The 2019 League of Ireland Cup, also known for sponsorship reasons as the 2019 EA Sports Cup, was the 46th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup featured teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams. Dundalk defeated Derry City in the final in a penalty shoot-out, following a 2-2 draw.[1]
| EA Sports Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Republic of Ireland |
| Dates | 4 March – 14 September 2019 |
| Teams | 23 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Dundalk |
| Runner-up | Derry City |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Top goal scorer(s) | David Parkhouse (7 goals) |
The competition structure was altered for 2019 with all Premier Division entering at the second round stage.[2]
Preliminary round
| 16 February 2019 | Midleton | 0–1 | Bluebell United | Midleton |
| 15:00 GMT | Gary Seery  85' | Stadium: Knockgriffin Park |
First round
All ten teams from the League of Ireland First Division as well as one representative from the Leinster Senior League and one representative from the Ulster Senior League entered the competition at this stage. The draw for the first round was made on 20 February 2019 with fixtures set for 4 and 5 March 2019. The game between Cobh Ramblers and Limerick was postponed until 18 March 2019 due to inclement weather on the original date [3]
| 4 March 2019 | Athlone | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Galway United | Athlone |
| 19:45 GMT | George Mukete 7' | Conor Barry 70' Vinny Faherty 112' | Stadium: Athlone Town Stadium Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
| 4 March 2019 | Bray Wanderers | 3–2 | Wexford | Bray |
| 19:45 GMT | Derek Daly 25' Dylan Barnett 29'Dylan McGlade 30' (pen) | Report | Ryan Nolan 49' Sean Roche 90' | Stadium: Carlisle Grounds Attendance: 427 Referee: Alan Carey |
| 4 March 2019 | Drogheda United | 0–1 | Cabinteely | Drogheda |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Luke Clucas 71' | Stadium: United Park Attendance: 150 (estimate) Referee: Alan Patchell |
| 4 March 2019 | Shelbourne | 1–0 | Bluebell United | Drumcondra, Dublin |
| 19:45 GMT | Daniel McKenna 21' | Report | Stadium: Tolka Park Referee: Paul Tuite |
| 5 March 2019 | Longford Town | 1–0 | Cockhill Celtic | Longford |
| 19:45 GMT | Adam Evans 6' | Stadium: City Calling Stadium Referee: Marc Lynch |
| 18 March 2019 | Cobh Ramblers | 3–1 | Limerick | Cobh |
| 15:00 GMT | Denzil Fernandes 6' Bryan Murphy 73'Jaze Kabia 87' | Report | Sean McSweeney 84' | Stadium: St Colman's Park Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
Second round
All ten League of Ireland Premier Division clubs entered at this stage of the competition. The draw for the second round was made on 12 March 2019 with fixtures taking place on 1/2 April 2019.[4]
| 1 April 2019 | Bohemians | 2–1 | Cabinteely | Phibsborough, Dublin |
| 19:45 GMT | Ryan Graydon 56' Sam Byrne 77' (pen) | Report | Luke Clucas 33' | Stadium: Dalymount Park Attendance: 500 (Estimate) Referee: Stephen Parnell |
| 1 April 2019 | Bray Wanderers | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) | Shamrock Rovers | Bray |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Stadium: Carlisle Grounds Attendance: 635 Referee: Derek Tomney | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Luka Lovic  Richie Purdy Dylan McGlade Dylan Barnett | Greg Bolger Brandon Kavanagh  Aaron Greene Dylan Watts | |||
| 1 April 2019 | Cork City | 4–1 | Cobh Ramblers | Cork |
| 19:45 GMT | James Tilley 37' Liam Nash 48'Gary Comerford 66'Darragh Crowley 78' | Report | Denzil Fernandez 77' | Stadium: Turners Cross Attendance: 991 Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
| 1 April 2019 | Finn Harps | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Sligo Rovers | Ballybofey |
| 20:00 GMT | Mark Coyle 87' Stephen Doherty 95' | Report | Dante Leverock 89' | Stadium: Finn Park Referee: Michael Connolly |
| 1 April 2019 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1–2 | Dundalk | Inchicore, Dublin |
| 19:45 GMT | James Doona 12' | Report | Georgie Kelly 6' Dean Jarvis 34' | Stadium: Richmond Park Referee: Robert Harvey |
| 1 April 2019 | Waterford | 2–1 | Galway United | Waterford |
| 19:00 GMT | Dean Walsh 32' Cory Galvin 66' | Report | Jeff McGowan 57' | Stadium: Waterford Regional Sports Centre Referee: Sean Grant |
| 2 April 2019 | Derry City | 3–0 | Longford Town | Derry |
| 19:45 GMT | Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe 19' Eoghan Stokes 38'Gerardo Bruna 70' | Report | Stadium: Brandywell Stadium Attendance: 2,400 (est) Referee: Damien MacGraith |
| 2 April 2019 | Shelbourne | 1–2 | UCD | Drumcondra, Dublin |
| 19:45 GMT | Derek Prendergast 2' | Report | Neil Farrugia 29' Timmy Molloy 90' | Stadium: Tolka Park Attendance: 250 (Estimate) Referee: Alan Patchell |
Quarter-final
The draw for the quarter-final was made on 8 April 2019 with fixtures taking place on Monday, 27 May 2019.[5]
| 27 May 2019 | Bohemians | 2–0 | Cork City | Phibsborough, Dublin |
| 19:45 GMT | Ross Tierney 33' Danny Mandroiu 82' (pen) | Report | Stadium: Dalymount Park Attendance: 665 Referee: Robert Hennessy |
| 27 May 2019 | Bray Wanderers | 0–1 | Waterford | Bray |
| 19:45 GMT | Report | Scott Twine 15' | Stadium: Carlisle Grounds Attendance: 400 (Estimate) Referee: Robert Harvey |
| 27 May 2019 | Derry City | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Finn Harps | Derry |
| 19:45 GMT | David Parkhouse 83', 94' | Report | Nathan Boyle 55' | Stadium: Brandywell Stadium |
| 27 May 2019 | Dundalk | 3–1 | UCD | Dundalk |
| 19:45 GMT | Brian Gartland 7' John Mountney 18'Georgie Kelly 90' | Report | Yousef Mahdy 80' | Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 500 (estimate) Referee: David Dunne |
Semi-final
The draw for the semi-final was made on 28 May 2019. Both matches were scheduled to be played on 5 August 2019. The fixture between Dundalk and Bohemians was postponed until 19 August due to Dundalk's involvement in the UEFA Champions League.
| 5 August 2019 | Derry City | 4–2 (a.e.t.) | Waterford | Derry |
| 19:00 | David Parkhouse 45' (pen.), 70', 96', 108' | Report | Walter Figueira 24', 84' | Stadium: Brandywell Stadium Attendance: 1,100 (estimate) Referee: Robert Rogers |
| 19 August 2019 | Dundalk | 6–1 | Bohemians | Dundalk |
| 19:45 | Patrick Hoban 4', 10', 14', 51' Patrick McEleney 42'Daniel Kelly 71' | Report | Ross Tierney 62' | Stadium: Oriel Park Attendance: 1,500 (estimate) Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
Final
| 14 September 2019 | Derry City | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–6 p) | Dundalk | Derry |
| 20:00 | David Parkhouse 3' Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe 51' | Report | Michael Duffy 38' Sean Gannon 69' | Stadium: Brandywell Stadium |