On the final day, Sligo Rovers manager Liam Buckley paid tribute to his players after their victory over SNE Airtel Premier Division Duntak.

Goals from Jesse DeVorz and Ronan Coglan gave Bit O’Reilly a 2-0 victory over Dundalk.

If one of the three years to finish on top of Sligo – Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians or Dandalk – wins the FAI Cup, it will be enough for a European spot next season.

With Sligo still in the cup, expectations are high on the showgrounds that they will take part in Europe next season.

This is a far cry from the position Rovers had when they lost their first four games this season.

But the manager, who finished seventh in their last two campaigns, gives the manager all the credit for bringing luck to the players.

“I think the boys deserve all the credit and they have done very well over the last few months,” he told RTE Sport.

“I know we had a little flip of losing a few games, but it’s amazing to see the results come out as we did.

“We’ve beaten Dantalk twice this season and there are not a lot of teams that do that.

“I’m happy to be in fourth place, a place in Europe that depends on how the cup goes,” he said.

“It’s a deal breaker about where we are, go ahead and you’ll have to try to get through a round if you can. It’s worth $ 250,000 a round or whatever.

Meanwhile, Dandalk manager Filippo Giovagnoli blamed the disappointing performance against Sligo.

With the Europa League group campaign, the Lilly Whites had to balance domestic responsibilities, and fatigue became a major issue for the Dandalk club.

“We got into this game not on our knees, but on our knees,” he said. “The amount of games has completely drained the players and many of us have been injured.

“We want to recover in the next couple of weeks, rebuild our form and remember the energy together for the end of the season.”