'We're two games away from history and from what that great Derry side did under Jim McLaughlin'

Vinny Perth wants Dundalk FC to make it “a brilliant season” by completing a historic treble in retaining the FAI Cup, but the head coach says “the pressure is off now” having already bagged the league title last Monday.

The Lilywhites have won the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division and EA SPORTS Cup over the past fortnight, and they will look to take the penultimate step towards the treble when they face Sligo Rovers in the Extra.ie FAI Cup semi-finals at The Showgrounds on Sunday evening (5pm).

The management team had been keen to dampen talk of emulating Jim McLaughlin’s Derry City side of 1989. However, with now only Sligo and Shamrock Rovers standing in their way of achieving that, Perth has admitted that it has been a long-term target of Dundalk’s.

“To be fair, we haven’t hidden away from it in any way, shape or form. But we could have egg on our face come Monday morning,” Vinny told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.

“We’ve been in Cobh in the middle of Europe, we’ve been in Derry, we’ve been away to Waterford, and now we go away to Sligo. If the players are going to do it, they’re going to do it the hard way.

“How do you drive a group like that on? You set them a really high bar and you challenge them. There are discussions about it, there’s no doubt. We’re two games away from history and from what that great Derry side did under Jim McLaughlin.

“I’m not shying away from it. The gurus tell you ‘one game at a time’ and all that rubbish. The players want to be driven. They’re driven by that.

“I showed them a slide in pre-season of Celtic and what they do. What’s a good season for Celtic? Winning a league. What’s a very good season? Winning a double. What’s a brilliant season? A treble. So, it’s there for them.

“But, for me, the pressure is off now. We’ve won a league, we’ve won a cup, and we can just enjoy these last two games.

“We have the All-Ireland Cup to go after as well. That’s great – we have a lot of players injured so they have an incentive now of another trophy there. There are two trophies to be won between now and the end of the season.

“We could end up winning neither of them, but I won’t be disappointed with what we’ve done this year.”

If Dundalk overcome Sligo, they will become only the second-ever club to make it to five consecutive FAI Cup finals and the first to do so in 50 years, after Shamrock Rovers (five-in-a-row 1929-33 and six-in-a-row 1964-69).

Perth’s players clinched the league crown with a record-breaking run of 23 league games unbeaten (21 wins / 2 draws) and they are currently on another club record-breaking sequence of 29 matches undefeated in domestic competition (26 wins / 3 draws).

Sligo will have to be at their best to stop Dundalk in their current form and they will also have to overcome history, having lost nine of the previous 11 FAI Cup ties between the clubs, including the 1981 final. The most recent meetings came in 2014 and 2015 – 3-0 and 4-0 wins for Dundalk at Oriel Park.

Sligo last beat Dundalk in this competition way back in 1951. They also won the last semi-final encounter, over 80 years ago, in March 1939 when Dixie Dean was in their ranks in a 2-1 victory. The only other last-four clash was in 1935 when Dundalk won 2-0.

Three of the 11 ties to date have gone to replays, with The Lilywhites winning all of those back on home soil, meaning Sunday will be the 15th FAI Cup match between the sides – Dundalk’s current record standing at P14; W9; D3; L2; F31; A9.

Five-time winners, 11-time finalists, Sligo were last in the decider in 2013, beating Drogheda United 3-2, in what was the Bit O’ Red’s fourth final appearance in five seasons.

2018 double winners Dundalk lifted the trophy for the 11th time last November when they saw off Cork City 2-1 through goals from Seán Hoare and Patrick McEleney. A win on Sunday – in their seventh semi-final in eight years – will see the club progress to its 19th FAI Cup final.

Sligo, though, will take some confidence from their league meetings with the champions this season. They took four points from the first two, drawing 1-1 at Oriel Park and winning convincingly 2-1 at The Showgrounds, before losing the reverse fixtures 4-0 and 2-0.

In the latter, earlier this month, Dundalk ended Sligo’s 10-match unbeaten home run in the league thanks to goals from Dane Massey and Andy Boyle. Liam Buckley’s side have won the other five of their last six games in all competitions, including 2-0 at The UCD Bowl last weekend.

While Sligo have seen off Glebe North, Limerick and UCD to reach this stage, Dundalk have won away to Cobh Ramblers, Derry and Waterford, with Perth and his players having to navigate the most difficult of passages if they are to make another final.

Sunday’s game is live on RTÉ Two and kicks off at 5pm, with Shamrock Rovers awaiting the winners having eased past Bohemians at Dalymount Park on Friday night.