CORK City will have to wait another few weeks to finally relieve defending champions Dundalk of their league crown and smash their four in-a-row bid after a highly-charged and dramatic night’s football at a sold out Turner’s Cross tonight.

Dundalk 3 Drogheda United 0: Dundalk are refusing to give up on their title.

Dundalk 6 St Patrick’s Athletic 0: Oriel Park might be resigned to saying goodbye to the league title this season but a rampant Dundalk showed they are going to make Cork City take it from them after a six-goal thumping of St Patrick’s Athletic last night.

SSE Airtricity League

Cork City manager John Caulfield has admitted that finding a replacement for Sean Maguire is “not going to happen straight away” as the Preston striker — a used substitute for his new club in their 0-0 draw with Leeds United on Saturday — waits to see if Martin O’Neill includes him when he unveils his Ireland squad today for next month’s World Cup qualifiers.

Dundalk displayed their desire to regain the FAI Cup by hitting Derry City for four at Oriel Park last night.

Dundalk 0 Shamrock Rovers 1: Less than 72 hours after crashing out of Europe, Shamrock Rovers took a significant step towards a return to the Europa League next season with a first league win over Dundalk at Oriel Park in almost six years — and put another dent into any lingering hopes the champions may have had of catching Cork City.

Rosenborg 2 - 1 Dundalk (a.e.t - Rosenborg win 3-2 on agg.) Matthias Vilhjalmsson’s header in extra-time and the top of the crossbar denied Dundalk a stunning result against Rosenborg at the Lerkendal Stadion last night as their European dreams came to a cruel end in Norway.

Dundalk will have to repeat their feat of 12 months ago and score away in Scandinavia next week if they are to embark on another European adventure.

Bohemians 0 Dundalk 1: Ciaran Kildfuff came off the bench to score an 89th-minute winner to give Dundalk a fifth straight league victory and break valiant Bohemians’ hearts in an intriguing Premier Division clash at Dalymount Park.

Bray Wanderers 0, Dundalk 3: Robbie Benson’s first half double inspired Dundalk to fourth straight Premier Division win.

Dundalk 2 Galway Utd 0: Goals in either half from Dane Massey and Patrick McEleney saw Dundalk continue their positive momentum at Oriel Park last night as they left Galway Utd rooted to the bottom of the Premier Division.

Dundalk 4

Drogheda United 0 - Dundalk 6: Dundalk remain on course for a second-place finish behind champions-elect Cork City following this derby rout of 10-man Drogheda at United Park.

St Patrick’s Athletic 0

Limerick 0 Dundalk 3: New Limerick FC boss Neil McDonald watched his side slip to defeat to Dundalk – and finish the game with 10 men after keeper Brendan Clarke was ref carded – at the Markets Field last night.

Shamrock Rovers 2 - Dundalk 1: “Cheerio four-in-a-row,” sang the Shamrock Rovers supporters as the Hoops inflicted a fifth league defeat on Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium last night.

Galway United 2 Dundalk 1: Gary Shanahan hit a 93rd- minute winner for Galway United last night to hand the basement club their first win of the season, and drive another nail into Dundalk’s bid to retain their league title.

Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny bemoaned the fact his side hadn’t won a penalty in the league in a year this week then saw his side concede two last night, as Bray Wanderers shocked the champions at Oriel Park.

Finn Harps 0 Dundalk 2: Striker David McMillan stole the show as Dundalk made sure they didn’t lose any further ground on leaders Cork City as they notched up a comfortable win over a battling Finn Harps at Finn Park last night.

Dundalk’s bid to retain their title may have taken a dent last week but their status as top dogs in Louth was assured with victory over neighbours Drogheda Utd in Oriel Park last night.

Cork City 2 - Dundalk 1: Six points clear after six games is hardly daylight, but Cork City are certainly going to take stopping in the Premier Division title race this season.

SSE Airtricity Premier Division

Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny insists his side remain in a “good position” to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Europa League despite being left cursing their luck for the second time in a fortnight after losing out to Zenit St Petersburg in a snow-covered Petrovsky Stadium last night.

Dundalk 4 Galway Utd 1: Dundalk ensured their Airtricity Premier League of Ireland title celebrations started on a winning note by comfortably seeing off Galway United at Oriel Park last night before lifting their third title in a row.

Dundalk made history in the Europa League after forward Ciaran Kilduff came off the bench to seal three points in a 1-0 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Dundalk 1 Shamrock Rovers 1: Shamrock Rovers put a dent in Dundalk’s title hopes at Oriel Park last night by showing the same sort of resilience the champions produced in Alkmaar last week to claim a hard-fought point.

Dundalk 2 Finn Harps 0

Bohemians 1, Dundalk 2: Goals from Brian Gartland and John Mountney were crucial at Dalymount Park last night, when champions Dundalk survived a late onslaught from Bohemians to go four points clear of Cork City at the summit of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division.

Dundalk’s Champions League dream might have ended in Poland on Tuesday night but their hopes of making a further impression in Europe have only just begun, according to striker David McMillan.

THE quote of the week had to be Stephen Kenny describing the luminous moment in Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday night when Robbie Benson’s clinical finish found the back of the net, sealing Dundalk’s stunning 3-0 victory over BATE Borisov and taking the club to the giddy heights of a play-off for a place in the group stages of the Champions League.