As in the first round against Longford Town, Athlone Town again needed a penalty shoot-out to beat Kilkenny City at the Athlone Town Stadium and advance to the quarter-finals when the sides had finished level after extra-time.
David O’Dowd had two early chances for the home side but it was the visitors who took the lead after 21 minutes.
Darragh Hayes played the ball over Athlone defender Ronan Frawley and Joe Watson took the ball round goalkeeper Ciaran Kelly and shot into an empty net.
Kilkenny could have doubled their advantage on the stroke of half time but Stephen Grant sent his shot over the bar.
Athlone grabbed an equalising score just after the hour mark when two second-half substitutes linked up. Noel McGee set up Carmine Russo who shot to the roof of the net from outside the penalty area.
Kilkenny were reduced to ten men when Darragh Hayes was sent off for a rash challenge on Ian Rossiter. In the second minute of stoppage-time the woodwork saved Kilkenny when David O’Dowd’s shot hit the post after he had rounded the goalkeeper.
Athlone dominated the thirty minutes of extra-time with David O’Dowd again hitting the woodwork with a shot after 90 seconds.
Colm Heffernan missed the home side's first penalty but Athlone advanced as Ciaran Kelly saved Kilkenny’s final two penalties and Davy Byrne sent Athlone into the quarter-finals when he scored the last penalty of the night.
Athlone Town: O’Leary, Rossiter (Hardy 77), Young, Frawley, Sheridan, Harty (Russo 59), Gavin, Byrne, O’Dowd, Lavine (McGee 54), Heffernan.
Kilkenny City: McGuinness, Moylan, Fitzgerald, O’Shea, Falvey, McNicholas (Comerford 49), Hayes, Grant, Tynan, Watson (Penn 88), Fogarty.
Referee: P. Sutton.
