Soccer: For those who were around for instalments one and two, the third consecutive pairing of Bohemians and Bray Wanderers in the Carlsberg FAI Cup stole the show at last night's quarter-final draw in Dublin.
For the last two years the clubs have done ill-tempered battle in this competition, with Jason Byrne's availability two years ago and the quality of the refereeing last season causing controversy. On both occasions, though, it was the Dalymount Park outfit who come out on top.
Bray's assistant manager Paul Keegan beamed after the two clubs had again come out of the hat together last night and merrily agreed that it has all the makings of "a grudge match". Wanderers would, he said, "be up for it after everything that's gone on over the past couple of seasons".
Recently-installed Bohemians manager Stephen Kenny, who is expected to sign Galway's Bobby Ryan today, looked uncertain when asked about the tie's baggage. "You will have to inform me about it," he said, "I wasn't around so all I know really is the bit I read about it in the papers.
"We could have got an easier draw," he added, "but things have been going fairly well for us in recent weeks. We beat them 2-0 in the league a few weeks ago and anyway you have to beat the best if you're going to win this thing, don't you."
Shamrock Rovers, for long the Cup specialists, were handed a home draw against first division opposition. Sligo Rovers must come to Richmond Park and the Dubliners will be odds-on favourites to move into the last four.
Shamrock Rovers boss Damian Richardson insisted, however, that Sligo would make the going tough, with Sligo manager Don O'Riordan's experience of guiding sides to the latter stages of the competition likely to prove crucial.
"People will say that it is one of the easier draws we could have got, but at this stage of the competition everybody is getting the feeling that they might win it and Sligo will certainly arrive with confidence," he said. "Don has got a good tactical brain and an excellent record in this competition so we won't be daft enough to take anything for granted."
O'Riordan led Galway to a memorable extra-time victory over St Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park two years ago and he was also in charge when United beat the Inchicore side in Terryland a year before, so he admitted he was no stranger to engineering Cup surprises.
"It will be great for our lads to be involved in a tie like this, and I've always preferred it when we've been underdogs in the Cup which has been good to me since I came back to Ireland," he said.
In the other ties of the round UCD were drawn at home to the winners of Sunday's replay at the Brandywell, either Derry City or St Kevin's Boys, and Dundalk's reward for securing a dramatic win in Kilkenny is a home tie with Shelbourne's surprise conquerors, Finn Harps.
