PLAYER RATINGS
DUNDALK GARY ROGERS
Clad in fluorescent orange, Rogers almost got to Kieran Sadlier’s penalty and then showed athleticism with a late fingertip save as City pressed.
SEAN GANNON
Was kept busy policing Sadlier, but when the chance came to get forward in the second half, he delivered a pin-point cross for the winner.
SEAN HOARE
Scored a goal, gave away a goal but pocketed a winner’s medal. His spring-heeled leap for the opener was from the NBA.
BRIAN GARTLAND
Had a first-half header whipped off the line, but there were also one or two rocky moments for the no-nonsense captain.
DANE MASSEY
Long established as the Denis Irwin of Dundalk’s revolution, he was unflappable, even when faced with Karl Sheppard late on.
ROBBIE BENSON
If this is his last Dundalk game, he went out on a high as he linked play and always looked to carry the ball into the opposing half.
CHRIS SHIELDS
The Oriel Park cult hero chipped in with a reliable, if robust, contribution. Flattened Gary Buckley early on, but got on the ball later when needed.
JOHN MOUNTNEY
The long-serving Mayo man got the nod over Jamie McGrath but didn’t have the impact he was hoping for, even though he covered acres of ground.
PATRICK McELENEY
Delivered on his return from Oldham with a rare headed goal. His turbo-charged surge into the box broke City hearts.
MICHAEL DUFFY
Was raging at missing a goal in stoppage time. Always a threat but well checked by Conor McCarthy.
PATRICK HOBAN
Found Alan Bennett a handful but didn’t flinch and was almost rewarded when a rare Bennett error allowed him a shot on goal.
SUBSTITUTES
Jamie McGrath for Mountney
(58) – Won the ball off Shane Griffin to initiate the attack which led to the winner 6. Daniel Cleary for Gannon (86), Dean Jarvis for Benson (90) – Not on long enough to be rated.
STEPHEN KENNY
His call to replace Mountney with McGrath on the hour was a masterstroke as the midfielder began the move which won the Cup.
CORK CITY MARK McNULTY
Punched fresh air when coming to clear Dundalk’s opener and was unable to keep out Patrick McEleney’s close-range header despite getting a hand on it
CONOR McCARTHY
Booked for impeding Michael Duffy as he sprinted away, but regrouped well after that as the winger continued to test him.
ALAN BENNETT
Bruising battle with Pat Hoban and while he used all his knowhow at times, there was no fairytale ending for the veteran.
SEAN McLOUGHLIN
Caught napping for Dundalk’s opener and it was the man he lost who scored. A tough lesson to take on the biggest stage.
SHANE GRIFFIN
Vital clearance off the line in the first half, but being dispossessed in the build-up to Dundalk’s winner will haunt him.
JIMMY KEOHANE
Had his work cut out providing back-up for McCarthy and couldn’t offer anything going forward.
CONOR McCORMACK
Scurried about in his defensive midfield role and somehow found himself at centre back as McEleney ran off him to win the tie.
GARRY BUCKLEY
Damaged his shoulder early on and hit one shot which tested Gary Rogers. Gave every ounce of energy in a midfield battle.
GEARÓID MORRISSEY
Disciplined as always in the midfield and was withdrawn with 23 minutes remaining as manager John Caulfield looked for more in attack.
KIERAN SADLIER
Converted his penalty but faded as the game wore on. Almost scored a deflected, long-range effort at the death.
KARL SHEPPARD
Used all his know-how to win the penalty, chased every ball and made some clever runs, but didn’t have a chance to get on the scoresheet
SUBSTITUTES
Barry McNamee for Morrissey (67) – Unable to provide creativity to pick Dundalk’s defensive lock 5. Graham Cummins for Keohane
(75) – Dropped to the bench and couldn’t make a difference when introduced 5. Cian Murphy for McCormack (85) – Not enough time to make an impact.
JOHN CAULFIELD
Smart move to play Sheppard in attack and leave Cummins on the bench, but will be fuming at the manner of the goals his side conceded.