Patrick Hoban brought his tally for the season to seven goals as his first-half brace of headers helped Dundalk to a comfortable 4-0 win over Phoenix in the FAI Ford Cup second round at Oriel Park.
A strong Dundalk team were on their way inside eight minutes when Dane Massey’s cross from the left found Hoban who headed past Tadhg Murphy from 10 yards.
It was 2-0 on 25 minutes when Meenan’s set-piece delivery from the left was met well by Hoban at the near post and he found the far corner of the net.
John Sullivan then crashed a shot off the crossbar, before Byrne put the game to bed by the break with an emphatic angled drive after he had latched onto a ball over the top.
Almost reduced
Early in the second half, Phoenix almost reduced the deficit but John Brophy was brilliantly denied by a reflex Peter Cherrie save before Andy Boyle bravely blocked the follow-up.
At the other end, Murphy tipped over Meenan’s curling shot from outside the box when it seemed destined for the top corner.
Byrne and substitute Vinny Faherty went close to adding further gloss, and Tiarnán Mulvenna eventually did at the death, as Dundalk eased into the last 16.
DUNDALK: Cherrie, Sullivan, Rossiter, Boyle, Massey, O'Donnell, Towell (McDonnell HT), Meenan, Mountney (Mulvenna HT), Byrne, Hoban (Faherty 50).
PHOENIX: Murphy, Mason, Denison (Kelly 65), Kearns, Ekanem, Wade (Anelli 61), Gleeson, Cooney, Brophy (Kavanagh 78), Swan, Conran.
Referee: Adriano Reale (Dublin).
