FAI CUP FOURTH ROUND Shamrock Rovers 3 UCD 1: KNOWING THE FAI Cup final will be at Tallaght Stadium has given Dessie Baker and his Shamrock Rovers' team-mates added incentive to be there on November 22nd.
Baker scored twice, and had a late penalty saved to deprive him of his hat-trick, as Rovers came from behind to see off UCD at the same venue on Saturday night and ease into the quarter-finals.
“We’re only two games away from a cup final. We’re also second in the league. At the start of the season you’d have taken that at this time of the year,” said Baker.
UCD stunned the 3,000 home crowd to take a 14th minute lead. Greg Bolger’s ball put Ciarán Kilduff in on goal and the striker rounded goalkeeper Barry Murphy to shoot home. Rovers levelled on 24 minutes from an incisive move. Stephen Bradley put Sean O’Connor in behind down the left. The cross picked out Baker who showed marvellous feet to eventually flicked the ball home.
Paddy Kavanagh put Rovers in front on 31 minutes when collecting Pat Flynn’s pass to curl home off his left foot from 25 yards. Kavanagh then set-up man-of-the-match Baker to seal Rovers’ passage with a superb finish from a very tight angle on 57 minutes.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; Flynn, Maguire, Sives (Price, 13 mins), Cahill; Kavanagh, Robinson (Johnston, 79 mins), Bradley, O'Connor; Purcell (Cowan, 79 mins), Baker.
UCD: Brennan; Matthews, Boyle, E. McMillan, Shortall; Reilly (Ward, 59 mins) Bolger, Nagle, Mulhall; D. McMillan (McMahon, 59 mins), Kilduff.
Referee: A Kelly(Cork).
