Dundalk 4-0 Sligo Rovers
Dundalk remain firmly on course for the club’s first league and FAI Cup double since 1988 after the Lilywhites marched into the semi-finals with a magnificent 4-0 win over Sligo Rovers at Oriel Park.
After a scoreless first half, Stephen Kenny’s men shifted through the gears, completely sweeping the Bit O’Red away with four second-half strikes of the highest order.
Daryl Horgan set them on their way with a delightful effort in the 55th minute before Ciaran Kilduff scored one of the goals of the season, lifting a delicious effort over Richard Brush.
The floodgates opened when Ronan Finn made it 3-0 with another beauty before substitute Sean Maguire wrapped it up with his first goal for the club in the 88th minute.
This was the second meeting between the sides in the space of six days, the earlier league game finishing 2-2.
Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny named an unchanged line up but his counterpart, Micky Adams, made two changes with Raffaele Cretaro and John Russell coming in for Jason Hughes and Morten Nielsen.
Both sides found it hard to adapt to the dreadful conditions early on with the teeming rain making the ball skip off the artificial surface at pace.
Sligo’s Regan Donelan squandered a decent chance to test Gary Rogers in the eighth minute, the left back firing over from 25-yards despite finding himself well placed.
From then on it was the champions who asked all the questions and Sligo goalkeeper Richard Brush had to be alert to clear after his opposite number, Rogers almost sent Kilduff away in the 12th minute.
Kilduff then rose to knock a ball down for Richie Towell to hit from 20-yards, but the country’s top goalscorer could only smack his volley into the ground, allowing Brush to easily gather.
Daryl Horgan and Darren Meenan buzzed with intent on both flanks for the hosts and Horgan, a former Sligo Rovers player, turned away from Alan Keane and looked for the far corner but Brush was again equal to the task.
A clever flick from Meenan then set Towell bursting through on the right. His cutback fell invitingly for Ronan Finn but Brush again showed safe hands. Tim Clancy then hung out a vital leg to break up a rapid Dundalk counter attack with the visitors outnumbered.
The rain eased off as the game approached the half hour mark but Dundalk showed no signs of letting up and Andy Boyle saw a header blocked from a Meenan corner which arrived after Gavin Peers had come to the Bit O’Red’s rescue to deny Kilduff.
Towell then tried again, curling a right footed drive the wrong side of the upright after neat approach play by Finn. The duo then swapped roles, Finn sending a Towell lay off wide of the mark.
Sligo’s best opening came just before the break when Russell found himself between Shields and Gannon to meet Alan Keane’s cross but he could only divert the difficult header off target.
The second half began with man of the match Chris Shields setting up Dane Massey for a pop at the Sligo goal. Shields then came to his side’s rescue four minutes later, getting a vital block on Dinny Corcoran’s effort after the Bit O’Red striker had found himself in space to control Keane’s pass from the right.
The torrential rain began to fall again and Dundalk upped the tempo with Brush doing well to keep a hold of Towell’s low side-footed drive before the overworked Peers got a vital touch on Meenan’s cross to take the ball off Kilduff’s head.
Horgan hammered the resulting loose ball well off target but the Dundalk winger went for precision seconds later, and it paid off.
Collecting the ball centrally, he spotted a sizeable gap to Brush’s left and the Sligo ‘keeper could do nothing on this occasion to keep Horgan’s well placed effort out.
The Oriel Park faithful got the smell of blood and a second almost arrived three minutes later with Massey, Boyle and then Finn all denied after a Meenan free-kick caused havoc.
The killer strike did arrive five minutes later. Yet again Meenan was the architect, his free kick finding Kilduff, who nipped in ahead of Alan Keane to flick an outrageous effort over Brush from 14-yards. A stunning goal.
The hosts were threatening to run riot and goal number three arrived 13 minutes later. Finn turned away from Peers with a dazzling turn and his finish was even better, leaving Brush helpless for the third time in the space of two games.
Horgan should have made it 4-0 with seven minutes to play when he found himself in the clear from Kilduff’s through ball. The Galwegian rounded Brush but lost his footing and somehow put the ball wide.
The icing was put on the cake in the 88th minute when Finn’s glancing header sent substitute Sean Maguire through and he made no mistake, coolly finishing past the exposed Brush.
And it was almost 5-0 seconds after the restart, Maguire seeing his header, from Meenan’s centre, hitting the top of the crossbar.
DUNDALK: Gary Rogers; Sean Gannon (Paddy Barrett 81), Brian Gartland, Andy Boyle, Dane Massey; Richie Towell (John Mountney 78), Chris Shields; Darren Meenan, Ronan Finn, Daryl Horgan; Ciaran Kilduff (Sean Maguire 86).
SLIGO ROVERS: Richard Brush; Alan Keane, Gavin Peers, Tim Clancy (Morten Nielsen 61), Regan Donelan; Gary Boylan, David Cawley; Jennison Myrie Williams, John Russell, Raffaele Cretaro (Rob Lehane 73); Dinny Corcoran (Anthony Elding 61).
REFEREE: Tomas Connolly.
