2007 Setanta Sports Cup

2007 Setanta Sports Cup
Country  Northern Ireland &
Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland
Teams 8
Champions Republic of Ireland Drogheda United
(2nd title)
Runners-up Northern Ireland Linfield
Matches played 27
Goals scored 67 (2.48 per match)

The 2007 Setanta Sports Cup was the 3rd staging of the cross-border cup competition that takes place between football clubs from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The final was played at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 12 May 2007, and was won by Drogheda United with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory over Linfield when the scores were level at 1–1 after extra time. Drogheda won the trophy for the second successive year.

Shelbourne's withdrawal

The draw for the 2007 Setanta Cup competition was made on 7 December 2006 with the original competing teams being the identical ones to the previous year's competition. On 30 January 2007, however, Shelbourne announced that they were withdrawing from the competition for reasons relating to their financial troubles and the fact that they would be unlikely to field a team of players. Their place was given to the 2006 FAI Cup runners-up to Derry City, St Patrick's Athletic, despite the fact that the next best-placed in the previous season's league (Shelbourne's qualification route), who did not have a place in the Setanta Cup already, were Sligo Rovers. While it is likely that the organisers transferred Derry, who finished second in the league, into Shelbourne's empty slot, first in the league, for the purpose of official qualification and then accorded St Pat's qualification by way of the FAI Cup, this would have logically entailed Derry moving into Group 2 to fill Shelbourne's place, while St. Patrick's should compete in Group 1 in the place of the moved Derry. However, it is possible that for the purposes of the initial draw, teams were accorded lots on an alphabetical basis. Thus, it would follow that St. Patrick's would have been assigned the same lot as Shelbourne and would have, as a result, been drawn in the same slot anyway.

Group stage

The draw for this round was held 7 December 2006. The matches were played 26 February-17 April 2007.

Teams that progressed to the Semi-Finals are indicated in bold type.

Teams eliminated from the Setanta Cup are indicated in italics.

Group A

TeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1. Northern Ireland Linfield 633085+312
2. Republic of Ireland Drogheda Utd 632152+311
3. Republic of Ireland Derry City 612368-25
4. Northern Ireland Glentoran 611448-44

2007-02-26
Drogheda United 0 1 Linfield
(Report) O'Kane  29'
United Park, Drogheda

2007-02-26
Glentoran 0 1 Derry City
(Report) McHugh  85'
The Oval, Belfast
Attendance: 2,728
Referee: Northern Ireland Alan Black

2007-03-05
Linfield 1 1 Glentoran
Stewart  21'
Gault Red card 90+'
(Report) Hill  31'
Neill Red card 90+'
Windsor Park, Belfast
Referee: Republic of Ireland Ian Stokes



2007-03-20
Linfield 2 1 Derry City
Dickson  20'
Kearney  45 pen'
Lindsay Red card 79'
(Report) Farren  14'

2007-03-26
Derry City 2 2 Linfield
Beckett  35'
McCourt  60'
(Report) O'Kane  74'
Dickson  85'

2007-03-26
Drogheda United 2 0 Glentoran
O'Keeffe  30'
Grant  45'
(Report) Hill Red card 35'
United Park, Drogheda

2007-04-02
Derry City 1 2 Glentoran
Brennan  16' (Report) McMenamin  54'
McDonagh  87'


2007-04-17
Drogheda United 2 1 Derry City
Grant  69'
Zayed  90+'
(Report) Deery  45'
United Park, Drogheda

2007-04-17
Glentoran 1 2 Linfield
Neill  42 pen' (Report) Stewart  7'
Thompson  55'

Group B

TeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1. Republic of Ireland St Patrick's Athletic 6510173+1416
2. Republic of Ireland Cork City 6312145+910
3. Northern Ireland Dungannon Swifts 6042612-64
4. Northern Ireland Portadown 6024320-172


2007-03-05
Portadown 2 2 Dungannon Swifts
Collins  68'
McCutcheon  70'
(Report) McCluskey  21'
Gallagher  90+3'

2007-03-12
Cork City 1 3 St Patrick's Athletic
O'Flynn  85' (Report) O'Neill  32',  90+2 pen'
Kirby  50'


2007-03-20
Cork City 4 0 Portadown
O'Donovan  46',  76'
Lordan  60'
Lally  90'
(Report)

2007-03-26
Portadown 0 7 Cork City
(Report) Behan  15',  82'
O'Flynn  18'
Gamble  32'
O'Donovan  44',  66',  87'




2007-04-16
Cork City 2 1 Dungannon Swifts
O'Brien  4'
Behan  35'
(Report) McCabe  64'
Wells Red card 81'
Turners Cross, Cork
Referee: Republic of Ireland Declan Hanney

2007-04-16
Portadown 0 3 St Patrick's Athletic
(Report) Lynch  52'
O'Connor  62',  71'

Semi-finals

The draw for the semi-finals was made by drawing the winners of Group A against the runners-up of Group B and vice versa, with group winners having home advantage. There would be no replays if the matches were drawn; instead, extra time would decide winners immediately thereafter. If extra time did not decide the winners, a set of five alternating penalty kicks would decide winners.

23 April 2007
20:05 IST
St. Patrick's Athletic 0 1 (AET) Drogheda United
(Report) Zayed  112'
Richmond Park, Dublin
Attendance: 2,735
Referee: Adrian McCourt Northern Ireland

30 April 2007
20:05 IST
Linfield 1 0 Cork City
O'Kane  85' (Report)
Windsor Park, Belfast
Attendance: 2,647
Referee: Ian Stokes Republic of Ireland

Final

12 May 2007
17:00 IST
Linfield 1 1 (AET) Drogheda United
McAreavey  67' (Report) Lynch 56'
Grant  77'
  Penalties  
Ervin
Mouncey
Ferguson
Dickson
O'Kane
3 4 Lynch
Grant
Bradley
Robinson
Byrne
Windsor Park, Belfast
Referee: Northern Ireland Adrian McCourt


Winner of 2007 Setanta Sports Cup
Republic of Ireland Drogheda United
2nd Title

Goalscorers

5 goals
3 goals
2 goals

  • Republic of Ireland Aidan O'Keeffe (Drogheda United)
  • Republic of Ireland Gary O'Neill (St Patrick's Athletic)

1 goal

External links