What a night in prospect – the fiercest rivalry in Irish football in a do-or-die contest at the Home of Irish Football.

It’s Bohemians against Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park, squaring off for a place in the FAI Cup final on the first weekend of November.

Bohs haven’t been in the Cup final since 2008; Rovers have been missing from Irish football’s showpiece occasion since 2010.

Keith Long’s side have enjoyed a remarkable record over their rivals in the last two years – from May 2017 to last August they were unbeaten in eight games against Rovers, all but one of them wins. Bradley’s hoops finally broke the curse with a 1-0 win in Tallaght in the side’s previous clash, but are without a win at Dalymount since 2017.

It’s the hottest ticket in town – Bohs reckon they could have sold 10,000 tickets.

If you can’t be there – follow it live here on The42. Get in touch below the line or email gavincooney@the42.ie.

Kick-off is at 7.45pm, and team news is coming up shortly….

Team news 

Bohemians 

A big boost for Bohs ahead of kick-off: Danny Mandroiu is fit to start, recovering from an injury he picked up while on U21 duty with Ireland earlier this month. Striker Andre Wright is good to go too, in spite of an expectation he would miss out. 

Here’s the Bohs’ team in full: 

James Talbot; Derek Pender, Rob Cornwall, James Finnerty, Paddy Kirk; Scott Allardice, Keith Buckley; Danny Grant, Danny Mandroiu, Ryan Graydon; Andre Wright 

🚨 TEAM NEWS | Here’s how #Bohs line up tonight at the Home of Irish Football 🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/O2aI1SGLTE

— Bohemian FC 🔴⚫ (@bfcdublin) September 27, 2019

Shamrock Rovers

Rovers, meanwhile, recall Joey O’Brien after Monday’s league-ceding defeat to Dundalk. 

In full: 

Alan Mannus; Joey O’Brien, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace, Sean Kavanagh; Aaron McEneff, Gary O’Neill; Graham Burke, Jack Byrne, Ronan Finn; Aaron Greene

Your team to face @bfcdublin in the FAI Cup Semi-Final tonight #WeAreRovers pic.twitter.com/NtS25Xog2A

— Shamrock Rovers FC 🇮🇪 (@ShamrockRovers) September 27, 2019

If this game is level after 90 minutes we will go to a replay – at Tallaght next Tuesday night at 7.45pm. 

Oisin Keniry / INPHO Oisin Keniry / INPHO / INPHO

We want to make Dalymount count for us tonight” says Keith Long. “The club has come back form the brink of extinction and hopefully we can continue improving as a club.”, he adds before saying Rovers are favourites tonight. 

Stephen Bradley, meanwhile, says that beating Bohs in August and snapping the eight-game winless streak will “definitely help us coming here tonight.” 

Rovers have been in the tunnel for a couple of minutes with no sign of Bohemians joining them.

Ah, Bohs are here now and the teams make their way out, striding through the sweeping red smog of the flares lit in the Jodi Stand. The atmosphere is, as you might expect, spectacular. 

Rob Hennessy is our referee tonight. Almost ready to begin…

..but not yet. Referee is waiting for the smoke to clear.

Peeeeep! 

We’re underway! 

Early shot for Aaron Greene – he wriggles free in the box and shoots directly at James Talbot from a difficult angle. 

First touch for Mandroiu, who keeps it simple and recycles possession. The move breaks down as Kirk’s through ball is a bit too ambitious for Wright. 

GOAL! Shamrock Rovers 1-0 Bohemians (Burke) 

What a start for Rovers! Green wins a corner, which Jack Byrne delivers. He finds Graham Burke peeling off to the front post, and he flicks a header inside the post! 

The game can’t restart immediately, as Rovers fans chuck a few flares onto the pitch in celebration. 

We’re back underway after a hold-up of about two minutes. Can Bohs reply immediately? 

Danny Grant shows a clean pair of heels down the left to skip by Joey O’Brien, but superb covering by Gary O’Neill stops him in his tracks.

Mandroiu whips a dangerous ball to Mannus’ back-post but nobody in red and black is near it. 

PA announcement at Dalymount – if there are any more flares thrown on the pitch, the teams will be taken off the pitch and the game will be suspended. 

Here’s the goal that has given Rovers an early lead: 

Graham Burke gives Shamrock Rovers an early lead in the FAI Cup semi-final against Bohemians. pic.twitter.com/5VS2Rtr8Ve

— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 27, 2019

Free-kick to Rovers in a central position, 35 yards from goal, after Grant fouled Graham Burke. Here comes another Jack Byrne special…

Andre Wright heads it clear, and Bohs break through Grant! 

..that counter comes to little, after Rovers got numbers back and eventually crowded Mandroiu off the ball. 

Wright heads wide! Lovely move by Bohs, as Mandroiu dummies to allow a ball through to Wright, who touches the ball back to Mandroiu. He fizzes it wide on the right to Graydon, whose cross is met by Wright before the striker had a chance to contort himself toward goal, so the ball goes harmlessly wide. 

