Rovers  (1) 4  -  McCabe 12' Turner 47' Kelly 76' Dennehy 83'    
Athlone Town (0) 0 -              
 

FAI Ford Cup 3rd Round - Tallaght Stadium - Friday 3rd June 2011 

Hoops Line out
16 Ryan Thompson
23 Sean Gannon 
4 Craig Sives
5 Dan Murray (c)
22 Conor McCormack
7 Gary McCabe
20 Billy Dennehy
18 Chris Turner
8 Stephen O'Donnell
11 Ciaran Kilduff
19 Gary O'Neill

Substitutes
3 Enda Stevens
6 Stephen Rice
for O'Donnell 75'
10 Karl Sheppard
13 Pat Flynn
for Sives 79'
14 Dean Kelly
for O'Neill 68'  
21 Ronan Finn
1 Robert Hughes
 

Dean Kelly..scored his 1st goal in Tallaght

Rovers eased their way past a battling Athlone side to take their place in the 4th round of the FAI Ford Cup.

The visitors set out to frustrate the Hoops getting everybody behind the ball but their defensive set up was breached on 12 mins when Conor McCormacks cross was knocked down by Kilduff and Gary McCabe placed his shot high past Shlingermann in the Athlone goal.


Ciaran Kilduff headed Sean Gannon's cross wide on 17 mins and O'Donnell and Kilduff were involved in the 20th minute to set up McCabe but his low cross was cleared.


Athlone rarely got men forward but in the 21st minute Stack crossed to Monaghan but he couldn't control the ball and Thompson claimed the ball.


On 22 mins Gary McCabe made space for himself on the right but Shlingermann saved his low shot. Rovers struggled to get behind the visitors defence but on 33 mins a low Dennehy cross was hit first time by Turner but his shot just missed the target.


On 36 mins a McCormack cross was met by Kilduff and he headed over the 'keeper but a defender got back to clear off the line. Dan Murray then saw his side-footed effort just go over the cross-bar from O'Neill's lay-off.

The half finished with Gary O'Neill hitting the butt of the right-hand post with a shot from 25 yards.

The 2nd half was two mins old whrn Billy Dennehy sent his free-kick towards goal and Chris Turner rose to head past the 'keeper for Rovers second.

The second period was more open and Sives had to make a good defensive header from Scullion's cross on 55 mins. A mnute later at the other end Ciaran Kilduff ran on to Turner's fine ball but he couldn't get a shot on goal.

Tommy Barrett did well to deny Dennehy a shot on goal on 62 mins and Danaher then defended a dangerous Gannon cross.

The introduction of Dean Kelly added some pace to the Rovers attack and on 76 mins he ran on to a fine pass from Kilduff to coolly shoot past Shlingermann for Rovers third.

The visitors tested Ryan Thompson for the first time on 80 mins when Williamson found himself in space on the left in the box but the Rovers 'keeper parried his shot and followed up to claim the ball.

Kilduff set up Kelly inside the area in the 81st minute and this time he flicked the ball past the 'keeper but the post came to Athlones rescue.

Rovers wrapped the game up on 83 mins when Kelly ran into the box on the right and his low cross evaded Kilduff and the 'keeper and Billy Dennehy found himself in front of an open goal and he duly hit the Hoops fourth goal.