Dundalk head coach Vinny Perth has called on his side to be brave as they bid to turn things around against Slovan Bratislava in Tallaght Stadium tonight.

James Rogers Dundalk head coach Vinny Perth believes it will be important to score when his side face Slovan Bratislava tonight.

The oppressive heat and a wounded Apollon Limassol won’t faze Shamrock Rovers in next week’s Europa League return in Nicosia, insists veteran defender Joey O’Brien.

Gutsy Dundalk will go to Azerbaijan next week with a genuine opportunity of reaching the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

Dundalk head coach Vinny Perth has challenged his players to “step up” when they welcome Qarabag to Oriel Park for tonight’s Champions League Second Qualifying Round first-leg tie.

A dream and a privilege to have been given the opportunity, John Caulfield said it was like “going to heaven every day” during his time managing Cork City.

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley is surprised he won’t see the familiar face of John Caulfield in the opposing dugout at Tallaght Stadium tonight.

Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley is surprised he won’t see the familiar face of John Caulfield in the opposing dugout at Tallaght Stadium tonight.

It’s the New Firm — but not as we know it.

No wins in seven matches over the past six weeks has intensified pressure on Cork City, meaning anything less than victory Monday night against basement side Finn Harps at Turner's Cross will fuel crisis talk.

This was a far more commanding victory for Dundalk than the narrow scoreline might suggest, as a Michael Duffy header capped an at times swaggering display from the champions to claim a big three points in defence of their title and bring Cork City’s recent resurgence to a shuddering halt.

With final college exams just weeks away, you’d expect Cork City defender Sean McLoughlin to be feeling some sort of pressure.

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

And so the league champions are now also the cup holders, Dundalk confirming another changing of the guard in Irish football by doing what Cork City had done one year before: the precious double.

Drawing opposition as formidable as Legia Warsaw was hardly the dream date Cork City had in mind in the Champions League but, while John Caulfield is not hiding from the difficulty of the challenge thrown up by yesterday’s First Round draw in Nyon – “probably got the toughest that was there” was his initial reaction yesterday – the City manager is still hoping that his side can subject the three-in-a-row Polish champions to something of a “nightmare” in the first leg at home.

Dundalk 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 1

Swapping the hoops and green shirts of Páirc Uí Chaoimh from earlier in the day for uniform black tie in City Hall later that night, it was quite the parade of football luminaries who took to the stage to pay further tribute to Liam Miller at the gala dinner in his honour last Tuesday.

Despite the fixture coming in the middle of their Europa League double header with AEK Larnaca, Dundalk showed their commitment to domestic affairs by overtaking champions Cork City once more after the Rebels had moved two points clear.

Hoban is out on his own at the top of the Premier Division's goalscoring charts with 21 in 25 games.

Cork City will continue to look over their shoulders as Dundalk produced another demolition of Derry City at the Brandywell, the Lilywhites rarely moving into top gear to remain one point adrift at the business end of the Premier Division.

Dundalk 4 Limerick 0

Shamrock Rovers 2 Dundalk 5

A 50th league goal for Robbie Benson and a first for Marco Tagbajumi proved decisive as Dundalk put a massive dent in Waterford FC’s title challenge by strengthening their position at the top of the table at Oriel Park last night.

Meanwhile, Waterford stay third after a last-gasp Gary McCabe penalty secured a 2-2 draw for bottom-side Bray.

Dundalk 2 Sligo Rovers 1

Waterford FC 2 Dundalk 1: Not even the best of script writers could have written the story as Waterford FC’s dream start to life back in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division continued as they moved to joint top of the table with a deserved 2-1 success over Dundalk in front of a massive 3,508 attendance at the RSC last night.

Derry City might be long shots for a title challenge but they showed they are up to the task after battling back twice to claim a share of the spoils with Dundalk FC at Oriel Park last night.

Limerick 0 Dundalk 3

There was no Friday the 13th nightmare for Dundalk, as they took sole possession of the Premier Division leadership.

Dundalk’s defence was finally breached but a goal from the most unlikely of sources ensured they went top of the table following victory over Shamrock Rovers at Oriel Park last night.

Dundalk 3 Bohemians 0... Bohemians became the latest side to draw a blank as Dundalk continued their unbeaten start to the season with a third win in a row at Oriel Park last night.

Cork City suffered their first defeat of the new league campaign as an early Pat Hoban goal proved enough to secure a significant victory for their great rivals Dundalk at a raucous Oriel Park last night.

The Beast from the North-East is up and running at the third time of asking after Dundalk hit Limerick FC for eight to claim their first win of the season at Oriel Park last night.

Shamrock Rovers 0 Dundalk 0: While Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk are still searching for their first win this season, it was the Lilywhites who went back the M1 last night from Tallaght Stadium carrying the regret of Pat Hoban missing a sitter to nick victory on the hour.

Dundalk have completed the signing of striker Ronan Murray.

Stephen Kenny hasn’t had too many disappointments in his time as Dundalk manager but perhaps top of the list is last year’s FAI Cup final defeat to Cork City.

Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers will have to meet again to determine who joins Cork City in this year’s FAI Cup final following a fiesty semi-final clash at Oriel Park yesterday evening.

Massive pride and acute disappointment: John Caulfield’s mixed emotions reflected the rollercoaster nature of a night at Turner’s Cross which had promised so much but ultimately ended in frustration for the manager and his Cork City team.

Cork City 1 - Dundalk 1: Cork City were just three minutes away from their first title in 12 years last night but, frustratingly for the home side, a Robbie Benson goal — cancelling out a first half Brian Gartland own goal — smashed and grabbed the point for Dundalk which was enough to prevent the trophy officially changing hands at Turner’s Cross.

Massive pride and acute disappointment: John Caulfield’s mixed emotions reflected the rollercoaster nature of a night at Turner’s Cross which had promised so much but ultimately ended in frustration for the manager and his Cork City team.

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.

For a player conversant with numbers, Dundalk’s Robbie Benson knows he still has many years left in his footballing career.