| 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 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]
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 | 
References
- ↑ "Fixtures & Results - Senior Team". Braywanderers.ie. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ↑ "SSE AIRTRICITY LEAGUE - 2019 SEASON FIXTURES RELEASED". Sseairtricityleague.ie. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ↑ "Cockhill drawn away to Longford in EA Sports Cup". 20 February 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ↑ "EA Sports Cup draw throws up several derby games". RTÉ.ie. 12 March 2019.
- ↑ "SSE Airtricity League". Archived from the original on 2019-04-08.