Two superbly-taken goals from Fergal Harkin overshadowed a hat-trick from Derek Swan as Bohemians comfortably beat St Francis 5-0 at Dalymount Park yesterday to win Group E and advance to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
Bohemians join Cork City, Galway United, Longford Town, Shelbourne and St Patrick's Athletic in the last eight. The other two places will not be decided until after the game between Finn Harps and Derry City tomorrow night; both of those teams and Shamrock Rovers are in contention.
St Francis admirably took the game to Bohemians early on and might have been in front from three good chances inside the opening 10 minutes.
However, Bohemians, with four changes from the side that could only manage a 0-0 draw with Bray Wanderers on Thursday, soon took control. Twenty-year-old Harkin and Tony O'Connor might have scored before Swan finally gave Bohemians the lead two minutes before the break. It was one-way traffic in the second-half, but Bohemians had to wait until the 70th minute to kill off the game when Harkin scored a sublime second goal with a rising shot from 20 yards following a decisive diagonal run.
Eight minutes later Harkin showed excellent composure to take the ball round St Francis' goalkeeper, John Connolly, and score after Swan had played him through.
Swan then completed his hattrick with two goals inside the last two minutes.
Shamrock Rovers must wait until tomorrow night's result between Finn Harps and Derry City to know if they've made the quarter-finals as a best runner-up (along with St Patrick's Athletic) after they beat Bray Wanderers 20 at the Carlisle Grounds.
Rovers had the ideal start with the lead goal after just three minutes when Jason Sherlock was fouled inside the area by Bray's Colm Tresson and Tony Cousins scored from the resultant penalty.
Bray, who went into the game with every chance of qualifying, weren't helped by Barry O'Connor getting sent off following a scuffle with Rovers' Paul Whelan in the 29th minute.
Cousins added Rovers second goal on 74 minutes when sidefooting home from Paul Stokes's cross.
In Group D yesterday, Dundalk and Monaghan United drew 1-1.
Teenage striker Floyd Gilmore scored five times as Derry City all but booked their quarter-final place with an 8-1 rout of Ulster Senior League side, Fanad United, at the Brandywell on Saturday night.
Liam Coyle, James Keddy and Eamonn Doherty had Derry in command with goals before the half-hour mark. The other Group B game, between Sligo Rovers and Finn Harps at the Showgrounds ended scoreless; holders Sligo are out of the competition. Finn Harps must beat Derry in Tuesday's final match to win the group and qualify.
Derry can afford a 7-0 defeat and still go through as a runner-up due to their strong goal difference.
Longford Town defeated Drogheda United 2-0 at Strokestown Road in Group D and qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time.
Cork City, with yet another headed goal from Derek Coughlan a minute before half-time, beat Kilkenny City 1-0 at Buckley Park to easily win Group A.
Limerick earned their first, albeit academic, win of the competition when goals from Paddy Doyle, Sean Byrne and Howie king beat Mervue United 3-0 at Terryland Park.
