Striker Hughes settles the nerves

FAI Cup/Dundalk 3 Athlone Town 0: Dundalk's Philip Hughes was the toast of Oriel Park last night as his second-half brace helped the home side overcome Athlone and advance to the next round of the Ford FAI Cup.

However, the striker was later overshadowed by his strike partner, Paul Smyth who smashed a 35-yard effort into the net to settle the evening in style for the home side.

It was scrappy stuff but with the wind at their backs Dundalk were looking to press home their advantage and with the first clear chance of the second half the home side were ahead.

There appeared to be little on as Philip Hughes received John Flanagan's pass on the edge of the area, a drop of the shoulder bamboozled Ronan Frawley and Hughes smashed a 20 yard drive past Ciaran Kelly.

Dundalk began to string the passes together and just past the hour Hughes rose to meet David Crawley's cross and head home his second of the evening.

DUNDALK: Bennion; Flanagan, Crawley, Lynch, McGauley, Marney, O'Connor, K Dunne (R Dunne, 79 mins), Smyth (Mulvenna, 84 mins), Hughes, Doran (Perth, 66 mins).

ATHLONE: Kelly; Rossiter, Casey (Young, 57 mins), Frawley, McCarthy, Hardy (Gavin, 60 mins), O'Dowd, Fortune, Lavine, McTiernan (McGee, 73 mins), Heffernan.

Referee: N Doyle (Dublin)