EA Sports Cup Final Preview: Shamrock Rovers - v - Dundalk

SHAMROCK ROVERS

On a number of occasions this season Hoops Head Coach Stephen Bradley has described Rovers' next game to come as a “cup final” for their opponents. Well today it is actually the case as the Hoops take on  Dundalk in the EA Sports Cup Final at Tallaght Stadium (kick off 3pm).

It is undoubtly a bigger cup final for the Hoops who are aiming to win their first piece of silverware for four seasons, as Bradley looks to claim the only trophy he doesn’t have on his palmares from his playing career.

Stephen Bradley’s medal collection comes from two league titles, an FAI Cup, two Setanta Cups, a First Division title and both a Leinster and Munster Senior Cup.

For Stephen Kenny’s Dundalk men it is different. As three-in-a-row league winners, their squad are well used to winning trophies. Both teams come into Saturday afternoon’s final with momentum looking for their eighth win in a row across all competitions.

Neither club will won’t want to lose that impetus with the sides also due to meet again in a fortnight’s time in the FAI Cup semi-final in Oriel Park.

Rovers have won seven consecutive competitive games for the first time since their Championship winning 1993/94 side from the RDS era.

"It's probably the two in-form teams in the country at the moment going up against each other,” said Stephen Bradley ahead of the game speaking to shamrockrovers.ie.

“Someone has to lose but it has all the makings of a great game and one we're really looking forward to. They're a very good side and have some top players.”

After the Hoops matches against the Lilywhites this season they will feel they have turned the corner against a side they have had real difficulty getting results against in recent years.

The Hoops did lose only by a goal in Oriel Park on the opening night of this season’s league campaign, clipping the crossbar in the final few minutes. Truth be told though is that they probably didn’t really deserve much from a match they lost 2-1

When the teams met in Tallaght in the league in May, it was Dundalk who suffered a 2-1 defeat but Rovers really dominated the game with the Lilywhites only scoring late.

July’s league clash in Oriel Park saw Rovers emerge victorious thanks to Gary Shaw’s fifth minute goal in a tight encounter. It was the first league win for the Hoops in Dundalk for six seasons.

Shaw suffered a fracture in his face against Cork City late last month and so Rovers may line out with two players wearing face masks in their team if Sam Bone also plays. It is likely Dave Webster will come back into central defence with Lee Grace cup tied.

There is plenty of spice between Rovers and Dundalk for numerous reasons.

There is Stephen Kenny’s short unsuccesful stint in the Rovers hot seat in 2012, Dundalk winning the title “In Talla (sic)” last year, and the fact the Hoops brought back from Dundalk Ronan Finn as club captain this season.

Add in a couple of red cards for Rovers against Dundalk this year plus the usual number of players who have played for both clubs and there is no love lost between the sides.

“We know it's going to be a tough game but we've beaten them twice so I think we've shown this year we can cause them major problems going forward,” said Bradley.

“It's big for our group. The earlier we can win something as a group the better because it'll only help speed up the process of what we're trying to do.”

Rovers beat Bohs, Longford and Cork en-route to the final playing a strong team in each of those ties.

“When I was playing I don't think the teams I played for took the League Cup too seriously. We used to chop and change our team. But I think you've seen this year that teams have taken it seriously because it's a great competition to go and win.

“When Dundalk started on this winning run a few years back the first competition they won was this cup. Winning something helps that development and gets that winning mentality into the group and hopefully we can do that on Saturday.”

DUNDALK

The Lilywhites know all about winning trophies in Tallaght having clinched the league title at the home of Shamrock Rovers last year.

They will miss out on four-in-a-row but Stephen Kenny’s men would look back on the 2017 with some pride if they can take runners up spot in the league along with bringing a couple of cups back to Oriel Park.

They will need to get by Shamrock Rovers twice in the next fortnight though if they are to do so, starting with Saturday’s game in front of eir Sport’s live TV cameras.

The Lilywhites come into the game with confidence on the back of an incredible recent run in all competions. Like Rovers they have also won their last seven matches but even more impressively Dundalk have scored 27 goals and conceded just one in those games.

Just last week in the FAI Cup quarter-final they put four unanswered goals by Drogheda United in the Louth derby. Speaking to dundalkfc.com  Brian Gartland reflected on reaching the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup semi-final after that win over Drogheda.

"Last week we put in a very good performance against Drogheda United,” said Gartland who was on the scoresheet in the tie. “We took control of the game and closed it out to get into the semi-finals. We have had some good performances in the last few weeks. We are flying at the moment.”

Dylan Connolly also scored in last week’s FAI Cup win but he misses out on the trip to Tallaght as he is cup tied. John Mountney won’t be involved either due to an osteos pubis issue.

Both Thomas Stewart (who scored for Rovers in the 2013 final win for the Hoops) and Dane Massey will be assessed before kick off but Stephen O'Donnell and Jamie McGrath should be available for selection.

“We want to keep this going and keep our standards high,” continued Gartland. “We want to play as well as we can each week and carry it into the cups. We have a chance to gain some silverware this weekend and that is massive especially for the lads who haven't won things before.”

The teams played each other in the 2014 final with Dundalk coming out on top 3-2 in the final played in Oriel Park and Gartland is looking to get another winners medal to add to his haul over recent years.

"When you get one it never goes away that hunger. When you get a taste of winning things you want to win more and more.

"Winning it three years ago was a great day for us. Some great memories from that day but this time we are going to Shamrock Rovers' back yard in Tallaght. We are in good form though and looking forward to it. 

“We know it's going to be a difficult game, we are expecting a tough tie but we have prepared well this week and hopefully we can go there and add to our collection. ”

Dundalk only got by UCD on penalties in the second round but they eased by Waterfrod 3-0 in the quarters before winning by the same scoreline in Eamonn Deacy Park againts Galway United at the semi-final stage.

Referee: Derek Tomney.

MATCH STATS

Both teams have made it to the league cup final on ten occasions. However Dundalk are definitely more of a league cup specialists than Shamrock Rovers. The Lilywhites have lifted the trophy on five occasions; only Derry City have won it more times.

For the club with the most amount of league titles and FAI Cup wins, the Shamrock Rovers return from the league cup certainly isn’t special. They have made made four of the last six final but they have only ever won this competition twice – the first time in 1977 and the last time in 2013 under then manager Trevor Croly.

Besides from 2014, the only other time these two teams have met in a League Cup final was back in 1987 with Dundalk also winning that match. Mick Byrne scored ten goals for Rovers en-route to that season’s final but Dundalk kept the Hoops scoreless winning 1-0.

David McMillan is top scorer for Dundalk in the league with 15 league goals – he hasn’t scored in the league cup this year. Gary Shaw has nine league goals for Rovers this season as their top scorer and similarly to McMillan he has failed to score in the league cup.

BETTING

Shamrock Rovers 3/1; Draw 5/2; Dundalk 10/11.

PREDICTION

Shamrock Rovers 1-1 Dundalk (after extratime with Rovers to win on penos)

Shamrock Rovers

Injured: Graham Burke, Paul Corry

Cup tied: Lee Grace

Doubtful: Luke Byrne, Sean Boyd

Suspended: None

Dundalk

Injured: John Mountney

Cup tied: Dylan Connolly

Doubtful: Thomas Stewart, Dane Massey

Suspended: None

@ShamrockRovers
Saturday, 16th September
#EASPORTSCup Final
@tallaghtstadium
15.00 pic.twitter.com/OYhBZrIWkg

— Dundalk FC (@DundalkFC) September 12, 2017