Far superior Galway United crush poor Longford Town in the FAI Cup

Galway United . . . 6     Longford Town . . . 0 

European chasing Premier Division outfit Galway United crushed First Division basement side Longford Town in the Sports Direct FAI Cup second round clash at Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday night.

Galway United dominated the contest from the start and in the third minute, the towering Patrick Hickey’s downward header found the unmarked Maurice Nugent but his ten-yard shot was straight at Town keeper Jack McCarthy, the replacement for Jack Brady who signed for Galway during the week. 

On ten minutes, the unmarked Hickey should have opened the scoring but he headed over a Robert Burns right-wing corner from just twelve yards out.

The Tribesmen deservedly took the lead a minute later. Hickey was again involved in the move as he received the ball inside the Longford box and played a pass across to Francely Lomboto who cut back inside with his first touch before rifling his sixteen-yard shot to the roof of the visitors’ net.

Galway doubled their lead just two minutes later. Conor McCormack’s corner from the left picked out star player Nugent, and although his initial shot was cleared off the line, he slotted home from close range at the second attempt.

Galway’s wave of attacks continued and on twenty-three minutes a Jimmy Keohane shot was saved by Town stopper McCarthy.

United’s third goal arrived just two minutes later and it came from another McCormack left-wing corner. The inswinging corner was missed by the head of the jumping Hickey and ended up in the net after striking Town player Eric Yoro.

On the half-hour mark, Nugent ran at the retreating Longford defence and his pass picked out Hickey whose twenty-two-yard shot was well saved by McCarthy.

Two minutes later the siege on the Longford goal continued but Keohane’s lobbed header was turned around the post by the back peddling McCarthy.

Galway finished the first half strongly with three more chances. In the forty-third minute Keohane and Colm Horgan exchanged passes to carve open the Town defence but Keohane’s curling twenty-three-yard shot flew over the bar.

In the same minute Lomboto skipped past Shane Elworthy and his pin-point cross was headed over by the unmarked Hickey from only ten-yards out.

Just before the interval, Hickey missed yet another excellent chance when he shot straight at Town keeper McCarthy from close-range.

Two minutes into the second half,  the home side should have scored their fourth goal, but somehow, three efforts in the same attack failed to find the target.

Firstly, a Lomboto shot was saved by McCarthy, the rebound effort from Keohane struck the Town post before Hickey blasted his effort over the bar.

The home side’s chances continued to flow as Uzokwe headed a Nugent cross narrowly over the Longford bar and on fifty-six minutes a fine defence-splitting pass from Hickey put Uzokwe clean through on goal but his shot across the goal flashed just inches wide of the far post.

Galway went four up on the hour mark when Town defender Carl Lennox pulled down Hickey for a stonewall penalty. Up stepped substitute David Hurley to dispatch the spot kick to the net sending McCarthy the wrong way.

Galway scored their fifth on sixty-seven minutes when Burns played a superb ball to Uzokwe down the left and he squared the ball across to Keohane who calmly slipped the ball past the advancing Town keeper McCarthy into the net.

Other chances for the rampaging Tribesmen saw Burns firing just wide and Uzokwe head against the Town bar.

The Tribesmen hit the Town for six on eighty-six minutes with a great move down the right which resulted in Hurley finding Vincent Borden inside the Town box and he passed to Uzokwe who fired in Galway’s sixth goal to complete the demolition job. 

GALWAY UNITED (4-1-2-3): Clarke, Horgan, Buckley, Brouder, Burns, McCormack, Nugent, Keohane, Uzokwe, Hickey, Lomboto. 

Subs:- Hurley for McCormack (29 mins), Slevin for Brouder (half-time), Borden for Hickey and Fitzgerald for Nugent (both 61 mins), O’Keeffe for Keohane (69 mins)

LONGFORD TOWN: (4-2-3-1): McCarthy, Elworthy, Lennox, O’Shea, O’Connor, Yorro, Serdeniuk, Campbell, Topcu, