1981 FAI Cup final

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

1981 FAI Cup final

The final of the 1980–81 FAI Cup was played on Sunday 26 April 1981 at Dalymount Park in Dublin. It was sponsored by Mitre and featured Dundalk and Sligo Rovers. Dundalk won 2–0, earning their seventh FAI Cup and completing a league-and-cup double that season.

Dundalk’s road to the final included wins over Hammond Lane (1–0), St Patrick’s Athletic (2–0 after a 1–1 draw and replay), Drogheda United (1–0 after a replay following a 0–0 draw), and Finn Harps (1–0). Sligo Rovers, the underdogs, had finished 11th in the league and were appearing in their fifth FAI Cup final after losing the previous four. They beat UCD (2–1 after a replay), Home Farm (3–0), and Waterford (1–0 after a replay following a 2–2 draw) to reach the final.

The match was windy and not particularly lively in the first half. Seven minutes into the second half, a corner from John Archbold went straight into the net for Dundalk’s opening goal. Sligo pressed for an equaliser, but Dundalk’s defense held firm. In the 78th minute, Mick Fairclough converted a long clearance from Sean Byrne to seal Dundalk’s victory.

Attendance was 12,000 and the referee was Paddy Mulhall. The game was not shown live on television, but highlights aired on RTÉ’s Sports Scene that evening with Jimmy Magee.