2018 League of Ireland Cup
The 2018 League of Ireland Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2018 EA Sports Cup, was the 45th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from the SSE Airtricity League Premier and First Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams. Derry City won the cup for a record 11th time.
| EA Sports Cup | |
| Country |  |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 March – 16 September |
| Teams | 24 |
| Champions | Derry City |
| Runners-up | Cobh Ramblers |
| Matches played | 23 |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Ronan Curtis (Derry City) Aaron McEneff (Derry City) James English (Shelbourne) Jamie Doyle (Shelbourne) (3 each) |
← 2017 2019 → | |
Teams
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Clubs denoted with * received a bye into Second Round
First Round
All teams were divided into four pools based on geographical location. Two random teams per pool received a bye into the second round. The draw for the First Round took place on 9 February 2018. Ties were scheduled to begin on 5 March 2018 but were subsequently postponed due to the aftermath of extreme weather from a cold wave known as the Beast from the East combined with Storm Emma. Rescheduled ties were set for various dates across March and April 2018.
| 12 March 2018 | Finn Harps | 4–3 | Mayo League | Finn Park |
| 19:45 | 7' Devers
41' O'Connor 51' Toland 56' O'Flynn |
59' 82' Lavelle 71 ' Morrissey |
| 13 March 2018 | Wexford | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (7–8 p) | Cobh Ramblers* | Ferrycarraig Park |
| 20:00 |
| 19 March 2018 | Galway United | 1–0 | Cockhill Celtic | Eamonn Deacy Park |
| 19:45 | 51' Gill (OG) |
| 26 March 2018 | Waterford | 4–1 | UCC | Regional Sports Centre |
| 19:45 | 11' Martin 32' Puri 40' Daly 66' Akinade | 55' Hennessy |
| 26 March 2018 | Bray Wanderers | 0–3 | Shelbourne | Carlisle Grounds |
| 19:45 | 24' 61' English 29' Boyne | Attendance: 208 Referee: Alan Carey |
| 26 March 2018 | Bohemians | 5–1 | Cabinteely | Dalymount Park |
| 19:45 | 37' 76' Watts 38' 42' Manley 65' Grant | 8' Fitzpatrick |
| 27 March 2018 | Athlone Town | 0–2 | UCD | Athlone Town Stadium |
| 19:45 | 34' Molloy 84' Mahdy |
| 9 April 2018 | Drogheda United | 3–2 | St Mochta's | United Park |
| 19:45 | 28' Doyle 31' McPhillips 40' Meaney | 20' Kelly (Pen) 89' Hughes |
Second Round
The draw for the Second Round took place on 22 March 2018 and was made on a regional pool basis. Ties were scheduled for Easter Monday 2 April 2018. Four second round fixtures were postponed due to heavy rainfall causing unplayable pitches. Rearranged fixtures were set for 9 April, 23 April and 24 April.
| 2 April 2018 | Bohemians | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) | U.C.D. | Dalymount Park |
| 15:00 | Eoghan Stokes  Jonathan Lunney |
Report | Yousef Mahdy Gary O’Neill |
Attendance: 314 Referee: Derek Tomney |
| Penalties | ||||
Dan Casey  Jamie Hamilton Ryan Graydon Jonathan Lunney Eoghan Stokes |
 |
|||
| 2 April 2018 | Finn Harps | 1–2 | Derry City | Finn Park |
| 17:00 | Ciaran Coll |
Report | Aaron McEneff Rory Patterson |
Attendance: 935 Referee: John McLoughlin |
| 2 April 2018 | Galway United | 0–1 | Sligo Rovers | Eamonn Deacy Park |
| 17:00 | Report | Adam Morgan |
Referee: Raymond Matthews |
| 2 April 2018 | St Patrick's Athletic | 4–4 (a.e.t.) (7–8 p) | Dundalk* | Richmond Park |
| 17:00 | Fagan Kelly Leahy Leahy |
Tagbajumi Murray Leahy Massey |
Referee: Adriano Reale | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Fagan Clarke Doona Kelly Lennon Toner Leahy Madden Markey |
Massey McGrath Poynton Adorján Gartland Mountney O'Donnell Folan Tagbajumi |
|||
| 9 April 2018 | Limerick | 0–1 | Cobh Ramblers | Markets Field |
| 20:45 | 90' O'Riordan | Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
| 23 April 2018 | Waterford* | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p) | Cork City | Regional Sports Centre |
| 19:45 | 100' Duffus | 112' O'Hanlon |
| 24 April 2018 | Shelbourne | 7–2 | Drogheda United | Tolka Park |
| 20' Mulcahy 22' Rooney 25' Kavanagh 27' 48' 90' Doyle 60' Farrell |
69' Trimble 70' Hondermack |
| 24 April 2018 | Shamrock Rovers | 0–1 | Longford Town | Tallaght Stadium |
| 19:45 | Report | Daniel O’Reilly |
Attendance: 304 Referee: Thomas Dempsey |
Quarter Finals
The draw for the quarter finals took place on 10 April 2018 and was an open draw, unlike previous rounds which were drawn on a geographic pooled basis. Ties are due to be played on 7/8 May 2018.
| 7 May 2018 | Derry City | 7–3 | Shelbourne | Brandywell Stadium |
| 17:00 | Ronan Curtis Ronan Hale Aaron McEneff Nicky Low Nathan Boyle |
Report | David O’Sullivan James English |
Attendance: 1000 (estimate) Referee: Damien MacGrait |
| 8 May 2018 | Cobh Ramblers | 2–0 | Longford Town | St. Colman's Park |
| 19:30 | Darren Murphy Andrew Wall |
Report | Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
| 8 May 2018 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Bohemians | Oriel Park |
| 19:45 | Dylan Connolly Jamie McGrath |
Report | Attendance: 1,000 (estimate) Referee: Robert Rogers |
| 8 May 2018 | Sligo Rovers | 1–0 | Waterford | The Showgrounds |
| 19:45 | David Cawley |
Report | Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
Semi Finals
The draw for the semi finals of the 2018 EA Sports Cup was made on 13 May 2018. Both ties were played on 6 August 2018.
| 6 August 2018 | Sligo Rovers | 0–1 | Derry City | The Showgrounds |
| 17:00 | Report | Rory Hale |
Referee: Graham Kelly |
Final
The final of the League of Ireland Cup took place on 16 September 2018. Home advantage was decided by a coin toss, which Derry City won.
| 16 September 2018 | Derry City | 3–1 | Cobh Ramblers | Brandywell Stadium |
| 16:00 | Ronan Hale Darren Cole Aaron McEneff |
Report | Christopher Hull |
Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Ben Connolly |
References
- EA Sports Cup first round draw courtesy of sseairtricityleague.ie
- First Round draw postponements courtesy of extratime.ie
- EA Sports Cup second round draw courtesy of extratime.ie
- Second Round postponements courtesy of irishmirror.ie
- Quarter Final draw courtesy of sseairtricityleague.ie
- Semi Final draw courtesy of fai.ie