An exhausted Danny Murphy praised the long-standing commitment of his players and support team in getting his team over the finish line in the dramatic Women's FAI Cup quarter-final against Bohemians at Turner's Cross.
The Rebel Army did everything right that day, but could not defeat their rivals from Dublin within 90 minutes.
A stunning strike from Orlaith O'Mahony gave them the lead in extra time, but Katie Malone immediately equalised.
City never panicked and took the win when Barrett Eidson netted a low pass from Eva Mangan in the dying seconds.
“We demand a lot from the girls for the work they do during the season, for what they do on a daily basis and for the commitment they show to the club,” said Murphy.
“I demand a lot from my staff and they all do what is asked of them and that's why you get the result. They can keep going in the last 10 minutes of 15 minutes of a game, even those two or three minutes of overtime.”
“We always seemed like the stronger team. We were by far the dominant team in the game. In terms of fitness, it was incredible.”
Ultimately, it came down to a last-gasp save by Una Foyle after Bohemians pushed for a last-minute equaliser.
The goalkeeper had to clear the ball off the goal line and the club reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2020.
“She's good – Una is very good and she makes saves and she can keep the ball despite pressure and a lot of other opponents around her,” Murphy said of his game-winning goalkeeper.
“I don't think they had a chance during the game other than that one. I don't think they did anything to cause us problems.”
“I think they had two shots on goal. One was a goal and the other was the last minute shot at the end.”
The big talking point after the game was the first goal, scored by O'Mahony from distance, in a phase of play in which both teams had good chances.
The midfielder was back in the squad after missing Shelbourne's game at Turner's Cross in the Women's Premier Division through injury and announced her return by hitting the ball into the net from 23 yards.
“I was teasing Orlaith today because I texted her and asked if she needed a cheer up and I told her I could see her scoring a goal in the 89th minute and winning the game and she said, 'I deserve one.'
“When he went in, I just thought, how this happened is unbelievable. Orlaith is the first name on the team sheet, so to speak.
“She hasn't really trained much in the last two or three weeks. It speaks for her that she can last 90 minutes and more, is one of the better players in the game and constantly dominates her position because she does the right things off the field too.”
