| EA Sports Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Dates | 12 March – 16 September |
| Teams | 24 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Derry City |
| Runners-up | Cobh Ramblers |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 23 |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Ronan Curtis (Derry City) Aaron McEneff (Derry City) James English (Shelbourne) Jamie Doyle (Shelbourne) (3 each) |
The 2018League of Ireland Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the2018 EA Sports Cup, was the 45th season of the League of Ireland's secondary knockout competition. The EA Sports Cup features teams from theSSE Airtricity LeaguePremier andFirst Divisions, as well as some intermediate level teams.Derry City won the cup for a record 11th time.
| Pool 1 | Pool 2 | Pool 3 | Pool 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Clubs denoted with * received a bye into Second round
All teams were divided into four pools based on geographical location. Two random teams per pool received a bye into the second round. The draw for the first round took place on 9 February 2018. Ties were scheduled to begin on 5 March 2018 but were subsequently postponed due to the aftermath of extreme weather from acold wave known as theBeast from the East combined withStorm Emma. Rescheduled ties were set for various dates across March and April 2018.
| 12 March 2018 | Finn Harps | 4–3 | Mayo League | Finn Park |
| 19:45 | 7' Devers 41' O'Connor51' Toland 56'O'Flynn | 59' 82' Lavelle71 ' Morrissey |
| 13 March 2018 | Wexford | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (7–8p) | Cobh Ramblers* | Ferrycarraig Park |
| 20:00 |
| 19 March 2018 | Galway United | 1–0 | Cockhill Celtic | Eamonn Deacy Park |
| 19:45 | 51' Gill (OG) |
| 26 March 2018 | Waterford | 4–1 | UCC | Regional Sports Centre |
| 19:45 | 11' Martin 32'Puri 40'Daly 66'Akinade | 55' Hennessy |
| 26 March 2018 | Bray Wanderers | 0–3 | Shelbourne | Carlisle Grounds |
| 19:45 | 24' 61' English 29' Boyne | Attendance: 208 Referee: Alan Carey |
| 26 March 2018 | Bohemians | 5–1 | Cabinteely | Dalymount Park |
| 19:45 | 37' 76' Watts 38' 42' Manley 65' Grant | 8' Fitzpatrick |
| 27 March 2018 | Athlone Town | 0–2 | UCD | Athlone Town Stadium |
| 19:45 | 34' Molloy 84' Mahdy |
| 9 April 2018 | Drogheda United | 3–2 | St Mochta's | United Park |
| 19:45 | 28' Doyle 31' McPhillips 40' Meaney | 20'Kelly(Pen) 89'Hughes |
The draw for the Second round took place on 22 March 2018 and was made on a regional pool basis. Ties were scheduled for Easter Monday 2 April 2018. Four second round fixtures were postponed due to heavy rainfall causing unplayable pitches. Rearranged fixtures were set for 9 April, 23 April and 24 April.
| 2 April 2018 | Bohemians | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–3p) | U.C.D. | Dalymount Park |
| 15:00 | Eoghan Stokes 54'Jonathan Lunney 85' (pen.) | Report | Yousef Mahdy 21' Gary O’Neill 35' | Attendance: 314 Referee: Derek Tomney |
| Penalties | ||||
Dan Casey Jamie Hamilton Ryan Graydon Jonathan Lunney Eoghan Stokes | Gary O’Neill Timmy Molloy Ben Hanrahan Paul Doyle | |||
| 2 April 2018 | Finn Harps | 1–2 | Derry City | Finn Park |
| 17:00 | Ciaran Coll 11' | Report | Aaron McEneff 29' (pen.) Rory Patterson 63' | Attendance: 935 Referee: John McLoughlin |
| 2 April 2018 | Galway United | 0–1 | Sligo Rovers | Eamonn Deacy Park |
| 17:00 | Report | Adam Morgan 83' | Referee: Raymond Matthews |
| 2 April 2018 | St Patrick's Athletic | 4–4 (a.e.t.) (7–8p) | Dundalk* | Richmond Park |
| 17:00 | Fagan 58' Kelly 60'Leahy 97'Leahy 104' | Tagbajumi 3' Murray 45'Leahy 102' (og.)Massey 120' | Referee: Adriano Reale | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Fagan Clarke Doona Kelly Lennon Toner Leahy Madden Markey | Massey McGrath Poynton Adorján Gartland Mountney O'Donnell Folan Tagbajumi | |||
| 9 April 2018 | Limerick | 0–1 | Cobh Ramblers | Markets Field |
| 20:45 | 90' O'Riordan | Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
| 23 April 2018 | Waterford* | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3p) | Cork City | Regional Sports Centre |
| 19:45 | 100' Duffus | 112' O'Hanlon |
| 24 April 2018 | Shelbourne | 7–2 | Drogheda United | Tolka Park |
| 20' Mulcahy 22'Rooney 25' Kavanagh 27' 48' 90' Doyle 60'Farrell | 69' Trimble 70'Hondermarck |
| 24 April 2018 | Shamrock Rovers | 0–1 | Longford Town | Tallaght Stadium |
| 19:45 | Report | Daniel O’Reilly 89' | Attendance: 304 Referee: Thomas Dempsey |
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 10 April 2018 and was an open draw, unlike previous rounds which were drawn on a geographic pooled basis. Ties are due to be played on 7/8 May 2018.
| 7 May 2018 | Derry City | 7–3 | Shelbourne | Brandywell Stadium |
| 17:00 | Ronan Curtis 5',15',40' Ronan Hale 36'Aaron McEneff 43' (pen.)Nicky Low 83'Nathan Boyle 90' | Report | David O’Sullivan 21',28' James English 81' | Attendance: 1000 (estimate) Referee: Damien MacGrait |
| 8 May 2018 | Cobh Ramblers | 2–0 | Longford Town | St. Colman's Park |
| 19:30 | Darren Murphy 43' Andrew Wall 88' | Report | Referee: Anthony Buttimer |
| 8 May 2018 | Dundalk | 3–0 | Bohemians | Oriel Park |
| 19:45 | Dylan Connolly 8',21' Jamie McGrath 88' | Report | Attendance: 1,000 (estimate) Referee: Robert Rogers |
| 8 May 2018 | Sligo Rovers | 1–0 | Waterford | The Showgrounds |
| 19:45 | David Cawley 63' | Report | Referee: Paul McLaughlin |
The draw for the semi-finals of the 2018 EA Sports Cup was made on 13 May 2018. Both ties were played on 6 August 2018.
| 6 August 2018 | Sligo Rovers | 0–1 | Derry City | The Showgrounds |
| 17:00 | Report | Rory Hale 24' | Referee: Graham Kelly |
| 6 August 2018 | Cobh Ramblers | 1–0 | Dundalk | St. Colman's Park |
| 17:00 | Christopher Hull 75' | Report | Referee: Sean Grant |
The final of the League of Ireland Cup took place on 16 September 2018. Home advantage was decided by a coin toss, which Derry City won.
| 16 September 2018 | Derry City | 3–1 | Cobh Ramblers | Brandywell Stadium |
| 16:00 | Ronan Hale 23' Darren Cole 54'Aaron McEneff 72' (pen.) | Report | Christopher Hull 26' | Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Ben Connolly |