Dundalk ... 4 Shamrock Rovers ... 0 Their hopes of league survival have been built on their knack for hammering out results but nothing Martin Murray's relegation-threatened side have done these past few months prepared us for this.
True, the hosts came into the game unbeaten in six and with only two defeats in close to four months but the tremendous outpouring of joy from the local support at the end underlined clearly enough that even the regulars were having some difficulty with taking it all in.
Dundalk, though, could not claim all of the credit for the win that puts them in next month's FAI Cup final. Rovers arrived in Oriel Park off the back of three straight defeats that had ended their interest in the league cup and, effectively, the championship. Another exit followed last night as they failed miserably to assert themselves in a game that they all but surrendered to their opponents.
Afterwards, Rovers' misery was compounded when Joe Colwell announced that he had resigned as chairman. Although others insisted that they would work hard to change his mind by Tuesday's board meeting, Colwell insisted that he was tired of the emotional and financial drain and would depart.
Murray's side, though, seized their chance. The foundations for their biggest win of the season were laid in the first half when Garry Haylock scored twice and the finishing touches were applied in the second half when Martin Reilly and James Keddy extended their lead.
At the end there were jeering calls for a fifth goal from the 5,000 home support and a hint of trouble from elements of the much smaller visiting crowd, one of whom managed to strike Murray with a missile as he was interviewed on television afterwards. Elated, however, Murray said afterwards that it was the best night in his managerial career.
For most of the first half the Dubliners had been in control. Had Damien Richardson's side accepted their chances with a little more ruthlessness then the half-time scoreline might well have been reversed but they managed just one attempt on goal worthy of the description during the spell in which they enjoyed their greatest dominance and on that occasion John Connolly was not troubled too greatly as he turned a Tony Grant shot, that followed a decent build up from Gareth Cronin and Tony Counsins, over his bar.
Inevitably, each failed attempt to break down a Dundalk defence that, in truth, didn't look all that convincing, increased the suspicion that there was going to be a price to pay and with just over half an hour played the home side began to exact it.
The goal itself was little more that a Haylock side-footed tap in after David Hoey had knocked in a low cross from the right.
The visiting back four gave no better an account of themselves while conceding the second with Haylock nipping in to finish what Donal Broughan's header had started as defenders stood all about him almost motionless.
The goal that killed off Rovers came three minutes into the second half . And controversial it was. Richardson's players had appeared to stop playing in the hope that the injured Tony Grant would be allowed attention but neither side put the ball out of play and Hoey's ball from the right side of midfield put Martin Reilly, who looked to be offside, through to knock the ball past Tony O'Dowd.
The reaction from both the Rovers bench and its fairly substantial support immediately behind in the stand was predictable. But when Haylock fed James Keddy 25 yards out on the left 11 minutes later and the midfielder slipped past both Greg Costello and Palmer without trouble before shooting low into O'Dowd's bottom right corner. It would have been hard for Rovers' decidedly disgruntled green and white army to complain that their side was hard done by.
They can't have been much encouraged either by the way they then managed to resume knocking the ball around to no effect at all.
By then Dundalk were probably thinking about their day trip to Dublin for the final not to mention their next league game against St Patrick's, when the stakes will be nearly as high.
DUNDALK: Connolly; Whyte, McGuinness, Broughan, Crawley; Hoey, Lawless (Flanagan, 83 mins), Kavanagh (Callaghan, 93 mins), Keddy; Haylock, Reilly.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: O'Dowd; Costello, Scully (Dreans, 61 mins), Palmer, Cronin; Robinson (Kenny, 56 mins), Colwell, Tracey (S Grant, 68 mins), Woods; T Grant, Cousins.
Referee: D O'Hanlon (Waterford).
