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Dennehy claims hat-trick as Students get six of the best

FAI CUP FOURTH ROUND, REPLAY: UCD 0 Shamrock Rovers 6: A HAT-TRICK from Billy Dennehy embellished Shamrock Rovers’ passage through…

Tue Sept 06 2011 - 01:00

FAI CUP FOURTH ROUND, REPLAY: UCD 0 Shamrock Rovers 6:A HAT-TRICK from Billy Dennehy embellished Shamrock Rovers' passage through to the quarter-finals as UCD's hopes ended early with the dismissal of their captain Michael Leahy.

Michael O’Neill’s league champions can now relish a trip to face holders Sligo Rovers and a chance to avenge last year’s final defeat on penalties. The sides also just happen to meet first in the league at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night.

With injury, suspension and ineligibility depriving him 10 players, O’Neill was forced into seven changes to his side that began in Dundalk on Saturday.

Dennehy was a scoring substitute in that 2-1 win at Oriel Park, and he proved his worth from the start with the lead goal after just five minutes.

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Central defender Leahy was somewhat harshly booked for handling a cross from Dennehy to concede a penalty. And even though goalkeeper Ger Barron dived the right way to parry Dennehy’s spot kick, the winger followed up to side-foot home the rebound.

The concession of the early goal clearly rattled UCD as Rovers dominated for a good spell adding a second score on 19 minutes.

Dennehy was again pivotal, providing the weighted delivery from a corner for midfielder Chris Turner to head home from eight yards.

The game was effectively up for College on 26 minutes when Leahy pulled back Gary O’Neill as he raced onto Ciaran Kilduff’s pass and was sent off in conceding another penalty.

Gary McCabe stepped up to score despite Barron getting a hand to deflect the shot onto his post and the stretched College defence was breached again before the break with Dennehy nabbing his second on 42 minutes.

The woodwork initially deprived Dennehy of his hat-trick on 53 minutes when his thumping long-range shot rattled the bar. But on 71 minutes he did get his third of the game, when substitute Paddy Kavanagh’s cross wasn’t cut out and the winger had plenty of time to rifle low to the net.

Kavanagh also provided the delivery for O’Neill to head home Rovers’ sixth goal in stoppage time.

UCD: Barron; Harding (Douglas, 78 mins), O'Connor, Leahy, Ledwith; Benson, Creevy, Corry, P O'Conor, Belhout (Meenan, 52 mins), Rusk (Boyle, 28 mins).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Brush; Sullivan (Shannon, 61 mins), Gannon, Murray, Memery; McCabe (Kavanagh, 61 mins), Turner, Finn, Dennehy (Sheppard, 88 mins); O'Neill, Kilduff.