Setanta Sports Cup teams to learn places tonight
The eight competing teams in the 2007 Setanta Sports Cup will learn their fate in tonight’s draw which takes place in the Coach House, Dublin Castle at 5pm.
Eircom League Champions Shelbourne, FAI Cup and League Cup winners Derry City, Drogheda United and Cork City will be joined by Irish Premier League sides Dungannon Swifts, Glentoran, Portadown and 2005 Setanta Sports Cup Champions Linfield – who made a clean sweep of the Irish Premier League, IFA Cup and League Cup – in the draw to determine the composition of the two groups in next year’s tournament.
As holders, Drogheda United have been assigned ‘FAI 1’ for the purposes of the draw and will therefore open their defence of the trophy in Group One at home in front of the United Park faithful on Monday, February 26, 2007. As well as Drogheda United’s designation, the draw is designed so that Glentoran and Linfield will not host home fixtures on the same night in Belfast however they will not be separated per se and can be drawn together in the same group.
The draw will be conducted by Setanta Sports boss Niall Cogley, former Republic of Ireland senior international player Ray Treacy and former Northern Ireland senior international player Alan McDonald.
Umbro will also be unveiling the new X-III ball which will be the official football of the 2007 Setanta Sports Cup. This will be the first time the X-III will be used in Ireland and it will be the official eircom League football for the 2007 season.
