DUNDALK will bid to complete a rare hat-trick of away victories in Belfast when they take on Cliftonville in the Setanta Sports Cup semi-final leg tonight.

The Lilywhites have already beaten Linfield and Glentoran this term and will now meet the Reds at Solitude (7.45pm)with a determination to put themselves within reach of the final.

Dundalk boss Ian Foster told dundalkfc.com: “It’s the draw that we wanted because we wanted to continue playing teams from the north.

"We’re playing against teams that we don’t normally play against, it’s new for the players, it’s new for me, it’s new for a certain amount of our fans, and that’s what we were after.

"The last thing we wanted was to be playing the likes of Shamrock Rovers or Sligo Rovers at least six times in one calendar year. That’s something that we have avoided, so we’re pleased on that front.”

Foster expects a real test against the Reds, whose manager Eddie Paterson left the club over the weekend.

He said: “Cliftonville have come through some tough ties themselves. To beat Saint Patrick’s Athletic 3-0 at home was a fantastic result. I was actually at the game when they lost 2-0 in Inchicore.

"Cliftonville have done incredibly well to get through. They’re a good side, they’re well organised, and it’s the semi-final of a cup competition, so whenever you get to this stage you’re always playing against decent opposition. Although it’s the tie we wanted, for the reasons I’ve stated, it will be a tough game.”

Meanwhile, Sligo Rovers travel to Shamrock Park tonight looking to clinch their own semi-final slot after their 3-0 Setanta Sports Cup Quarter-final first leg win over Portadown.

Raffaele Cretaro is out with a leg injury picked up in training last Thursday but Joseph Ndo may feature again after his first appearance of the campaign against Galway on Friday.

Rovers boss Paul Cook is likely to start Ciaran Kelly and Derek Foran amongst others in his starting 11 once more.

Kelly said: “It is just another game for us. Whether it a first leg, second leg or whatever, we will go out and look to play to our best. A three-goal lead is irrelevant; we just have to approach it in a normal fashion.

“Brendan Clarke and I have a good thing going with a great run of clean sheets and we want to keep it up for as long as possible.

“We go to Portadown looking to continue it and make sure to avoid any slip-ups.”