Shamrock Rovers ... 2 Dundalk ... 1 After extra time. 1-1 after 90 mins The last time they were at Tolka Park it was to win the FAI Cup but Dundalk's hopes of retaining the trophy didn't survive last night's return to Drumcondra where they were eventually edged out of a tremendously entertaining replay in the 19th minute of extra-time by a mishit Tony Grant goal that will haunt the visiting players through much of the coming season.

The goal capped a frantic end to the game during which Stephen McGuinness and Bryan McCrystal were both sent off and either side might have added to the night's three goals. For the determination they displayed, though, and they way they picked themselves up after originally conceding a late equaliser few you could hardly have begrudged Liam Buckley's side their place in the next round.

Thursday's game in Oriel Park had been lively but it became clear early on that this was going to be more so with Rovers taking the game to their opponents at a ferocious pace and the holders reacting well to the challenge.

All over the pitch, it seemed, there were little battles raging between individuals but with the Dubliners having the better of the game territorially, Shane Robinson's tussle with Robbie Brunton, and Donal Broughan determined effort to keep Grant at bay, were the most influential on the course of the game.

Broughan's success rate with his man was sufficient to leave Rovers's former Waterford United striker Noel Hunt as the main threat for the premier division outfit. As early as the fourth minute the 19-year-old gave an indication of the problems he could cause when he held off McCrystal and forced John Connolly into making a fine reaction save.

Outside of the area Marc Kenny was the main thorn in the Dundalk's side with the slimmed down midfielder's ability to pick out team-mates in strong attacking positions, from either set pieces or play, a factor that the visiting side looked hard pushed to come entirely to grips with.

Late in the half Kenny looked to have set Hunt up nicely for the opening goal but Brunton arrived at the far post fractionally before the teenager and held his ground firmly under pressure. When Kenny struck again, this time driving in a low free kick that evaded a couple of outstretched legs to reach Pat Scully, Connolly looked almost certain to be beaten but the pace on the ball proved too fierce for the big defender and he turned his sidefooted shot well wide of the left hand post.

At his own end of the pitch Scully coped more comfortably with the challenge presented by Martin Reilly and Cormac Malone. Martin Murray's side proved well capable of moving the ball out of defence at furious speed but again their lack of any height between the front pair limited their options on the few occasions they did press forward.

Through the centre Ciaran Kavanagh and Chris Lawless worked hard to ensure that their side continued to pose a threat, but the pair were regularly drawn so deep that it occasionally proved impossible to resist the temptation to knock the ball long into space.

The pattern changed little after the break although Murray's back four did look less assured for a while. As in the first half Connolly was forced into a great save four minutes in; Grant this time testing him with a quickly struck shot set up by a wonderful first touch. A few minutes later, though, he was left helpless by the same Rovers striker who was becoming a more central figure by the minute and who had done well to hold off McCrystal as he controlled Graham O'Keeffe's ball over the top and slipped the ball low to the left of the goalkeeper. This time Broughan appeared in the nick of time to make the required clearance.

Just after the hour, though, the Dundalk resistance finally gave way with Hunt powerfully turning home O'Keeffe's cross from the right with his head. Connolly had no time at all to react. His team, however, had close to half an hour in which to work their way back into things and after they had started to turn the tide, Murray reinforced his front line by replacing Malone with a right back but then throwing David Hoey and Lawless into attack on either side of Reilly. The impact was considerable with Horgan and his defence finally starting to feel some real heat.

Five minutes from the end of the 90 minutes Lawless should have beaten the goalkeeper who did well to save with his feet after his centre backs had been split by David Ward's angled cross. Moments later Brunton put them under pressure again from the other side and this time after the power had been taken out of the ball Reilly pulled the cup holders level with a marvellous overhead strike.

Having been four minutes away from a place in the third round the home side's problems were then compounded by antics of a handful of their supporters behind Connolly's goal.However, it was a minor blemish on the evening as Rovers regained the upper hand and booked their place in the last 16.

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Horgan; O'Keeffe, Scully, McGuinness, Doyle; Robinson (Tracey, 81 mins), Colwell, Kenny, Byrne (Deans, 117); Hunt (Francis, 98 mins), T Grant.

DUNDALK: Connolly; Hoey, Broughan, McCrystal, Brunton; Flanagan, Kavanagh, Lawless, Ward; Reilly (Dunne, 104 mins), Malone (White, 70 mins).

Referee: J McDermott (Dublin).