Drogheda Utd - 2 Bohemians - 1: Their league season might have all but petered out but a dogged performance by Drogheda United's defence last night earned Paul Doolin's side a place in the FAI Cup semi-finals for a second consecutive year as Bohemians failed, for all their desperate efforts, to come from behind against the home side.

First-half goals from Paul Keegan and Damien Lynch proved enough for the hosts but it was edge-of-the-seat stuff for the locals, who must have spent the entire second half fearing a repeat of their side's surrender in April when Bohemians salvaged a draw after trailing 2-0 early on.

Their last meeting was at least as bad for United with two goals scored in the last three minutes as the Dubliners came from behind to win 3-2.

Three months on, the sides were clearly determined to pick up where they left off, Doolin's side taking just 80 seconds to take the lead and both sides attacking with ferocity.

Bohemians, though, could have done with defending a little more tidily early on. The opening goal was as much the product of a breakdown in their marking and Keegan's close-range finish appeared to take at least one deflection on its short journey past Matt Gregg and into the back of the net.

Things got a good deal worse for Gareth Farrelly's side a quarter of an hour later when United doubled their lead. The visiting supporters' pain can only have been compounded by the fact that it was one of the players who left in the close-season exodus, Lynch, who grabbed the goal. And to add to their misery, the right back had initially had his penalty - given after Ken Oman had taken down Stuart Malcolm - saved before he managed to slip the rebound past the prostrate Gregg.

At this point Bohemians were still waiting for their first attack of any consequence but they reacted well to the double setback, with Farrelly instrumental in pushing his side onto the offensive, while his wide men, Fergal Harkin and John Paul Kelly, did the bulk of the damage.

United dug in but their back four came under pressure as Bohemians sought to get behind them out wide, while Tony Grant did most to hustle around the box. There were few clear-cut chances, however, though Dan Connor's handling of the high balls that came his way was less than inspiring.

There were a few of them because the locals conceded a succession of corners, but it was from frees that Bohemians came closest to starting the process of clawing their way back into the game Their best chance of the first half came 14 minutes before the break when Harkin's driven strike was parried by Connor and Oman narrowly failed to make the required contact to turn the ball home. Not long after, Farrelly also tested Connor with a 20-yard free that the former under-21 international met at full stretch in order to push it away.

Between the two incidents Keegan was booked for a challenge on Kelly and five minutes into the second half the young midfielder's night, which had started with his first goal in a Drogheda shirt, ended prematurely when he needlessly sought to delay a Bohemians free from close to the halfway line and was shown a second yellow.

The visitors weren't slow to take advantage of the blunder. Aidan O'Keefe, on for Stephen Ward at half-time, halved the deficit on 50 minutes when he wrong-footed Connor by changing the direction of Kevin Hunt's shot, and the Englishman tested the goalkeeper severely moments later from 25 yards.

Doolin reacted by hauling off Malcolm and shoring up his central midfield, Sami Ristila coming on at the expense of a second striker. The Finn made some small impact as Hunt and Farrelly were left with less space in which to play but the locals seemed incapable of changing the wider pattern of the game.

Bohemians, however, seemed similarly incapable of capitalising on their dominance as Graham Gartland and Steven Gray largely subdued the visiting side's strikers and Connor's main body of work continued to be provided by longer range efforts.

In July, of course, Dominic Foley's contribution had been crucial in turning things around over the dying minutes and Farrelly could have done with his height again late on last night. As it was, his night only went from bad to worse late on when, with his side still desperately chasing an equaliser, Kelly got himself sent off for throwing the ball at Sandvliet.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Connor; Lynch, Gartland, Gray, Webb; Robinson, Bernard, Keegan, Sandvliet; O'Brien, Malcolm. Sub: Ristila for Malcolm (50 mins)

BOHEMIANS: Gregg; Rice, Oman, Byrne, Keddy; Harkin, Hunt, Farrelly, Kelly; Ward, Grant. Subs: O'Keefe for Ward (half-time); Keane for Keddy (80 mins)

Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).