Soccer

FAI Cup round-up: Rovers dumped out by Drogheda

Meanwhile, Dundalk got revenge on Cobh while St Pat’s won the Inchicore derby

Drogheda’s captain Jake Hyland celebrates after their FAI Cup first round win over Shamrock Rovers. Photo: James Crombie/Inpho

Fri Aug 10 2018 - 22:15

Drogheda United 1-0 Shamrock Rovers

Shamrock Rovers have been knocked out of the FAI Cup after they were defeated 1-0 by Drogheda United at United Park.

Chris Lyons gave Drogheda the lead from the penalty spot after Lee Grace was dismissed.

Hoops boss Stephen Bradley fielded a strong side but it was the hosts who went close early on as William Hondermarck drove forward with the ball before striking wide of the bottom post.

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The 17-year-old was involved in the key moment of the first-half as he exchanged passes with Lyons before being dragged down in the area by Grace.

Referee Paul McLaughin showed the centre-back a straight red card with Chris Lyons making no mistake from the spot as Drogheda sensed an upset.

Brandon Kavanagh nearly restored parity immediately as his volley was denied by a fingertip save from Paul Skinner.

Rovers were left frustrated for the remainder of the half as they failed to pierce the Drogheda goal with United content to soak up the pressure.

Aaron Greene was introduced as a sub at half-time and he was desperately unlucky not to level as he skipped past two challenges before firing into the side netting.

Sam Bone was next to try his luck for the Premier Division side as his effort from 30-yards narrowly missed the top corner.

Drogheda could’ve clinched victory in the 74th minute as substitute Kealan Dillon’s long-range strike cannoned back off the post while Manus was equal to Lyons’ follow-up.

Hondermarck missed a glorious chance to double Drogheda’s lead late on but it mattered little as Drogheda hung on to claim the biggest scalp of the first round.

DROGHEDA UNITED: Skinner; Farragher, Gallagher, Kelly; Deasy, Purdy (Dillon 66), Hyland, Hondermarck, Kane; Lyons, Doyle (Manley 72).

SHAMROCK ROVERS: Manus; O'Brien, Lopez, Grace, S Kavanagh; Bone (Miele 68), Finn, Watts; B Kavanagh (Greene 46), Shaw, Coustrain (Armstrong 79).

Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal)

Dundalk 3 Cobh Ramblers 0

After seeing their Europa League and EA Sports Cup hopes go up in smoke over the past eight days, Dundalk steadied the ship with a 3-0 win over Cobh Ramblers at Oriel Park to book their passage into the second round.

Stephen Henderson’s side shocked the Lilywhites with a 1-0 win in Monday’s EA Sports Cup semi-final at St Colman’s Park but their hopes of pulling off another giant killing were undone by goals from Ronan Murray and Jamie McGrath.

Michael Duffy was denied by Adam Mylod with just 90 seconds on the clock but the visitors were handed the initiative by some sloppy Dundalk possession.

Gary Rogers had to parry a Jaze Kabia effort after some indecision by Daniel Cleary and Cobh skipper Shane O’Connor curled an effort agonisingly wide after Brian Gartland needlessly coughed up possession in the 11th minute.

Cobh fell behind in somewhat controversial fashion just past the half hour when Murray tapped a Michael Duffy cross home from close-range and the visitors were furious when the assistant kept his flag down.

The second-half started in much the same way as the first with Dundalk looking out of sorts on the ball but they gave themselves a two goal cushion in the 52nd minute when McGrath gave Mylod the eyes to tuck home a Dean Jarvis cross.

And Murray added a third with five minutes remaining when he tucked home a cross by the ever willing Sean Gannon to keep Dundalk’s hopes of a fourth successive FAI Cup final appearance alive.

DUNDALK: Rogers; Gannon, Gartland, Cleary, Jarvis; Chvedukas, Benson (Massey 57); McGrath, Murray, Duffy (Connolly 69); Kelly (Byrne 76).

COBH RAMBLERS: A Mylod; Taylor, Walker, McSweeney, I Mylod; Fernandes, O'Connor, O'Riordan (Donnellan 74), Hurley (Leonard 61), Christopher (Kenny 67); Kabia.

