St Patrick's Athletic vs Bohemians: FAI Cup Quarter-Final Clash

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

Fresh from dumping out holders Shamrock Rovers last Sunday, the Saints will host Bohemians in the quarter-finals, a rerun of the 2023 decider. Same clubs, same competition, but this time the tension shifts to a packed home ground rather than a showpiece final.

The draw, made today, kept the heavyweights apart elsewhere. Derry City will face Dundalk at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium in a tie that drips with tradition and edge, two clubs with deep Cup pedigrees colliding in the northwest.

The other side of the draw has a very different feel. All four remaining clubs are battling at the wrong end of the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division table, and the Cup could either be a welcome escape or a dangerous distraction.

Drogheda United will fancy their chances at home to Galway United, while resurgent Waterford FC continue their revival at the RSC, where they will welcome Sligo Rovers in what looks like a finely balanced clash.

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

The road to the Aviva is tightening. For St Pat’s and Bohs, that 2023 final suddenly doesn’t feel so long ago.