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Setanta Sports Cup

Setanta Sports Cup to introduce goal-line assistants next week

Tournament organisers confirmed that the two additional assistant referees will be used for this year’s semi-finals and final.

ADDITIONAL ASSISTANT REFEREES will be used in Irish domestic football next week for the first time.

Setanta Sports Cup organisers confirmed today the two extra match officials behind the goals will be introduced for the semi-finals and the final of this year’s tournament.

An all-Airtricity League final four sees Shamrock Rovers play Cork City and Drogheda United meet Sligo Rovers with the first legs taking place next Tuesday, 16 April.

The use of additional assistants to help the officials to make penalty box and goal-line decisions was first trialled by football governing body UEFA in 2008.

Despite much criticism UEFA says that the move has been a success and after analysing more than 1,200 games, found that the additional assistants resulted in better control of the match and an improvement in accuracy.

Tómas Connolly and Rob Rogers will be the two additional assistants when Rovers and Cork meet for the first leg in Tallaght Stadium next week while IFA officials Ray Crangle and Mervyn Smith will be on duty for the first leg of Drogheda v Sligo.

“By its very nature, the Setanta Sports Cup tournament is an innovative competition and I am delighted that we are once again breaking new grounds by introducing additional assistant referees for the semi-finals and final,” tournament committee chairman Milo Corcoran said today.

“This is the first time Additional Assistant Referees will have been used in domestic competitions and there is no doubt that two extra pairs of eyes focusing on the penalty areas will be of valuable assistance to the referee who will continue to be the person who makes the final decision.”

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