We have been drawn at home to Shamrock Rovers in the first round of the Sports Direct FAI Cup.
The tie will take place at Oriel Park on the week ending Sunday, July 23rd. A date and kickoff time will be confirmed in due course.
The tie is one of three all-Premier Division meetings in the first round with Bohemians drawn at home to Shelbourne and Drogheda United given home advantage against Sligo Rovers.
With 37 wins between them, Dundalk (12) and Rovers (25) are the two most successful clubs in FAI Cup history and Lilywhites head coach Stephen O’Donnell said it was a tie to whet the appetite.
A general view of the Sports Direct Men’s FAI Cup First Round draw at the Sports Ireland Campus in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
“If you’re going to progress, you’re going have to beat the top teams at some stage,” said O’Donnell. “It’s a little bit down the tracks, but it’s definitely a fixture that we’ll be anticipating and really looking forward to.
“For the neutrals, I don’t think you could have asked for a better draw,” he added. “From our point of view, it’s a home draw at Oriel and it has to be finished on the night so it has the makings of another really exciting cup tie between the two clubs.”
The tie is due to be played in between the first and second qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa Conference League and O’Donnell is hoping it forms part of a busy schedule for Dundalk.
“It’s the best time of year,” said O’Donnell. “You can’t beat the summertime when you have Europe to contend with on top of the domestic campaign and hopefully, we’re going into the FAI Cup game with a second qualifying round tie to look forward to in Europe as well.”
