| EA Sports Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Republic of Ireland Northern Ireland |
| Teams | 22 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Drogheda United |
| Runners-up | Shamrock Rovers |
The2012League of Ireland Cup, also known as the2012 EA Sports Cup, is the 39th season of the Irishfootball knockout competition.
A total of 22 teams entered the 2012 competition. The 12League of Ireland Premier Division and 8 League of Ireland First Division clubs were joined byUlster Senior League champions Fanad United and the Mayo League representative side. For the First and Second Rounds of the competition, all participating clubs were split into 4 regional pools with the further rounds of the competition having an open draw. The 2012 competition commenced with the First Round on 26 March 2012.
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
The draw for the First Round took place on 7 March 2012.[1] The First Round games were played on 26 March 2012.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool 1 | |||
| Cork City | 5 − 1 | Wexford Youths | Report |
| Waterford United | 1 − 6 | UCD | Report |
| Pool 2 | |||
| Finn Harps | 2 − 0 | Mayo League | Report |
| Monaghan United | 2 − 1 | Fanad United | Report |
| Pool 3 | |||
| Shelbourne | 1 − 0 | Mervue United | Report |
| Pool 4 | |||
| Athlone Town | 2 − 5 | Drogheda United | Report |
The draw for the Second Round took place on 27 March 2012.[2] The Second Round games were played on 9/10 April 2012.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool 1 | |||
| Limerick | 3 − 0 | Cork City | Report |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 2 − 1 | UCD | Report |
| Pool 2 | |||
| Derry City | 4 − 0 | Finn Harps | Report |
| Sligo Rovers | 3 − 1 | Monaghan United | Report |
| Pool 3 | |||
| SD Galway | 0 − 2 | Shamrock Rovers | Report |
| Shelbourne | 1 − 2aet | Bray Wanderers | Report |
| Pool 4 | |||
| Drogheda United | 1 − 1aet 4−3pen. | Bohemians | Report |
| Longford Town | 1 − 2 | Dundalk | Report |
The draw for the quarter-finals was made on 7 May 2012 onMNS onRTÉ Two.[3] The quarterfinal games were played on 25/26 June 2012.
| 25 June 2012 | Drogheda United | 1 − 1 (3 − 2p) | Dundalk | Hunky Dorys Park |
| 19:45 | Foley 33' | Report | 54'Griffin | Referee: Derek Tomney |
| Penalties | ||||
Foley R. Brennan Hynes  Marshall G. Brennan | MountneyO'NeillShields WalshGriffin | |||
| 25 June 2012 | Bray Wanderers | 1 − 3 | Limerick | Carlisle Grounds |
| 19:45 | Byrne 55' (pen.) | Report | 12',16'Coughlan 21'Sheahan | Referee: Paul Tuite |
| 26 June 2012 | Sligo Rovers | 4 − 0 | Derry City | The Showgrounds |
| 19:45 | Cretaro 50',82' North 79',85' | Report | Attendance: 1,430 Referee: Rob Rogers |
| 26 June 2012 | St Patrick's Athletic | 1 − 1 (2 − 4p) | Shamrock Rovers | Richmond Park |
| 19:45 | S. O'Connor 27' | Report | 7'Brennan | Attendance: 1,091 Referee: Damien Hancock |
| Penalties | ||||
| S. O'Connor Russell Chambers Daly | McCabeO'DonnellTwigg GreeneMcCormack | |||
The draw for the semi-finals was made on MNS on 9 July 2012.[4]
| 6 August 2012 | Drogheda United | 2 − 1 | Sligo Rovers | Hunky Dorys Park |
| 15:00 | G. Brennan 26' Mulvenna 29' | Report | 60'Lynch | Referee: Padraigh Sutton |
| 6 August 2012 | Shamrock Rovers | 4 − 1 | Limerick | Tallaght Stadium |
| 19:00 | Gannon 23' Kilduff 66',78'Dennehy 90+2' | Report | 87'Judge | Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Paul Tuite |
The final will be played on Saturday, 22 September 2012 inTallaght Stadium,Dublin.[5]
| Drogheda United | 3 − 1 | Shamrock Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| O'Brien 33' Gilbert 43' (o.g.)Foley 61'Hynes  21'McNally 73'Prendergast 83' | Report | Brennan 59' Kilduff 23'Powell  72' |