‘Get in there my Son’ quickly became ‘Get off there my Son’ after Sonni Nattestad went from hero to villain on a fiery night between these title rivals.
Filippo Giovagnoli signed the 6’6 Faroese international to deliver some punch in Dundalk’s set pieces and the centre-back duly obliged with the opening goal before half-time.
But after Rovers defender Liam Scales morphed into Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp to exquisitely fire home an audacious equaliser early in the second-half, Nattestad saw red after tempers flared.
The mind games were in full flow all week - and what harm in it. This old rivalry is back at full throttle but Pat Hoban, in the eye of the storm after barbed comments dismissing the Hoops title win last season, was kept on the bench until the 50th minute.
But his introduction seemed to light the touch paper with snarkiness and narkiness evident in tackles and talk on both sides.
Nattestad's lunging tackle on Graham Burke after the hour sparked the flashpoint moment that had been simmering.
And In a sea of bodies, he then squared up to Chris McCann and moved his head in the direction of the former Burnley captain. Both camps waded in with Chris Shields and Joey O’Brien tangling briefly and Rovers skipper Ronan Finn trading verbals with Hoban.
After a lengthy consultation with his assistants, referee Damian McGraith sent Nattestad off while O’Brien, Shields, McCann and Hoops boss Stephen Bradley - for encroaching on the pitch - were all booked.
An animated Giovagnoli left his perch in the stands, where assistant Giuseppe Rossi had been relaying messages throughout between the Italian and team manager Shane Keegan who paced the line.
All eyes were on Dundalk’s management team to see who was calling the shots after the club’s midweek managerial reshuffle and Giovagnoli saw out the game in the dugout, but with Keegan remaining front and centre in the technical area. The shootout win was celebrated with collective gusto.
All week, both camps maintained there would be nothing friendly about this curtain-raiser. And so it proved with an eagerness on both sides to lay down markers for the year ahead.
Rovers played better football throughout the opening half but got no reward for doing so before Dundalk landed a sucker-punch with the Nattestad goal. Burke and McCann both peppered new Lilywhites keeper Alessio Abibi from distance.
Scales thundered a header off the bar from a Danny Mandroiu corner and Shields did just enough to put O’Brien off as the former Ireland defender lurked with intent at the back post, trying desperately to snaffle at the second ball.
New arrival McCann tried his luck again from outside the box and you wondered would Dundalk - in only their third preseason game compared to the Hoops eight - ever get motoring?
Belatedly so, as it happens. Late in the half, Patrick McEleney took a stronger grip on proceedings and raiding Latvian international Raivis Jurkovskis was menacing from right wing-back.
But he should have done better with their best chance before the opener. Racing onto Junior’s delicious pass, he closed in on Alan Mannus’ goal but overcooked a pass to McEleney at the far post when a shot of his own might have reaped a better reward. But Dundalk got just that three minutes before the break.
The towering Nattestad nipped in between O’Brien and Finn to meet McEleney’s corner and steer a downward header home from close range.
But that lead only five minutes because, three minutes into the second-half, Scales put the league champions on level terms with an outrageous piece of skill.
His right-foot touch to control Sean Gannon’s cross was superb but nothing compared to the flicked switch inside on his left that left Jurkovskis in a spin before drilling home on the half volley.
Graham Burke had a chance to win it late on but the President’s Cup was decided in a shootout with Dundalk celebrating after new Albanian keeper Abibi thwarted Pico Lopes in sudden death.
It’s good to be back.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Mannus 6; Hoare 6, Lopes 7, O’Brien 6; Gannon 6, McCann 6, Finn 6 (Watts 77, 5), Scales 8; Mandroiu 6 (Greene 65) Burke 7; Gaffney 7
DUNDALK: Abibi 7; Cleary 6, Boyle 6, Nattestad 6; Jurkovskis 6, Shields 6, Stanton 6, Leahy 6; McEleney 7 (Sloggett 65, 6), Ogedi-Uzokwe 6 (Dummigan 82); McMillan 6 (Hoban 50, 6)
Referee: D McGraith (Mayo)
