Shels to host Hoops in cup derby

The FAI Ford Cup quarter-finals will see Shelbourne host Shamrock Rovers in a meeting of last year’s beaten finalists and the reigning league champions.

With cup holders Sligo Rovers out of this year’s competition but currently holding a commanding nine-point lead in the Airtricity League, the FAI Cup is beginning to look like the best route to silverware this year for a Shamrock Rovers side which eliminated Cork City to reach the final eight.

At Tolka Park, however, an inconsistent Shels will be more than up for a Dublin derby which they will regard as another step towards claiming the prize which so narrowly eluded them last year.