Setanta Cup / Dungannon Swifts 1-2 Drogheda United: Drogheda United impressively despatched Dungannon Swifts to deservedly earn a place in the semi-finals of the Setanta Cup and set up an appetising table-topping decider with Cork City next week.
With home advantage a bonus for the group winners, that's certainly a match to look forward to - especially as Drogheda are growing in confidence with every game in this competition.
Goals in either half from Declan O'Brien and Steven Bradley were enough to give Paul Doolin's side the win.
But the scoreline does not do their performance justice, so dominant were the boys in claret and blue.
They should have won by a much more emphatic margin, only the excellent positioning and all-round good goalkeeping of Davy Wells saving Swifts from a bigger defeat.
A big win for the home side was absolutely essential to retain even a mathematical chance of Joe McAree's team qualifying for the semi-finals.
For Drogheda, a victory would definitely book their place in the last four, while even a draw would be enough to see them through if Portadown failed to upset the odds in Cork.
Drogheda got great news as they prepared to leave the dressing-room, a Billy Woods second minute goal for Cork meaning their task would probably be much simpler than initially anticipated.
In truth they needed no help. Just nine minutes into the action, Drogheda were a goal to the good. A pinpoint crossfield pass from Bradley sent Shane Robinson scurrying along the wing before floating over a superb cross for O'Brien to provide a matching headed finish just inside the post.
The visitors bossed the game from beginning to end and it was only some magnificent saves by Englishman Wells that kept Swifts within touching distance of Doolin's FAI Cup holders.
Drogheda doubled their advantage when Bradley finished clinically after a great move involving substitute Mark Leech and O'Brien.
Dungannon's Northern Ireland under-21 international David Scullion pulled one back when his 20-yard free-kick crept just inside the right-hand post.
DUNGANNON SWIFTS: Wells, Wray, Murphy, Montgomery, McMinn, Delgado, McCabe, McAree, Adamson, Ward, Everaldo. Subs: Scullion for Murphy, T Fitzpatrick for McAree (both 56), Slater for Everaldo (79).
DROGHEDA UNITED: Connor, Lynch, Webb, Gavin, Gartland, Robinson, Whelan, O'Brien, Keddy, Bradley, Ristila. Subs: Leech for Ristila (51), Williams for Keddy (71), Barrett for O'Brien (81).
Referee: Brian Turkington (Belfast)
