The following season would see Rovers go on to surpass its recent success. Rovers picked up their first piece of silverware by winning the EA Sports Cup with a 1–0 win over surprise finalists Monaghan United. Matthew Blinkhorn scored the winning goal. The goalscoring feats of Pádraig Amond resulted in his sale to Portuguese side Paços de Ferreira during the season. The club also performed well in the league with a run during the second half of the season enough to leave them in third place, their joint highest since winning it in 1977, only four points from being champions. This also guaranteed a return to European football for the next year. The highlight of the year however would be in the final game of the season, the 2010 FAI Cup Final.