Defending champions Rockmount to face Cockhill Celtic in the FAI Intermediate Cup final

All roads lead to The Showgrounds in Sligo with Rockmount set to face Cockhill Celtic in the 2023 FAI Intermediate Cup final.

The game is set to kick-off at 2:00pm and it will be shown live on FAI TV.

There’s no shortage of subplots ahead of Sunday, with the Cork side looking to retain the trophy for the first time in their history and the team from Donegal is hoping to get a first taste of national glory.

Rockmount won the trophy last year by defeating Bluebell United 2-0 at Turner’s Cross. They are now hoping to defend their title, a feat that has repeatedly eluded some of the greatest teams to come out of the north-side of Cork city.

The last time they were in this position, Wayside Celtic from Dublin beat them 1-0 in the final at the Carlisle Grounds.

This is a totally different Rockmount team, it is a group that is challenging for almost every trophy at amateur level. The Mount currently sit top of the Munster Senior League Premier Division, and they are into the semi-finals of the Keane Cup.

This has been done with a team containing FAI Amateur Player of the Year Brendan O’Connell and former League of Ireland players Cian Leonard, Cian Murphy, Jason Abbott, Bradley Walsh, and Ian Mylod.

They will face a Cockhill team that has experience of beating clubs from Cork this year. They qualified for the final by winning 1-0 at Ringmahon Park last month.

They also played Avondale United in the Round of 16 and won 3-2 against the Intermediate Cup kingpins.

They are hoping to become the first team from the Ulster Senior League to win the trophy since Fanad United in 1994.

Fanad also had to face a side from Cork in the final. This was College Corinthians and they won 1-0 at Terryland Park, which is now Eamonn Deacy Park.

The club from Buncrana are serial winners of the Ulster Senior League, and they are hoping to turn that run into national glory on Sunday.

They are coached by Gavin Cullen, who previously played for a host of top clubs in the League of Ireland and Irish League. 

He started out with Finn Harps and enjoyed spells at Institute and Coleraine.