Bohs are finding their feet, though. 

Danny Mandroiu is penalised for a foul on Joey O’Brien on the right wing. He trots forward into the box as Byrne readies the delivery. 

A lot of air on that free-kick, and Graydon clears for Bohs. Mandroiu holds up the subsequent clearing hoik, but after winning a throw-in, Bohs give the ball away in midfield. Ronan Finn robs Buckley, charges forward…and drags a tame shot wide. 

A poor decision by Finn – Byrne was available to his right. 

Massive roar as Allardice flies into a challenge – fairly – with McEneff that sends the ball flying 50 yards to Mannus. 

Danny Grant is writhing in pain, having been caught by Ronan Finn. He gets a stern talking to from the referee, but no card. 

Corner for Bohs. Joey O’Brien does really well to divert a super Pedner cross over his own crossbar; Mandroiu was lurking with intent. 

Rovers clear the corner, and then Lopes does superbly to head clear Graydon’s follow up dink into the area. Bohs have found their rhythm, and been on top for the last 10 minutes or so. 

Graydon saunters into the area after a delicious one-two with Mandroiu down the right, but shoots tamely at Mannus. 

Great pre-game snap from our friends at Inpho.

Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Byrne whips in a cross from the right that narrowly evades Greene in the box. He went to ground and referee Hennessy waves away what were half-hearted penalty appeals. 

McEneff shows some good feet in the penalty area, but curls his shot straight at Talbot. 

Oooof, a Mandroiu through ball for Graydon is cut out by Lee Grace. Last-ditch stuff.

Ronan Finn is booked, having trod on Paddy Kirk’s achilles. No intent, but Finn goes in the book for an accumulation of fouls. 

Wright gets an ooohh by scooping a ball over Kavangh’s head on the right touchline for the overlapping Pender. 

Pender, however, skews his volleyed cross high and over Mannus’ crossbar. 

Pender does well at the other end to head away a Byrne cross. Rovers look particularly down their right, with Greene, Finn, Burke and Byrne all linking up so well in tight spaces. 

My word, gorgeous first-time flick by Mandroiu sets up a one-two. He is eventually tackled by O’Neill, and the ball flies over the end-line. The referee gives a corner, although replays show his exasperation was right – it looked like it should have been a goal kick. 

Wright’s header from Mandroiu’s corner is cleared by the Rovers defence. 

They haven’t found the final pass yet, but Bohs are showing some promising signs. The link-up play between Mandroiu and Weight dropping off is encouraging, but their ploy of then sending it wide has yet to yield any dividends. 

Although annoyed at his team’s defending – Bohs’ assistant Trevor Croly has told RTÉ that he didn’t think the corner from which Rovers scored should have been awarded. Replays have since proven him right. 

The game has become scrappy in the last few minutes, stop-start with a series of throw-ins as both sides give the ball away. 

Rovers are now stroking the ball around without too much hassle at the moment. 

Save! Byrne weaves his way into the penalty area, and curls a low shot to Talbot’s bottom right-hand corner, but the goalkeeper gets down low and deals with it. 

At the other end, Mandroiu wastes an attack by shooting harmlessly wide from distance. 

Talbot does well again – a Finn shot was deflected and heading wide for a corner, but he got across and kept it in. His resulting larrup to the Rovers penalty area for Grant comes to nothing. 

We’ll have four added minutes. 

Corner Bohs! Delightful ball by Mandroiu for Graydon behind the Rovers’ defence, and Graydon’s pull back for Wright goes off a Rovers defender. Here comes Mandroiu…

Mandroiu hangs it up, and Allardice gets to it ahead of Mannus, but the ball skews off his head and over the crossbar. It was a half-chance, and just about Bohs’ best opening of the game so far. 

Half time: Bohemians 0-1 Shamrock Rovers 

Rovers lead at the break through Burke’s early header in a game of few chances and too many loose passes. Bohs haven’t really created anything yet. We’ll be back in a few. 

Elsewhere tonight – Derry City lead Cork 2-0 at half time in their league clash. 

Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Right, the teams are out for the second half. Bohs have 45 minutes to go one better than last year and make it to the Aviva. Let’s see what they have…

Peeep! 

We’re back! 

No changes for either side, by the way. 

Aaron Green forces an early corner. You might remember what happened from the first one of these..

Blimey, Kirk got up to clear Byrne’s corner, it skims off his head and drops just over his own crossbar. Another corner to come. 

This one is headed away by Wright. As Bohs clear, Gary O’Neill was spotted holding onto Grant – for which he is booked. 

Another really scrappy period ends with Keith Buckley being penalised for a foul on Jack Byrne. 

The second half is exactly the bitty, ragged game it was in the first. 

Kirk and Byrne fly into a challenge, and the referee rightly gives a throw to Rovers. 

A Bohs attack ends with Mandroiu fouling Kavanagh in the Rovers box. Bohs can’t get going at all. 

