Dundalk 0-2 Sporting Fingal
Sporting Fingal moved one step closer to European qualification with a 2-0 victory over Dundalk in at Oriel Park, their fourth victory against the Lilywhites this term.
Goals from Shaun Williams, this week nominated for both the senior and young PFAI Player of the Year awards, and Ronan Finn were enough to ensure that Liam Buckley's men finish the 2010 Airtricity League season unbeaten against Dundalk.
The home side came into the game looking for their sixth win in eight outings and they started brightly.
Ross Gaynor manufactured their first chance in the ninth minute with a vicious cross that just evaded both Tom Miller and Simon Madden.
Matthew Tipton then fired an audacious volley at Brendan Clarke after catching Colin Hawkins napping on the ball.
Fingal had Clarke to thank 10 minutes later. Dean Bennett slipped a lovely pass into Fahrudin Kuduzovic but the Fingal goalkeeper kept himself big to block with his legs and Lorcan Fitzgerald found himself in the right place to clear Stephen Maher's rebound.
Maher then turned provider minutes later, leaving Fitzgerald for dead to fizz the ball across the face of goal but somehow Tipton just couldn't turn the ball home.
The Lilywhites continued to turn the screw and Sporting had a real let-off in the 23rd minute.
Gaynor's cross squirmed from Clarke's grasp, right on to Kuduzovic's head, but Kenny Browne hacked the Bosnian's header off the line.
The visitors took the lead very much against the run of play.
Peter Cherrie tipped a Ronan Finn effort wide and from the resulting corner, Glen Crowe's header back into the six-yard box was turned home by former Dundalk player Williams.
Dundalk almost pulled level right on the stroke of half-time.
Dean Bennett won possession on the edge of the box but, with just Clarke to beat, he opted to pass inside, allowing a Fingal defender the opportunity to clear.
Liam Buckley's men extened their lead 10 minutes into the second-half when Gary O'Neill played a one two with Finn and the talented midfielder smashed the ball home from 25-yards.
Dundalk's night of woe continued three minutes later when Ross Gaynor was harshly dismissed for a tackle on Conan Byrne and Fingal also finished with ten men when Ger O'Brien saw red ten minutes later.
Dundalk: 1 Peter Cherrie; 12 Simon Madden, 6 Liam Burns (captain), 3 Wayne Hatswell, 13 Nathan Murphy; 7 Stephen Maher, 14 Dean Bennett, 4 Tom Miller, 11 Ross Gaynor; 9 Fahrudin Kuduzovic, 10 Matthew Tipton.
Subs not used: 20 Steven Lennon, 22 Paul Murphy, 16 Stephen McDonnell, 19 Johnny Breen, 15 Ciaran McGuigan.
Booked: Kuduzovic, 37 mins; Lennon, 83 mins.
Sent-off: Gaynor, 58 mins.
Sporting Fingal: 1 Brendan Clarke; 2 Ger O'Brien, 5 Colin Hawkins, 6 Kenny Browne, 3 Lorcan Fitzgerald; 8 Ronan Finn, 4 Shaun Williams (captain), 11 Shane McFaul; 7 Conan Byrne, 9 Gary O'Neill, 10 Glen Crowe (15 Keith Quinn, 72 mins).
Subs not used: 12 Brian Gannon, 14 Alan Kirby, 16 Darren Quigley, 17 Eamon Zayed.
Booked: Williams, 6 mins; Browne, 42 mins; Hawkins, 70 mins.
Sent-off: O'Brien, 68 mins.
Referee: Derek Tomne (Dublin).