The 2016 FAI Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the 2016 FAI Irish Daily Mail Senior Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 96th season of the national Football competition of the Republic of Ireland. The winners of the competition earned a spot in the First qualifying round of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League.
| FAI Irish Daily Mail Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country |  Republic of Ireland |
| Teams | 40 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Cork City (3rd title) |
| Runner-up | Dundalk |
A total of 40 teams competed in the 2016 competition, which commenced in April 2016. The teams entered from the 2016 League of IrelandPremier Division and First Division received byes into the second round stage. Four non-league teams also received byes to the second round. The remaining 12 teams entered at the first round stage. These non league teams are composed of the sixteen clubs which reached the fourth round of the 2015–16 FAI Intermediate Cup, and the semi-finalists of the 2015–16 FAI Junior Cup.
Cork City won the cup with a late extra-time goal for a 1-0 win against Dundalk in the final on 6 November.[1]
Teams
| Round | Clubs remaining | Clubs involved | Winners from previous round | New entries this round | Leagues entering at this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 40 | 16 | N/A | 16 | Leinster Senior League Munster Senior League Ulster Senior League |
| Second round | 32 | 32 | 8 | 24 | League of Ireland |
| Third round | 16 | 16 | 16 | none | none |
| Quarter-finals | 8 | 8 | 8 | none | none |
| Semi-finals | 4 | 4 | 4 | none | none |
| Final | 2 | 2 | 2 | none | none |
First round
The draw for the first round was made on 14 March 2016 at Abbotstown. 20 Non-League teams were included in the draw.[2]
| 2 April | St.John Bosco | 2–4 | Janesboro F.C. | Brickfields Park |
| 14:00 | Report |
| 3 April | Pike Rovers | 1–0 | Rockmount | Pike Rovers Complex |
| 14:00 | Report |
| 3 April | Killester United | 1–1 | Cherry Orchard | Hadden Park |
| 15:00 | McKay  35' | Report | Rafferty |
| 3 April | Carrigaline United | 0–5 | Bluebell United | Ballea Park |
| 15:00 | Report |
| 10 April | Portmarnock A.F.C. | 1–1 | Letterkenny Rovers | Paddys Hill |
| 14:30 | Burgess 9' | Report | McElwaine 63' Bonnar  65' |
| 12 April | Crumlin United | 1–0 | Greystones United | Pearse Park |
| 20:00 | Report |
| 16 April | St Peters F.C. | 2–1 | Leeside A.F.C. | Dubarry Park |
| 17:00 | McGee 15' Scullion 75' | Report | Hyde 37' |
| 21 April | Bandon A.F.C. | 1–1 | Ringmahon Rangers A.F.C. | Town Park |
| 18.30 | Holden 45' | Report | Higgins 49' |
First round Replays
| 23 April | Ringmahon Rangers A.F.C. | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) | Bandon A.F.C. | Ringmahon Park |
| 15.00 | Report |
| 24 April | Cherry Orchard | 1–0 | Killester United | Elmdale Crescent |
| 11:00 | Report |
| 24 April | Letterkenny Rovers | 2–1 | Portmarnock A.F.C. | Leckview Park |
| 14.00 | Connaghan 10' Shiels 87' | Report | Moran 17' |
Second round
The draw for the second round was made on 26 April 2016 at the Aviva Stadium. The 20 League of Ireland clubs were entered into this round.[3]
| 20 May | Bohemians | 2–0 | Galway United | Dalymount Park |
| 19:45 | Kavanagh 10' Quigley 56' | Report |
| 20 May | Cork City | 4–0 | St Peters F.C. | Turners Cross |
| 19:45 | O'Connor 10' Holohan 20'Dooley 32'O'Sullivan 51' | Report |
| 20 May | Derry City | 1–1 | Drogheda United | Brandywell Stadium |
| 19:45 | McEneff 73' | Report | O'Connor 33' |
| 20 May | Dundalk | 2–0 | Shelbourne | Oriel Park |
| 19:45 | Horgan 21' Kilduff 85' | Report |
| 20 May | UCD | 4–3 | Bray Wanderers | UCD Bowl |
| 19:45 | O'Neill 3' Sloggett 34'Walters 45'Douglas 68' (o.g.) | Report | Brennan 46', 52', 56' |
