Treaty United secured the final play-off spot on offer in the SSE Airtricity Men's First Division with a well-merited victory over hosts Wexford FC in Ferrycarrig Park.
Tommy Barrett's side came into this crunch clash with a one-point advantage over their rivals, knowing a draw would be enough to clinch fifth place and they did even better than that as second half goals from Patrick Ferry and Mark Byrne earned them a pretty stress-free victory.
The hosts began brightly enough and came close to making a lightning start when Calum Flynn sprayed the ball out to Ajibola Oluwabiyi of the left and the winger shot off target.
Moments later Flynn was involved in another threatening move, showing good feet before finding Oluwabiyi, who in turn teed up Ben McCormack, but he couldn’t work former Wexford goalkeeper Corey Chambers as he chipped over the crossbar.
Wisely Treaty weren’t prepared to sit back in an effort to secure the share of the spoils they required and, in the 11th minute, Karl O’Sullivan shot across the face of goal, while Patrick Ferry’s follow-up effort was straight at netminder Paul Martin.
Lee Devitt then curled an shot on target that was comfortably gathered by the Wexford goalkeeper, although he was at full stretch when tipping over a stinging Lee Lynch long-range strike in the 17th minute.
The Limerick outfit had another sight of goal just before the hour mark, with Martin called into action once more to deny Ferry at the expense of a corner.
In the 41st minute the goalkeeper’s gloves were warmed at the other end as Flynn controlled Robbie McCourt’s long ball forward and got a shot on target that stopped by Chambers.
Shortly before the break ex-Wexford player Ben Lynch burst into the box against his former side and went down hoping for a penalty, but there was minimal contact and referee Kevin O’Sullivan was unmoved.
Stephen Elliott’s team had to make something happen after the change of ends, but it was the visitors who hit the front less than four minutes after the restart.
Lee Lynch played the ball out to Mark Byrne and, when his curling shot was superbly saved by Paul Martin, Patrick 'Dixie’ Ferry was the right man in the right place to bundle the ball home at the far post.
The Shannonsiders doubled their advantage in the 66th minute as Mark Byrne fired the ball to net to finish off a flowing move and that was pretty much game, set and match as the Limerick side ensured they would have an extended season, with Cobh Ramblers up next in a two-legged semi-final.
Wexford FC: Paul Martin; Evan Osam, Dean Larkin, Robbie McCourt, James Crawford (Kyal Byrne 79); Ben McCormack (Kaylem Harnett 46), Zayd Abada (Muhammad Haris 68), Conor Levingston; Calum Flynn, Ajibola Oluwabiyi; Aaron Dobbs (capt.).
Treaty United: Corey Chambers; Evan O’Connor, Eoin Martin, Richkov Boevi, Ben Lynch; Lee Lynch (capt.) (Benjamin Lee 86), Colin Conroy, Lee Devitt; Karl O’Sullivan, Mark Byrne (Fionn Doherty 90+1); Patrick Ferry (Joseph Hanson 77).
Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan.
Dundalk, who sealed automatic promotion back to the Premier Division last week, capped off their season with a 2-1 win at Cobh Ramblers.
Dean Ebbe gave Dundalk the lead ten minutes before half-time at St Colman's Park but Matthew Whelan equalised for Cobh in the 80th minute.
However, Ethan Vaughan ensured the visitors would return back to Louth with all three points, while Cobh's attentions will now turn to the play-off tie against Treaty.
Third-placed Bray Wanderers warmed up for the play-offs with a 5-1 victory over Kerry at the Carlisle Grounds on a night in which 17-year-old Billy O'Neill scored four of the Seasiders' quintent of goals before getting sent off.
O'Neill had his first senior hat-trick by the 48th minute - the third converted from the penalty spot, before scoring his fourth in the 52nd minute. Cian Doyle would net another for Bray before the hour mark.
But O'Neill would then receive a straight red card on 62 minutes, while Kerry would go on to score a late consolation via half-time substitute Chris McQueen.
Bray's opponents in the play-off semi-finals will be UCD, who rounded off their league campaign with a 4-3 victory at Finn Harps.
After Gradi Lomboto had given Harps the lead, Sean Brennan notched a brace for the Students, with Carl Lennox and Jake Doyle also on target. UCD would subsequently lose Darren Kavanagh to a red card.
In the final 12 minutes against the ten men, Conor Tourish's goal and a Joel Bradley-Walsh penalty would get the hosts within sight of a leveller but the Donegal side could not fashion a fourth goal.
Longford Town earned the midlands derby bragging rights as they capped their recent good form with a 2-1 win at bottom-of-the-table Athlone Town.
It was a come-from-behind win for Longford as Aaron Dora and Stefan Ugbesia's second half goals wiped out Colm Doyle's opener.
