EA Sports Cup: First Round - UCD put six past Waterford

26 Mar 2012 21:20:00

There were goals galore in the first round of the EA Sports Cup as UCD, Cork City and Drogheda United all progressed in high-scoring wins

The EA Sports Cup first round saw plenty of goals and few surprises as Shelbourne, Drogheda, and UCD all overcame lesser opposition.

Athlone Town 2-5 Drogheda United

Four goals in the first 31 minutes ended Athlone Town's hope of an EA Sports Cup run at the Athlone Town Stadium. Sean Brennan opened the scoring for Drogheda United after just eight minutes, playing a one-two with Mark O'Brien to give the visitors an early lead.

Mark O'Brien was next to get his name on the scoresheet, rifling home from Declan 'Fabio' O'Brien's cross. Paul Crowley added Drogheda's third from short range, before Brennan grabbed his second of the night with a gorgeous free kick.

Brian Gill grabbed a goal for the home side just before half-time, but Athlone never looked like getting back into the game in the second half. Declan O'Brien extended Drogheda's lead from the spot with 13 minutes remaining, but was forced off the pitch shortly after with an injury.

Even though Drogheda had no substitutes left and were down to 10 men, the result was never in doubt, as Mark Sherlock's late goal was no more than a consolation for Athlone Town.

Cork City 5-0 Wexford Youths

A dominant performance from Cork City saw them demolish Wexford Youths 5-0 at Turners Cross. Wexford never seemed to get out of the starting blocks, and after 23 minutes were a goal down. Daryl Horgan latched onto Colin Healy's pass after a prolonged spell of possession from the Leesiders.

In the 40th minute, Kalen Spillane got Cork's second with a stunning long-range strike, and Wexford went in at half time looking deflated. Things got worse for Youths after the break, with Tadgh Purcell grabbing his first goal of the 2012 season.

The Premier Division side got two goals in the final 10 minutes to pile on the misery for Wexford, through Jamie Murphy and Davin O'Neill. The difference in class was obvious from the outset, but the margin of victory should mark Cork City out as contenders for this year's League of Ireland Cup.

Finn Harps 2-0 Mayo League

Finn Harps overturned the Mayo League side in a poor game at Finn Park, with little action of note aside from the two goals. The first goal of the night in the cup came from the head of David Reilly, who put the ball into his own net. Enda Reilly went close for the visitors shortly after, but was kept out by Ciaran Gallagher's fine save.

The First Division side hit the woodwork twice in the second half, from Blain Curtis and Paul Treacy, but a goal from Kevin McHugh guaranteed the win for Finn Harps.

Monaghan United 2-1 Fanad United

Monaghan United staged a late comeback to beat A Championship side Fanad United at Gortakeegan. An even first half saw both sides create decent chances, with the visitors making the breakthrough in the 38th minute. Eunan Kelly put Fanad United ahead, giving the Donegal side a surprising lead.

The hosts looked hungrier after the break, with Conor Murphy and Michael Isichei going close, but Fanad looked to have weathered the storm heading into stoppage time. However Roddy Collins Jr had other ideas, rewarding his father's decision to grant him a start by netting a 92nd minute winner after Conor Murphy had equalised just a minute earlier.

Shelbourne 1-0 Mervue United

A first-half goal from David Cassidy was music to the ears of Shelbourne fans as the Dublin side knocked Mervue United out of the cup. The midfielder showed great skill to get up to put the ball into the net with a lovely volley.

Shelbourne dominated for large parts of the game, but Mervue looked dangerous on the counterattack and could have gone level through Barry McEntee. However, the 19-year-old couldn't keep his shot down and it just grazed the crossbar. Philly Hughes went close for Shels late on, but Mervue couldn't find a killer ball and thus fell at the first hurdle.

Waterford United 1-6 UCD

A man-of-the-match performance from Cillian Morrison saw the striker bag four goals as UCD easily dispatched Waterford United. Morrison opened the scoring in the 15th minute, easily putting it past Packie Holden. By the 21st minute he had a hat-trick, the second coming from a nice piece of control in the area, and the third a neat finish.

Daniel Ledwith added a fourth for the Students after a lovely run, and just after half time Morrison slotted home UCD's fifth. A goalmouth scrambled made the scoreline more respectable for Waterford, with Sean Maguire taking a couple of attempts to find the net.

The embarrassment continued for the hosts, when Peter White headed into his own net to make it 6-1 and give UCD a marvellous away win.