Derry City 1 Drogheda 1
Drogheda United earned an FAI Cup second round replay at United Park on Tuesday night, keeper, Stephen McGuinness, produced a superb performance to keep his side in the game at the Brandywell.
Indeed, McGuinness, saved a 56th minute penalty to keep Drogheda in the driving seat before Derry did manage to level - another penalty - this time scored by Aaron McEneff with 18 minutes remaining.
But it was a horrible defensive howler which presented the visitors with the lead goal in the 32nd minute.
Ryan McBride’s very poor backpass letting striker, Same O’Connor in to net at the second attempt.
The First Division side started well with winger, Aaron Ashe testing Ger Doherty with a low drive in the 18th minute but it was Derry who created the first clear-cut scoring opportunity one minute later.
McEneff sent Josh Daniels scampering into a one-on-one situation but the 20-years-old directed his shot straight at keeper, Stephen McGuinness.
In the 26th minute the home side should have taken the lead but Conor McCormack scuffed his effort when attempting to direct McEneff’s low cross into the net, keeper McGuinness diverting the ball wide.
And Daniels had another chance in the 27th minute but he failed to get power into the shot making it easy for the Drogheda keeper.
Drogheda then silenced the Brandywell crowd when a defensive lapse by Derry skipper, Ryan McBride, presented Sam O’Connor with the chance.
McBride’s attempted back-pass left Doherty stranded and while the keeper did managed to block O’Connor’s initial shot, the striker was accurate with the rebound when slotting the ball into the corner.
Derry continued to dominate the ball, with Drogheda content to sin back l and while McEneff crashed a superb shot off the Drogheda crossbar, the visitors held firm.
Derry, however, were then presented with a superb opportunity to level matters when Daniels had clearly been impeded inside the area but Patterson’s spotkick was superbly saved by keeper, McGuinness.
McEneff crashed a second shot off the crossbar as Drogheda continued to defend and when Dean Jarvis headed a corner wide with 20 minutes remaining one got the feeling it was not to be Derry’s day.
In the 72nd minute, the home side were then awarded a second spotkick when keeper McGuinness was adjudged to have brought substitute, Lukas Schubert down inside the area. It looked a very harsh decision.
Up stepped McEneff who hit the net to restore equality and Derry were back in business.
In the 81st McEneff let fly again, the narrowly missing the target as the home side continued to force the issue and try as the did, Schubert’s effort shaved the wrong side of the post during injury time.
Derry City - Doherty; Vemmelund, McBride, Barry, Jarvis; McCormack, McEneff; Ward (Schubert, 60), McNamee (McDermott, 85), Daniels; Patterson.
Drogheda United - McGuinness; Costello, Cooney, Gallagher, Dunne; Wixted (Kirwan, 55), Hyland, Molloy, Ashe; Brennan; O'Connor (Donnelly, 68).
Referee - P. Tuite (Dublin).
UCD 4 Bray Wanderers 3
In a roller-coaster of game, UCD clipped the Seagulls wings to make the last 16 of the FAI Cup.
The First Division side led 3-0 at the break on Friday night at the Bowl. But Bray rallied to make it 3-3 before the hour mark.
The Students flew out of the traps and took a third minute lead when Gary O’Neill struck a brilliant free-kick past Peter Cherrie’s despairing dive.
The ‘College then went two up in the 34th minute. Greg Sloggett fired in a low 22-yard drive that found the bottom left corner of the net.
UCD grabbed a third right on the stroke of half time. Dylan Watts’ pass slipped ex-Seagull Kieran Marty-Waters in to deftly dink past the on-rushing Cherrie from 12-yards.
Bray responded within 40 seconds of the interval when Dylan Connolly’s centre fell to Ryan Brennan to blast in from close range.
The visitors made it 3-2 in stunning fashion in the 52nd minute when Brennan smashed in from edge of box from Dean Kelly’s chested lay-off.
The tie was all square by the 57th minute. Kelly was brought down by O’Neill with Brennan slotting the penalty down the middle.
The home side were awarded a 63rd minute penalty after former Bray man Ryan Swan was fouled by Conor Kenna. But O’Neill’s spot-kick hit the bar and sailed over.
However, UCD skipper O’Neill headed in the 69th minute winner off Waters’ cross to break Bray hearts.
UCD: Corbett; Harney, Kouoqun, Boyle, Tobin; O'Neill, Sloggett; Waters,Watts (Watson 79), McClelland; Swan (Jason Byrne 86).
Bray Wanderers: Cherrie; Douglas, Alan Byrne (Marks 69), Kenna, Harding; Moore (McDonagh 79), Creevy, Brennan, Connolly; Dean Kelly (Salmon 70), Pender.
Referee: James McKell (Tipperary).
Cork City 4 St Peter’s 0
Cork City eased into the third round of the FAI Senior Cup on Friday night defeating non league side St Peter’s, Athlone in convincing fashion at Turner’s Cross.
Last season’s runners up got the perfect start on 12 minutes with Kevin O’Connor heading in Ian Turner’s corner. Gavan Holohan then doubled the lead on 20 minutes scoring with a quality strike from outside of the box.
Cork had all the possession, despite St Peter’s best efforts, and Stephen Dooley made it three on 34 minutes hitting a low effort into the corner following Mark O’Sullivan’s cross.
