Dundalk v Shelbourne
EA Sports Cup – Round Two
Oriel Park – April 7th – KO 7.45pm
Shelbourne take to the road again on Tuesday, this time up the M1 to take on Dundalk in Round Two of the EA Sports Cup. Kick-off at Oriel Park is scheduled for 7.45pm
Round One of the competition saw ‘The Reds’ knock out Dundalk’s near neighbours, Drogheda, by the only goal of the game, scored by Mark Sandford in the 49th minute. Dundalk reached the second round by way of a ‘Bye’.
Last time out, Shelbourne left it very late to draw 2-2 with Waterford United. With Waterford two up since before half-time, Gareth Coughlan scored the first goal direct from a free kick in the 81st minute, with Craig Walsh clocking up his first competitive goal for the club in the 84th minute, when he headed Daire Doyle’s pinpoint corner to the net, past the stranded ‘Blues’ keeper. In truth, Shelbourne could easily have had another goal with the number of chances created in the last 30 minutes of the game, but it was not to be, and the points were shared.
Dundalk dropped the first points of their campaign, when having led Limerick 1-0 since the 37th minute, courtesy of Richie Towell, they succumbed to a 90th sucker punch, when the Blues’ Paul O’Conor nodded home the equaliser.
Dundalk won the EA Sports Cup last season, defeating Shamrock Rovers 3-2 in the final. Bray Wanderers saw off Shelbourne in the first round 5-2.
These two sides last met in 2013, when the ‘Lilywhites’ won their FAI Quarter-Final 5-1. Four other meetings that season all went the way of Dundalk, 1-0 in the EA Cup, and in league games the scores were 3-1, 1-0 and 2-1.
Shelbourne go into Tuesday night’s game still missing the trio of Simon Dixon, Paul Andrews and Dylan McGlade, but they are joined by Sean Heaney who had been very doubtful for last Friday’s game following his return from Under 19 International duty, but though he played then, he misses out this time. Goalkeeper David Ryan is very doubtful having picked up a knee injury.
Suspended: None
Injured: Paul Andrews, Simon Dixon, Dylan McGlade, Sean Heaney
Doubtful: Dave Ryan
Goal Scorers (2015 Season)
Gareth Coughlan – 2
Mark Sandford – 1 (1 EAC)
Sean Heaney – 1
Philip Hughes – 1
Craig Walsh – 1
| Previous Meetings | ||
| Sept 13, 2013 | Shelbourne 1-5 Dundalk (FAI Cup) | (Shels Scorer – Murtagh) |
| Aug 09, 2013 | Shelbourne 1-2 Dundalk | (Shels Scorer – Gartland) |
| May 10, 2013 | Dundalk 1-0 Shelbourne | |
| Mar 15, 2013 | Shelbourne 1-3 Dundalk | (Shels Scorer – Kelly) |
| Mar 11, 2013 | Dundalk 1-0 Shelbourne (EA Sports Cup) | |
| Sep 21, 2012 | Dundalk 0-1 Shelbourne | (Shels Scorer – Kavanagh) |
| Jul 06, 2012 | Shelbourne 4-0 Dundalk | (Shels Scorers – Gorman 2, Dawson, McLaughlin og) |
| Apr 06, 2012 | Dundalk 0-0 Shelbourne | |
| Competitive Games 2015 | ||
| Apr 03, 2015 | Waterford Utd 2-2 Shelbourne | (Shels scorers – Coughlan, Walsh ) |
| Mar 27, 2015 | Shelbourne 1-3 Athlone Town | (Shels scorer – Coughlan ) |
| Mar 20, 2015 | Cabinteely FC 0-1 Shelbourne | (Shels scorer – Hughes) |
| Mar 13, 2015 | UCD 0-1 Shelbourne | (Shels scorer – Heaney) |
| Mar 10, 2015 | Drogheda United 0-1 Shelbourne (EA Cup) | (Shels scorer – Sandford) |
| Mar 06, 2015 | Shelbourne 0-0 Finn Harps | |
