Athlone's Robbie Benson aiming for Cup glory in front of bumper crowd this Sunday

Athlone native Robbie Benson will be hoping to end an injury-hit season in the best possible fashion when he and his St Patrick's Athletic teammates head to the Aviva Stadium for Sunday's FAI Cup final against Bohemians.

The all-Dublin pairing has generated huge interest, and it was announced yesterday (Thursday) that 35,000 tickets for it had already been sold.

This crowd, therefore, looks set to surpass the previous highest attendance for a cup final at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road, which was 36,101 for the 2010 final between Sligo Rovers and Shamrock Rovers.

Robbie (29) was sidelined for part of the year with an injury to his quad, but he returned to action in recent weeks and captained St Pat's in their final league game of the season last Friday.

The former Marist College student from Mayfield Grove is no stranger to the closing stages of the FAI Cup, having featured in three of the last four finals.

He played for Dundalk in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 deciders, claiming the cup against Cork City in 2018 but losing against Cork and Shamrock Rovers on the other two occasions.

A son of Ethna and Ray Benson, Robbie joined St Pat's ahead of the 2020 season, where the manager is his former Dundalk teammate Stephen O'Donnell.

The Inchicore club defeated Dundalk in the semi-final to earn their place in Sunday's decider.

Bohs, who are managed by former Athlone Town boss Keith Long, overcame Waterford in the other semi-final.

* The FAI Cup Final between St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians kicks off at 4pm this Sunday, November 28. It will be broadcast live on RTE 2, with coverage starting at 3.15pm.