Athlone man fires Dundalk into Champions League playoff

Athlone native Robbie Benson struck late last night to confirm Dundalk's victory over BATE Borisov in the Champions League second qualifying round last night.

Benson's goal, which sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory, means Dundalk are guaranteed a Europa League group spot and are one tie away from making the Champions League group stage proper.

Benson, who played with St Francis, Athlone Town and UCD before linking up with Stephen Kenny's Dundalk before the start of the season, was naturally thrilled with the result.

He told Dundalk FC's audioboom channel: 'It's tough to sum up, when you hear people say it will take a while to sink in, that's how I feel now.