CRUSADERS’ REIGN AS Setanta Sports Cup champions came to a dismal end this evening as they were dumped out of the competition by Cork City.
Goals from Daryl Horgan, Daryl Kavanagh and a David Magowan own goal gave Tommy Dunne’s men a 3-1 win in Seaview and a 4-1 win on aggregate.
Paul Heatley scored Crues’ late consolation but it wasn’t enough to stop an impressive Cork side from booking the first of this year’s semi-final spots.
Sligo Rovers will be hot favourites to join them in the final four after they ran amok with a 5-0 win over Glentoran in their first competitive game of the season.
It took a little over two minutes for Lee Lynch to open the scoring at the Showgrounds, the first of his two goals, while Anthony Elding and Ryan Connolly helped rack up a 4-0 lead by half-time.
Evan McMillan sealed the rout shortly after the restart, leaving Sligo boss Ian Baraclough with little to worry about ahead of next week’s return leg.
In Tallaght Stadium, Shamrock Rovers ran out 4-1 winners against Linfield. Goals from Ronan Finn and Ciaran Kilduff sent Rovers in two goals to the good at the break before Billy Joe Burns handed the visitors a lifeline shortly after the hour mark.
Kilduff’s second and a goal from substitute Stephen Rice gave Rovers a three-goal cushion to take to Windsor Park but the evening’s work was not done until goalkeeper Barry Murphy saved a late penalty to preserve the Hoops’ lead.
Derry City and Drogheda United played out a 1-1 draw in the only all-Airtricity League quarter-final, Declan O’Brien’s second-half goal cancelling out Rory Patterson’s opener.
Setanta Sports Cup
Quarter-final second leg
- Crusaders 1-3 (1-4 agg) Cork City
Quarter-final first legs
- Sligo Rovers 5-0 Glentoran
- Shamrock Rovers 4-1 Linfield
- Derry City 1-1 Drogheda United