| 20 May | Waterford United | 0–2 | Longford Town | RSC |
| 19:45 | Report | Duffy 24' Gannon 38' |
| 20 May | Shamrock Rovers | 4–0 | Midleton | Tallaght Stadium |
| 20:00 | Shaw 28' Heaney 67'Cregg 76'Miele 90+2' | Report |
| 20 May | Wexford Youths | 3–0 | Firhouse Clover F.C. | Ferrycarrig Park |
| 20:20 | Bonner 61' Murphy 85', 90+2' | Report | Vickery 46' |
| 21 May | Limerick | 5–2 | Bluebell United | Markets Field |
| 14:00 | Mulhall 14' O'Flynn 41(p)', 51', 55(p)'O'Conor 90+2' | Report | Byrne 77' Mustapha 84' |
| 21 May | Ringmahon Rangers A.F.C. | 2–1 | Glebe North F.C. | Ringmahon Park |
| 14:00 | Deasy 50' Kenny 60' | Report | Burke 59' O'Connor 68' |
| 21 May | Cobh Ramblers | 2–1 | Cherry Orchard | St. Colman's Park |
| 14:30 | O'Connor 2' McGreevy 49' | Report | Penrose 41' |
| 21 May | St Patrick's Athletic | 8–0 | Pike Rovers | Richmond Park |
| 15:00 | Dennehy 2', 14' Timlin 4', 54'Barker 34'Kelly 48', 59'Corcoran 60' | Report |
| 21 May | Athlone Town | 0–0 | Letterkenny Rovers | Athlone Town Stadium |
| 19:45 | Report |
| 21 May | Sligo Rovers | 3–0 | Cabinteely | The Showgrounds |
| 19:45 | Sadlier 16', 66' Keohane 26' | Report |
| 21 May | Finn Harps | 0–1 | Crumlin United | Finn Park |
| 20:00 | Molloy  61'  64' | Report | Moorehouse 49' |
| 22 May | Janesboro F.C. | 2–1 | Sheriff Y.C. | Pearse Stadium |
| 15:00 | O'Reilly 57' Nunan 70' | Report | Flood 22' Dunne 60'Lester 65'O'Neill 85' |
Second round Replays
| 24 May | Letterkenny Rovers | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Athlone Town | Leckview Park |
| 18:00 | Report | O'Sullivan 117' |
| 24 May | Drogheda United | 1–2 | Derry City | United Park |
| 19:45 | Thornton 35' | Report | Patterson 4' Daniels 55' |
Third round
The draw for the third round was made on 29 July 2016 in Clonmel.[4]
| 19 August | Athlone Town | 0–5 | Shamrock Rovers | Athlone Town Stadium |
| 19:45 | Report | McCabe 48' Boyd 52'Miele 63'Madden 73'Doona 78' |
| 19 August | Bohemians | 0–2 | Derry City | Dalymount Park |
| 19:45 | Report | Monaghan 39' Boyle 48' |
| 19 August | St Patrick's Athletic | 2–0 | Limerick | Richmond Park |
| 19:45 | Byrne 42' Fagan 77' | Report |
| 19 August | Wexford Youths | 2–1 | Sligo Rovers | Ferrycarrig Park |
| 20:00 | Dempsey 20' Mulligan 90+2' | Report | Cretaro 64' |
| 20 August | Ringmahon Rangers A.F.C. | 1–4 | Cobh Ramblers | Turners Cross |
| 18:00 | O'Brien 40' | Report | Ellis 8' O'Connor 15', 25'Lehane 69' |
| 20 August | Longford Town | 1–4 | Cork City | Strokestown Road |
| 19:30 | Dsane 80' | Report | K.O'Connor 5' Maguire 68'Sheppard 71'Ogbene 90+2' |
| 30 August | Dundalk | 5–0 | Crumlin United | Oriel Park |
| 19:45 | Shields 8', 79' Barrett 25'Shiels 44'O'Connor 74' | Report |
Quarter-finals
The draw for the Quarter-finals was made on 24 August 2016.[5][6] RTÉ 2 HD televised the Shamrock Rovers v Cork City game.[7]
| 9 September | Shamrock Rovers | 0–5 | Cork City | Tallaght Stadium |
| 19:45 | Report | Maguire 4', 46', 49' Buckley 12'Sheppard 33' |
| 9 September | Wexford Youths | 1–3 | Derry City | Ferrycarrig Park |
| 20:00 | Molloy 6' | Report | Patterson 45' Schubert 67'McNamee 84' |
| 10 September | St Patrick's Athletic | 3–2 | Cobh Ramblers | Richmond Park |
| 16:00 | Fagan 14' McGrath 20'Dennehy 37' | Report | Ellis 49' Lehane 61' |
Semi-finals
The draw for the semi-finals was made on 13 September 2016 on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1.[8][9] RTÉ 2 HD televised both games.[10]
| 2 October | Dundalk | 2–2 | Derry City | Oriel Park |
| 13:45 | Shiels 21' Kilduff 45+3' | Report | Patterson 65' Curtis 86' |
| 2 October | St Patrick's Athletic | 1–3 | Cork City | Richmond Park |
| 15:55 | Fagan 39' | Report | Bennett 24' Maguire 51', 79' |
Semi-final replays
| 4 October | Derry City | 1–2 | Dundalk | Brandywell Stadium |
| 19:45 | Curtis 4' | Report | Kilduff 38' (pen.) Finn 68' |