Referee: Rob Rogers.

Attendance: 2,214.

St Patrick’s Athletic 5 Inchicore Athletic 0

St Patrick’s Athletic produced an accomplished second half display at Richmond Park to eventually claim local bragging rights over 10-man Inchicore Athletic.

Thanks to a committed defensive effort, the Leinster Senior League side – playing in this competition for the first time – were on level terms at the midway point.

The 46th-minute dismissal of Leon Fahey-Byrne was too much of an obstacle for them to overcome, though, and Pat’s ultimately made hay with goals from Darragh Markey, Jake Keegan (two), Conan Byrne and Simon Madden.

After Ryan Brennan was denied by the woodwork in the early stages of the contest, Ian Turner also saw his header – off an exquisite Madden delivery – rebounding against the crossbar.

This helped to keep Inchicore in the frame, but disaster struck for the non-league outfit straight from the restart. Following his foul on raiding Saints attacker Dean Clarke, left-back Fahey-Byrne was issued with a second yellow-card.

This inevitably led to a Pat’s breakthrough – Markey making no mistake with a neat finish into the bottom left-hand corner on 55 minutes.

They subsequently doubled their advantage when a speculative shot from Keegan slipped through the fingertips of Inchicore netminder Patrick Reilly and Byrne signalled his arrival to the fray by immediately slotting home an 81st-minute penalty.

Keegan compounded the woes of a deflated Inchicore with his second goal off the bench, before the excellent Madden rounded off the scoring for the 2014 champions in the closing stages.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: B Clarke; Desmond, K Brennan, Toner; Madden, R Brennan (Clifford, 62 mins), Lennon, Markey, Birmingham; Turner (Byrne, 80 mins), D Clarke (Keegan, 62 mins).

INCHICORE ATHLETIC: Reilly; Plunkett, Donohue, Roche, Fahey Byrne; Bolton, Power (Malone, 58 mins), Cronin (O'Rourke, 78 mins), Howe, Geraghty; Kinch (Fay, 21 mins).

Referee: B Connolly (Dublin).

Wexford 0 Bohemians 7

Bohemians were at their ruthless best by hitting woeful Wexford for seven to reach the second round of the FAI Cup.

A home side that had scored just twice in their previous eight games were easily exposed from the off.

Wexford, only kept off the bottom of the First Division by Athlone Town, were all at sea inside the second minute when Dan Casey’s header had to be cleared off the line by Liam McCartan.

They wouldn’t be so lucky two minutes later as Kevin Devaney teed up JJ Lunney to curl a 20-yard effort beyond Colum Feeney.

With the floodgates open, Keith Long’s side went goal crazy and could have hit double-figures.

After Feeney denied Danny Kelly with a brilliant double-save, he was helpless to prevent Dinny Corcoran rifling in the second from close-range on nine minutes.

The impressive Kelly added a third on 13 minutes, applying a side-footed finish following neat build-up play down the right by Keith Ward and Derek Pender.

Veteran Ward then curled in a sumptuous free-kick for the fourth only to miss an simpler chance approaching the break by clipping the post from six yards.

There was no let-up in the second half. Corcoran nodded in his second on 58 minutes before substitutes Eoghan Stokes and Christian Magerusan completed the rout.

WEXFORD: C Feeney; L McCartan, R Kenny, O McCormack, AJ Lehane; A Masood, D George, C Sutton, P Cahill (A Dobbs 68), D Doyle; D Walsh (S Kelly 88).

BOHEMIANS: S Supple; D Pender, D Casey, D Byrne, D Leahy (P Kirk 61); K Buckley, JJ Lunney; D Kelly, K Ward, K Devaney (E Stokes 66); D Corcoran (C Magerusan 73).

Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).

FAI Cup first round results

Bray Wanderers 1 Finn Harps 3 (aet), Drogheda United 1 Shamrock Rovers 0, Dundalk 3 Cobh Ramblers 0, Inchicore 0 St Patrick’s Ahletic 5, Shelbourne 4 Athlone Town 0, UCD 2 Pike Rovers 0, Wexford 0 Bohemians 7.