O’Sullivan then turned from provider to scorer on 51 minutes rising highest to head home man of the match O’Connor’s free kick.
St Peter’s goalkeeper Philip Coffey then made a string superb saves during a goalmouth scramble on 53 minutes keeping out multiple shots.
Near the end, Ian Dempsey nearly scored a consolation for Peter’s but couldn’t keep his header down as Cork emerged triumphant.
Cork City: Smith; Dunleavy (Donnellan 34), Browne (Beattie 46), McSweeney, O'Connor; Healy, Holohan; Turner, Morrissey (Sheppard 78), Dooley; O'Sullivan.
St. Peter's: Coffey; Scullion, Delaney, Neil Harney John McCrossan; Pascal Dillon (Donohue 63), Ian Dempsey, David Brooks Ethan Nkololo (Kelly 56); Michael Lee; Mark McConnell (Fallon 75).
Referee: Padraig Sutton (Clare)
Shamrock Rovers 4 Midleton 0
Shamrock Rovers made light work of Munster Senior League outfit Midleton at Tallaght Stadium as they eased them into the last 16 of the FAI Cup.
Rovers, whose defeat to Wexford Youths last week was brought into perspective by revelations of depression afflicting their striker Mikey Drennan, were hardly troubled by the Cork side outfit and should have won by a bigger margin.
A promising start was reflected in a deserved 22nd-minute opener. Dean Clarke gained possession on the right before delivering a cross into the six-yard box where Gary Shaw rose to head home.
There was only so much resistance Midleton could manage and the inevitable second goal arrived on 67 minutes. Brandon Miele seemed to have scuffed his corner but Sean Heaney was first to react by turning 12 yards out and smashing his shot into the top corner.
Patrick Cregg made it 3-0 with 13 minutes left by rifling home after Midleton failed to clear McCabe’s cross before the impressive Miele curled in the fourth during stoppage time.
Shamrock Rovers: Hyland; Madden, Heaney, Cornwall, O'Connor (Doona 86); Cregg, McPhail; D Clarke (Boyd 79), McCabe, Miele; Shaw (North 67).
Midleton: Gledhill; Kruschell, Murray, Hickey, J McCarthy; Leahy; Barnes (K Tattan 60), Hegarthy (K McCarthy 65), Maher (Ahern 80), Keane; Knowles.
Referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).
Waterford United 0 Longford Town 2
Longford Town secured their place in the third round of the Cup when they got the better of First Division side Waterford United at a rain lashed RSC.
The Premier League side showed their class to get past the battling Blues challenge as first half goals from Lee Duffy and Philip Gannon gave Tony Cousins' side their passage into the next round of the competition.
As the rain made playing conditions difficult, Town struck the front on 24 minutes when a loose Jimmy Dermody clearance fell into the path of Kevin O’Connor, who fed Lee Duffy and he gave keeper Corey Chambers no chance with a stunning strike from 35 yards.
Longford doubled their lead less than two minutes later when Kealon Dillon sent in a cross from the right that was headed clear by Ian Sinnott but the ball fell nicely for Gannon and he found the net past keeper Corey Chambers from 20 yards.
The Blues did have two great chances to get back into the game when Philly Gorman got his head on the end of a right-wing Robbie Buckley delivery on 66 minutes but his header was superbly tipped over the crossbar by visiting keeper Paul Skinner before David O’Leary headed over two minutes later.
Waterford United: Corey Chambers, Robbie Buckley, James Dermody (Sean Byrne `55), Ian Sinnott, Colum Nugent, David O'Leary, James O'Brien, Darren Murphy (Aaron O'Connor `46), Philly Gorman, Anthony McAlavey, Dylan McGuire
Longford Town: Paul Skinner, Conor Powell, Daniel O'Reilly, Kealon Dillon, Kevin O'Connor (Jamie Mulhall `46), David O'Sullivan, Lee Duffy (Josh O'Hanlon `70), Kaleem Simon (Mark Hughes `84), Pat Flynn, Philip Gannon, Mark Rossiter
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork)
Firhouse Clover 0 Wexford Youths 3
A delightful goal from Jonny Bonner broke non-league Firhouse Clover’s resolve at Ferrycarrig Park as Wexford Youths laboured into the third round of the FAI Cup.
The kick off was delayed for 35 minutes due to the late arrival of Firhouse who more than held their own in the first half with winger Mandiangu Blair shooting narrowly wide eight minutes in.
A straight red card for Firhouse midfielder David Vickery, for a lunging tackle on Bonner, just 23 seconds into the second half changed the dynamic of the game.
Midfielder Bonner then put Youths ahead on the hour mark when his perfectly placed left-foot shot arced to the net past keeper Patrick O’Reilly.
Paul Murphy added Youths’ second goal from an 84th minute penalty before drilling home a long range free kick on 92 minutes.
Firhouse Clover: O'Reilly; O'Donnell (Rogerson, 68), Cullen, Walsh, Murphy; Hayden, Vickery, O'Grady, Blair (Fogerty, 73); Doyle, Wynne (Canavan, 88).
Wexford Youths: Doyle; O'Keeffe, Last, R. Delaney, McCabe; Whittle, Bonner, Dunne (Mulligan, 66), Ledwith (Peare, 85); Molloy (English, 86); Murphy.
Referee: Sean Grant (Wexford).
