Dundalk  (0) 0  -    
Rovers (0) 2 - O'Neill 65' Dennehy 90+3'            
 

Setanta Sports Cup Final - Tallaght Stadium - Saturday 14th May 2011 

Hoops Line out
1 Alan Mannus
2 Pat Sullivan
3 Enda Stevens
17 Ken Oman  
5 Dan Murray (c)
6 Stephen Rice
21 Ronan Finn
22 Conor McCormack
20 Billy Dennehy
19 Gary O'Neill
10 Karl Sheppard 

Substitutes:
 

7 Gary McCabe
for Sheppard 78'
9 Gary Twigg
for Rice 64'
11 Ciaran Kilduff
13 Pat Flynn
15 Paddy Kavanagh
16 Ryan Thompson
18 Chris Turner
 

Gary O'Neill..scored vital first goal

Rovers deservedly claimed the title of All-Ireland Champions with two second-half goals from Gary O'Neill and Billy Dennehy.

A stiff breeze blew down from the Square end as  the strangely attired all-black Hoops took to the pitch as the away team and started the game playing into the wind.

Rovers started well with Hector clearing from Dennehy and Finn shooting not far wide of Peter Cherrie's goal after 5 minutes.

Hesitancy in the Hoops defence presented Quigley with a shooting opportunity on 8 minutes but Sullivan got across to block. Two minutes later Alan Mannus did well to hold Gaynor's low shot. After 16 minutes Jason Byrne's shot not far wide of Mannus's goal but a minute later Ronan Finn almost punished a short back pass when Cherrie's clearance rebounded off him but the ball went wide.

Rovers started to have more of the ball and two free-kicks in quick succession on 25 minutes saw Ken Oman targeted but he couldn't get a decisive header on the ball.

On the half-hour a Kearns corner was headed away by Finn but Rice was adjudged to have comitted a foul and Quigley stepped up to fire a shot on target but Alan Mannus dived to his right to make a great save. He then followed up by catching thr resultant corner kick from Kearns.

As the half neared the end the Hoops upped their game and could have taken the lead before the break. When Hector dragged down O'Neill just outside the box Billy Dennehy took the kick and saw his fine low shot hit the post with Cherrie beaten.

A good move on 43 minutes ended with McCormack forcing a good save from Cherrie and the resultant corner was headed across goal by Oman but Sheppard couldn't get a decisive touch.

Colin Hawkins last gasp tackle denied Ronan Finn a run on goal but right on the whistle Kearns ran on to a long ball and got behind the Rovers defence but he elected to shoot early and his effort didn't trouble Mannus.

The second half was only seven minutes old when the impressive Finn latched on to O'Neill's flick to run into the box on the right and with the goal in his sights be hit the target but Cherrie was well placed to make a fine stop.

The introduction of Gary Twigg in the 64th minute raised a big cheer in the East Stand but the place erupted a minute later. Ronan Finn ran on to a Stevens ball down the left and he eased past the challenge of Hector to run into the area and from the bye-line he coolly picked out O'Neill who gleefully shot high into the net.

The Lilywhites had to respond and Bolger saw his shot from 25 yards just go over Mannus's cross-bar. On 74 minutes a McCormack cross was flicked on by Sheppard and the ball hit off Gary Twigg into the arms of Cherrie.

A Simon Madden cross on 76 minutes caused some problems before Oman cleared the danger. A minute later Cherrie advanced to clear from Twigg before Billy Dennehy saw his cross beat Cherrie but hit the cross-bar.

Gary McCabe was introduced in the 78th minute and he immediately had an impact when his run saw the ball fall to Dennehy in front of goal but he dragged his shot wide.

With ten minutes remaining a dangerous cross from the left hand side of the Hoops box saw Quigley get his head to the ball but McCormack was on hand to clear.

On 86 minutes a long ball from Sullivan saw Twigg get past Hector and he bore down on goal and as Cherrie advanced he shot past the Dundalk 'keeper only to see the ball hit the butt of the post.

With two minutes remaining a Quigley shot from the edge of the area forced Mannus into another fine save and from the resultant corner the ball fell to Quigley again but this time he curled his shot high and wide.

The Hoops wrapped up the game in the third minute of added-on time when Twigg set up Dennehy to shoot from just outside the area and his shot beat Cherrie and hit the inside of the post but spun across the line before Cherrie could recover.

Ref Kelly blew the final whistle soon after and the Hoops fans acclaimed a victory that saw the Setanta Sports Cup take up residence in Tallaght. Ronan Finn also took the Setanta man of the match accolade.

      Gary O'Neill scores the opening goal........(picture by Bobby Best)