Derry show no mercy on Blarney
THINGS might be different from 2020 when the junior fraternity will change their season to align with the League of Ireland, but for now the era of FAI Cup giant-killing is in abeyance.
Five years after losing 4-0 to Derry City in the same competition, Munster Senior League outfit Blarney United suffered a record 12-2 loss to the Candystripes on Saturday.
Derry led 10-0 at one stage before a pair of responses provoked cheers from both sets of supporters at O’Shea Park. It was short-lived as Derry plundered two more to complete the rout.
Ally Roy (four), together with a brace apiece for Aaron McEneff, Ronan Hale and Shane McNamee and strikes by Cathal Farren and Kevin McHattie, accounted for Derry’s goals, with David Welch and Conor Cronin supplying the consolations.
Galway United made light work of overcoming FAI Junior Cup holders North End United, all of the goals in a 4-0 triumph coming in the first half through Eoin McCormack’s hat-trick and Conor Barry.
NON-LEAGUE
The first-round draw meant at least two sides from the non-league ranks were always going to be in tonight’s draw.
Much has been made of the fitness levels within the squad of FAI Intermediate Cup holders Maynooth University Town and they showed their endurance levels by scoring twice in the second half to see off Leeds from Cork 2-0.
The deadlock was broken five minutes after the restart from Gary Daly’s close-range finish, added to by Cillian Duffy’s header in stoppage time.
CIE Ranch shaded the ‘El Traffico’ derby against Dublin Bus, Dean O’Brien’s last-gasp rasping shot with the last kick of the game giving them a 1-0 victory.
Ranch edged it on chances and were deserving winners over a side a division above them in the Leinster Senior League.
Yet, Dublin Bus could have taken the lead, Ranch goalkeeper Seán Brazil making the save of the game from a Ciarán Bisset volley on 15 minutes.
Ranch’s Lee O’Sullivan crashed a shot off the crossbar on the half-hour and Peter Thomas had a looping header cleared off the line before O’Brien struck for the winner with the watch into the third minute of added time.