Much better by Bohs! Danny Grant scampers down the left flank, by Ronan Finn before he is taken out by Roberto Lopes. 

Lopes is booked, and here’s a chance for a Mandroiu delivery…

Oh dear. Mandroiu blasts the free-kick low into the wall. He tried to catch out Mannus at his near post, but that was a bad decision. 

Finn takes a throw-in in front of the Jodi Stand, and chips are rained down on Finn from a few Bohs fans. That only ends up delaying game further. 

Buckley sends a shot from 25 yards over the bar, after Grant beat Finn with some gorgeous footwork. Grant has the beating of Finn, playing at right wing-back and burdened with a yellow card. That looks Bohs’ best avenue back into this tie. 

Conor Levingtston is coming on for Bohs – replacing Scott Allardice. 

Rovers win a free-kick, Mandroiu dangles a leg and trips McEneff. Byrne and McEneff both interested in this…

Byrne hits it, but a deflection off the wall takes the ball behind for a corner. 

Byrne’s corner is deep this time, and Lee Grace miscontrols. It comes to nothing, 

Chance for Rovers! Finn’s cross for Greene misses the striker, but it sits up for the arriving Kavanagh, but Graydon’s pressure forces him to miss the ball entirely. 

Rovers on top now – but Burke pulls a shot so badly wide to the right that it ends up going for a throw in. 

What a clearance by Paddy Kirk! Buckley is robbed in midfield, Byrne rolls the ball to Burke who chips Talbot…but Kirk somehow manages to sprint back and head the ball over his crossbar. Incredible! 

Bohs clear the corner with less drama. Burke’s reaction to Kirk’s goal-line clearance tells it all – he was totally gobsmacked, and was ready to celebrate. That really was remarkable. 

Bohs are getting stretched now – Pender is forced into a great, last-ditch tackle on Aaron Greene. Another corner for Rovers. 

Somehow that Byrne corner isn’t diverted in. Kirk misses his header at the near post, and Ronan Finn diverts the ball the wrong side of the post from inside the six-yard box. Bohs are clinging on, now. 

Keith Buckley is off for Bohs; Ross Tierney on in his stead. 

Keith Ward is on for Bohs now too – for Ryan Graydon. Ward made the difference in the first derby of the year…can he do so again in what may be the last? 

RED! Danny Mandroiu is shown a straight red card  for going over the top of the ball on Cavanagh. It’s a poor challenge by Mandroiu – and that might be that for Bohemians. 

Bohs are saved by the offside flag! 

Byrne plays the free-kick short for Burke, who whips the ball low into the area for Greene. He prods the ball into the net – but his celebrations are cut short by the linesman! 

GOAL! Bohemians 0-2 Shamrock Rovers (Greene, 79′) 

There’s no denying him this time. Finn flies down the right and sends a superb cross across the penalty area, which is finished first-time by Greene. 

Some nice redemption for Greene – he was sent off at Dalymount in the first league derby of the season. Now he has scored the goal that looks like sending them back to the cup final. 

The referee has to bring the game to a halt as a couple of fans end up on the pitch. Rovers use the break to make a change – Ronan Finn makes way for Daniel Lafferty. 

We are underway again, and Rovers have yet another corner. For which Byrne has been booked for not taking quickly enough. 

Rovers make a second substitute – Greg Bolger comes on for Graham Burke. 

Pender is nudged over by Aaron Greene, and Bohs have a free-kick on the right. They need to get something here…

…and they don’t get anything. McEneff wins the first header, and the ball pinballs about the area to no success until Kirk is penalised for a wild foul. The Jodi Stand is emptying now, this looks done. 

Six additional minutes here. If, if, if Bohs were to somehow get one goal back…

Final change for Rovers – Aaron Greene goes off for Graham Cummins. 

Here’s Greene’s goal.

Aaron Greene puts Shamrock Rovers 2-0 up against Bohemians in their FAI Cup semi-final at Dalymount Park. pic.twitter.com/AWGpr2HNXu

— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 27, 2019

Sean Kavanagh goes in the book for a foul on Tierney. Ward over a free-kick for Bohs 25 yards from goal. This must be the moment for Bohs. 

Aaaaand it isn’t. Ward’s free-kick goes over the wall but bounces tamely in front of the stooping Mannus. 

Grant whizzes down the left again and his cross forces a corner. The set-piece goes deep, and Cornwall’s touch toward goal is comfortably gathered by Mannus. 

In other news – Derry have hammered Cork City 4-0 in the league tonight. 

Full-time: Bohemians 0-2 Shamrock Rovers 

A fully deserved win for Rovers – and they return to the FAI Cup final for the first time since 2010. It was a pretty poor game, but Bradley and his side really won’t care. Bohs didn’t create a chance of note, and Rovers were comfortable throughout. 

Thanks for following our live coverage – Aaron Gallagher’s report is landing soon. 

Bye!