Drogheda Utd 1 St Pats 1 Aet: St Patrick's won 3-2 on pens:VINNY FAHERTY was the hero for St Patrick's, rescuing the Inchicore men with an equaliser in the 90th minute and stroking home the penalty that sends the Saints through to the semi-final of the FAI Cup and keeps them on course to win the trophy for the first time since 1961.

Drogheda must have thought they’d won the tie when they took the lead 11 minutes from time and were in cruise control before conceding a fortuitous late equaliser but it was a turn of fate that handed the initiative to the visitors who fully capitalised on their good fortune to come through the penalty shoot-out.

Early on Ryan Brennan flashed a shot narrowly wide for Drogheda in what would be their only clear chance for quite a while as Pats dictated matters.

Greg Bolger mis-kicked close in with the goal yawning, a Chris Forrester shot was somehow chested round the post by defender Brian Gannon and Conor Kenna’s header was smothered by goalkeeper Gabriel Sava as the visitors did everything but score.

However as the half wore on Drogheda grabbed the initiative and had the ball in the net with half an hour gone when a Ryan Brennan cross found brother Gavin at the back post and he headed home only to hear referee Damien Hancock’s whistle sound for an infringement that was difficult to figure out.

Early on in the second half Bolger headed wide and Forrester drove into the side netting for the Saints while Derek Prendergast wasn’t far away with a header for United at the other end.

With 74 minutes gone Gavin Brennan whipped in a fine cross from the left which got caught between Declan O’Brien’s feet right in front of the target before finally with 11 minutes remaining Drogheda ended the goal famine.

From a corner on the right that Philip Hand sent over Derek Prendergast stole in at the back post to bundle the ball over the line.

With the match in its final minute St Patrick’s grabbed a fortunate equaliser when a clearance by a Drogheda defender ricocheted off an unknowing Vinny Faherty and into the net to send the tie to extra-time.

Nothing much happened in the 30 minutes extra time and so the tie would be decided from the penalty spot.

DROGHEDA: Sava, Hand, Prendergast, McNally, R Brennan (S Brennan 106), Sullivan (Quigley 85), G Brennan, Hynes, Gannon, O’Brien (Mulvenna 105), Foley.

ST PATRICKS: Murphy, O’Brien (Price 73), Kenna, Flynn, Bermingham, Chambers, Carroll, Bolger (O’Flynn 82), Forrester (Kelly 67), Faherty, O’Connor.

Referee: D Hancock (Dublin)

Derry City v Shelbourne

Dundalk v St Patrick’s Ath

Both ties to be played on Sunday, October 7th