Ciaran Kilduff special helps Dundalk past Shelbourne

Dundalk 2 Shelbourne 0

The Louth men had taken a 21st minute lead through Daryl Horgan but were struggling to break down their opponents before Kilduff emerged off the bench to seal the win with a superb overhead five minutes from time from Darren Meenan’s corner.

Kilduff’s inclusion had come as a huge surprise given the fact he had broken two vertebrae in his back just 33 days earlier.

However, his return proved the major plus on a night when Stephen Kenny’s side struggled to break down their opponents.

A sign of how difficult things were for the home side was that it took until the 21st minute for them to register their first shot on goal.

Unfortunately for Kevin Doherty’s men it proved to be the breakthrough goal.

Robbie Benson picked out the run of Horgan on the left, who cut inside Adam O’Connor onto his right foot before curling a superb shot past Jack Brady.

Benson and Meenan had chances to double the lead after that but failed to take them as an Aidan Collins header in the 31st minute signalled Shels’ potential threat of an unlikely equaliser.

The pressure continued but it wasn’t until Kilduff’s introduction in the 72nd minute that the Louth men stepped up a gear with his goal the highlight.

Dundalk: Sava; Gannon, Gartland, Barrett, Grimes; Meenan, Shields, Benson (Poynton 86), Horgan (M O’Connor 89); Finn; McMillan (Kilduff 72). Subs not used: Mountney, Reilly, Whelan, Rogers.

Shels: Brady; O’Connor, Keeley, Collins (C Kavanagh 84), Kehoe; D Doyle (Oguntola 81); Shannon, O’Reilly, Boyne, J Doyle; English. Subs not used: D Kavanagh, Grimes, Robinson, Walshe, Murray.

Referee: R Rogers (Dublin).