Shamrock Rovers ended a 32-year wait to secure their 25th FAI Cup victory at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday and it was a win marked by high drama.
an 89th-minute penalty looked to have won it for the South Dublin side but a 94th-minute equaliser for Dundalk brought it to extra time and then on to penalties.
Rovers could have been forgiven for crumbling under the weight of memory from 2010 when they failed to register a single goal in the penalty shoot-out against Sligo Rovers but this year was to be different with Gary O’Neil securing the win.
Dundalk were bidding for the domestic treble but had to suffer a third Final defeat in four years after losses to Cork City in 2017 and 2016.
Having Shamrock Rovers back in the Final was a boost for the FAI with the attendance of 33,111 the biggest since they were last there in 2010 and contributed to an overall attendance of 36,101.
The attendance figure had dipped to 16,171 when Derry City beat St Patricks Athletic in 2012. That was the lowest number since the return to the Aviva Stadium but the number has risen steadily since. Last year’s attendance was 30,412.
This was the first year since Extra.ie took over the title sponsorship from the Irish Daily Mail and they will doubtless have been happy with the rise, as well as the TV coverage on RTÉ.
It is another fillip for Rovers ahead of the likely purchase of a significant stake in the club by Dermot Desmond.
The Men’s Final was preceded by Wexford Youths beating Peamount United in the Final of the So Hotel Group Women’s FAI Cup.
Image credit: FAI
