Cork City ... 0 Derry City ... 1: Derry's last visit to Turner's Cross may have ended in defeat, but it sparked an improvement in the weeks since that has carried them into the league comfort zone and now their first cup final since the loss to Shelbourne in 1997. Emmet Malone reports from Turner's Cross
With six wins and a draw to their name since the 3-1 league defeat by last night's opponents, they came into this game as favourites to progress and, having played their hand patiently in the face of a determined challenge, they did just that thanks to a 15-yard strike by Seán Friars 11 minutes from time.
The hosts started slowly, taking a while to get the measure of a slightly reorganised Derry attack to which Liam Coyle had returned and from which David Kelly had dropped back into the right side of midfield in order to cover for Gareth McGlynn.
It meant at least that the former international saw a bit more of the action during an opening period long on pace and passion, but desperately short on anything that might be described as pretty.
Rattled, perhaps, by having lost their last three games, Cork's approach was hurried and relied overly on either long high balls or attempts from further up the field to give George O'Callaghan and John O'Flynn something to run at with chipped passes over the visiting defence.
The Derry back four, though, coped for the most part without having to resort to anything more drastic than the odd hasty clearance.
Seán Hargan and Paddy McLaughlin were especially impressive and through the entirety of the opening period Alan Gough had no more than a couple of punched clearances to occupy him.
Still, it was Derry who did have to do almost all of the defending through the opening period with Liam Murphy's side having had to survive only a brief spell of pressure very early on.
The highlight of that early spell was a Ciarán Martyn shot from a tight angle on the right that forced Michael Devine into making what turned out to be the only save of the first half.
As they gradually took some sort of grip on the game, Billy Woods seemed to offer Cork their only alternative to pounding the ball forward, with the former Rovers winger quickly establishing that he had both the speed and ball control to give Eddie McCallion a difficult evening.
With 18 minutes played, the midfielder provided O'Callaghan with the home side's first real chance of the night, but the attempted finish was poor as were the two Cork shots - another for the striker and one for Conor O'Grady - that followed over the next few minutes.
Woods was still looking his side's most effective way of stretching the opposing defence as the second half got under way, although by now a more structured passing game was providing more promise of a Cork goal.
It might well have come in the 50th minute when Woods' curling cross from the left almost found O'Flynn in the area, but SeáHargan's touch was enough to push the ball beyond the path of the arriving striker.
Woods then departed, replaced by Colin T O'Brien, but the improvement continued with the new arrival, Alan Reynolds and Greg O'Halloran finally rattling the previously comfortable looking Derry defence.
Neither O'Flynn nor O'Callaghan, though, seemed capable of making the required connection around the area, though, until the former finally sprang to life in the 70 minute and skipped past a couple of challenges to start looking like a major threat.
Kevin Deery then appeared to bring him down, but Hugh Byrne opted instead to book the striker for diving.
Minutes later, he seemed to right the wrong when O'Flynn looked to trip while lining up a shot and the referee this time pointed to the spot.
McLaughlin was even booked, but, more importantly, the 20-year-old Corkman had his poor penalty easily saved.
However, at the other end, Devine was beaten when McCallion's long free-kick found Friars on the edge of the box and the former under-21 international reacted far more decisively than any of the three defenders who had initially surrounded him.
With seconds remaining, O'Halloran almost equalised with a volley that left the capacity crowd of 8,000 gasping as it floated just over the bar.
CORK CITY: Devine; Carey, Daly, Bennett, Carey; O'Halloran, O'Grady (Mulligan, 80 mins), Reynolds, Woods (CT O'Brien, 51); O'Flynn, O'Callaghan.
DERRY CITY: Gough; McCallion, Deery, McLaughlin, Hargan; Kelly, Doherty, Martyn, Friars; Coyle (Hughes, 80 mins), Beckett (McCreadie, 75).
Referee: H Byrne (Dublin).
