Alan Mannus: Not a save to make until the 38th minute as Rovers enjoyed the majority of the ball. But dealt ably with Gartland’s downward header to push it out for a corner. Saved well from Cleary in the shootout. 7

A match between two teams who have provided nine of the 11 players in the 2019 PFAI team of the year.

When Ronan Finn mentions that he’s “coming up on 32,” the symmetry is irresistible: Shamrock Rovers have been trying to win the FAI Cup all his life.

Usurped by the Hoops as Dundalk’s main challengers and FAI Cup final opponents, the Rebel Army found themselves second-best to their hosts as the curtain came down on a campaign that nobody will remember with fondness.

A stunning strike from Greg Bolger condemned Finn Harps to a relegation play-off following a turgid game at Tallaght Stadium.

Shamrock Rovers hunt for their first FAI Cup win in nine years remains alive as they sealed a first final in eight years with a 2-0 win over Bohemians in an ill-tempered derby at Dalymount Park.

Shamrock Rovers are through to the FAI Cup final after beating local rivals Bohemians.

In a global football landscape increasingly studded with state-of-the-art academies, you don’t hear too much talk about street football anymore.

An historic, record-breaking night for Shamrock Rovers as they finally got the result they’ve craved over Bohemians.

Shamrock Rovers have picked up a first win over Bohemians in more than two years.

Graham Burke hit the winner — his first goal back in a Hoops shirt — as Shamrock Rovers stretched their unbeaten league run to seven games against 10-man Waterford at Tallaght Stadium.

Shamrock Rovers have closed the gap on Dundalk to four-points at the top of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division.

Second half goals from Aaron McEneff and Aaron Greene put a hard working Derry City to the sword at the Brandywell as Rovers consolidated second spot in the Premier Division table.

You have to go back 88 days to find the last time Cork City ended an SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match with three points. Summer has come and gone since, and alarmingly, a mini-revival by Finn Harps in the meantime has left the 2018 league and cup runners-up looking over their shoulders.

It’s Thursday afternoon when I reach him on the phone, and Sean Maguire, just “chilling out” on a last day of rest before starting to climb the Championship mountain with Preston North End again, is reflecting on how Deepdale is no longer such a deep shade of green.

Shamrock Rovers will hope to make the third qualifying round of the Europa League this evening.

He may indeed relish the heat, but Dan Carr knows it’s all about Shamrock Rovers keeping cool heads in sweltering Nicosia tonight.

The deal is until July next year.

The dream beforehand had been of a box-office clash with Rangers but the reality, on an evening when Cork City repeatedly pressed the self-destruct button, was something more like a nightmare as, after a first half in which the home side conceded two goals and also missed a penalty, the resultant 0-2 defeat gives Progres Niederkorn what looks like full control of this Europa League First Qualifying Round tie ahead of next week’s second leg in Luxembourg.

The Preston North End squad have enjoyed a game of hurling as their pre-season camp continues in Cork.

Preston North End took a deserved victory at Turner’s Cross last night, but an outstanding performance from Cork City goalkeeper Tadhg Ryan ensured the Championship side had to earn the win.

A win, any kind of win, was the minimum requirement considering all the negativity that surrounded the final months of Martin O’Neill’s tenure.

Saturday was a landmark day for Adam O’Reilly as the 17-year-old from Mahon in Cork city made his Preston debut in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.

League and FAI Cup runners-up Cork City, who finished 15 points clear of third place, has no representatives on the team.

You get one striking measure of just how far Graham Burke has come in a relatively short space of time when you ask him where he was the last time Ireland played Wales in Cardiff, that night in October of last year when James McClean scored the goal which put Martin O’Neill’s men through to the World Cup play-offs.

Glenn Whelan will be given the honour of leading Ireland out against Northern Ireland in the friendly at the Aviva in November.

Ireland’s latest League of Ireland export, Graham Burke, insists international aspirations didn’t prompt his decision to join Preston North End.

Premier Division top spot going into the mid-season break is what’s at stake in the SSE Airtricity League this evening as leaders Cork City host Bohemians, while Dundalk, just a point behind the defending champions, travel to Derry.

By any objective measurement, new Cork City signing Damien Delaney will be playing for below his market-value, but that’s not something which bothers him.

Goals early and late saw champions Cork City move back to the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table as they saw off Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.

Damien Delaney said the lure of Europe and Champions League football helped seal the deal as he made the move from England’s Premier League back to his hometown club Cork City.

Damien Duff is clearly sick of Saipan.

Graham Burke has made his name with some spectacular strikes for Shamrock Rovers but few goals can have given him as much joy as the routine tap-in with which he equalised for Ireland against the USA on Saturday, making him the first home-based player to score for his country since the late Ray Treacy in 1978.

Martin O’Neill lavished praise on John O’Shea yesterday but, in his usual deadpan style, couldn’t resist a mischievous dig at the retiree’s scoring record for Ireland.

Shamrock Rovers 2 Dundalk 5

Martin O’Neill needs firepower up top — and quick, writes John Fallon.

Séamus Coleman and Martin O’Neill have called on Ireland’s new breed to lay down a marker against France tonight.

Bohemians 1 Shamrock Rovers 1

It’s not quite a spying mission, but when League of Ireland duties are firmly put to bed tonight, John Caulfield will be glued to the box for the Champions League final on Saturday evening.

It’s probably inevitable that, going into these end-of-season friendlies against France and the USA, much of the media and public focus is on the new and more inexperienced players in a transitional Irish squad.

Shamrock Rovers 3 St Patrick’s Athletic 0

Shane Supple, who quit professional football in August 2009 and had six years out of the game, has been called up by Ireland.

Celtic 2 Republic of Ireland XI 2: This was always going to be a day when the Brown name dominated Celtic Park yet a midfielder with a similarly sounding surname put his stamp on the occasion too.