Setanta Sports Cup Final: Sligo Rovers 1 Dundalk 0
By Daire Walsh
AMID a monsoon at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday afternoon, Sligo Rovers entered their names into the history books by claiming their first-ever Setanta Sports Cup crown.
Paul O’Conor’s neat 13th minute finish ultimately proved to be the difference between the teams, and after losing out in three deciders with Drogheda United last season (including a 7-1 hammering at the hands of Shamrock Rovers in the same competition), this was a particularly sweet victory for the Dublin native.
“I was on the end of a few bad defeats in finals last year, so it was a big thing for me to win,” O’Conor said afterwards.
“I really wanted to win for myself today. The gaffer said it beforehand about making history today, and that’s what we did.”
Having followed up an excellent maiden campaign under the guidance of former Candystripes supremo Stephen Kenny with an impressive start to 2014, Dundalk can count themselves somewhat unfortunate to come out on the wrong end of the result in the rain-soaked south Dublin venue, and O’Conor was always aware of what the Lilywhites were capable of.
“We knew they (Dundalk) were going to be a quality side. We knew they were going to come out after us,” he said.
“It was never going to be a case of 1-0 and we’ll be cruising for the rest of the game. We knew that they’d be coming out at us, and we did enough to soak it up. That’s what we had to do. We had to keep soaking it up.”
Much of the praise for the decisive opener from cup specialists Sligo should be reserved for Mayo-born midfielder David Cawley, whose quick free-kick found Aaron Greene in space on the right-hand side, and the latter’s precise cross to the near post was subsequently diverted home by the marauding O’Conor.
The concession of this goal come as a major set-back for Dundalk, and although Dane Massey, Richie Towell and the ever-industrious Patrick Hoban all threatened Gary Rogers’ goal as the half wore on, Sligo were in the driving seat during the interval.
The westerners did lose veteran skipper Joseph Ndo to injury ten minutes before the break, but in his absence, replacement Danny Ledwith was narrowly off-target from a Greene cross.
John Russell also tested Dundalk netminder Peter Cherrie with a 25-yard strike, but with striker Danny North becoming increasingly isolated, their Louth counterparts sensed that the game was there for the taking.
Towell and substitute Kurtis Byrne both shot agonisingly past the uprights in the 59th and 73rd minutes respectively, before the best opportunity of the game for Dundalk fell to David McMillan six minutes from the end.
A ball over the top by Byrne found McMillan (whose brother Evan was playing at the heart of the Sligo defence), but despite making a fine connection with his outstretched right-foot, Rogers was more than equal to his effort.
This was as close as Dundalk came to forcing extra-time, and with an extended torrential downpour making the surface virtually unplayable in the closing stages, Sligo kept their north Leinster opponents at bay.
This was the third piece of silverware picked up by Ian Baraclough in his relatively short time as Rovers manager, but he was mostly delighted that they were finally able to secure an All-Ireland trophy.
“We talked about creating history, we said it all along. No Sligo Rovers team has ever won this competition. We can now say we’ve won an All-Ireland competition,” the former QPR stalwart stated.
“The whole group has worked so, so hard. Footballing wise, the whole group on the pitch, the supporters out there, it’s all for them because they worked so hard. We stay together. We try and stay as a group.”
MATCH STATS
SLIGO ROVERS: Rogers; Conneely, E McMillan, Henderson, Gaynor; Cawley; Russell, Ndo (Ledwith 35), O’Conor, Greene; North.
Subs not used: Brush, Spillane, Maguire, Odhiambo, Dykes, Djilali.
Dundalk: Cherrie; Gannon, Gartland, Boyle, Massey; Shields (Higgins 74), Towell; Meenan (D McMillan 80), Mountney (Byrne 67), Horgan; Hoban.
Subs not used: Sava, Griffin, Rossiter, Kelly.
Referee: A Hunter (Fermanagh).