on 71 minutes when substitute Alex Nolan cut across a left-footed effort that skidded just wide of McMullan’s left-hand post. It summed up their afternoon – close, but never quite close enough to drag themselves back into the contest.
By the time Coughlan began to empty his bench in the closing stages, the job was long done. Waterford moved the ball with confidence, managed the game, and saw out a statement win without fuss.
The Blues are back in the semi-finals, powered by a second-half performance that felt like a warning. If they can find that gear again when the stakes rise, who will fancy facing them with a place in the final on the line?
