2007 eircom League of Ireland Cup
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Eircom clubs drawn for first round battles
20/03/2007 - 14:37:09
The First Round of the 2007 eircom League of Ireland Cup was drawn today, as clubs prepare to battle it out for a possible place in next season’s Setanta Sports Cup.
Sixteen clubs were entered into the draw for the First Round of the competition, with a further eight clubs receiving byes into the next round.
Clubs were entered into groups based on geographical location, with two fixtures then drawn from each group.
The complete draw is as follows:
Group 1:
Finn Harps v Fanad United
Monaghan United v Galway United
Group 2:
Waterford United v Wexford Youths
Cobh Ramblers v Limerick 37
Group 3:
Athlone Town v Longford Town
Shamrock Rovers v Dundalk
Kildare County v U.C.D.
Bohemians v Bray Wanderers
The fixtures will be played on April 2nd / 3rd , with the exception of the Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk and Bohemians and Bray Wanderers fixtures, which will be played on April 9th / 10th.
In the event of a drawn fixture, extra time and penalties will be used to determine the winning team.
Five clubs received byes due to participation in the 2007 Setanta Sports Cup or qualification for European competition.
Those five clubs were: Derry City, Cork City, Drogheda United, St. Patrick’s Athletic and Shelbourne.
Three further clubs were given byes, having been drawn out of the hat at random. Those three clubs were: Sligo Rovers (Group 1), Kerry League (Group 2), Kilkenny City (Group 3).
These eight clubs will be entered into the draw for Round Two, which will also be drawn on a geographical basis. Round Three, the last eight, will be drawn on an open national basis.
The draw for Round One was carried out by Gerri O’Neill, Club Promotion Officer for Bohemians, and Colin Forde, Club Promotion Officer for U.C.D.
Also present were Fran Gavin, director of the eircom League of Ireland, Noel Mooney, national coordinator for the Club Promotion Officer programme, and Michael Hayes, operations manager of the eircom League of Ireland.
The winner of this season’s competition will play a once-off play-off against the winners of the First Division for a place in the 2008 Setanta Sports Cup.
If the winner of the competition has already qualified for the Setanta Sports Cup, the play-off will involve the winner of the First Division and the next available club in the Premier Division.
According to Fran Gavin, Director of the eircom League of Ireland: "The First Round has thrown up some great fixtures. Wexford Youths making the trip to neighbouring Waterford United will be a fantastic occasion, while the pairing of Shamrock Rovers with their old rivals Dundalk also sets up a great match.
"With the possibility of entry into the Setanta Sports Cup for the eventual winners of the competition, this season’s eircom League of Ireland Cup is sure to be very competitive."
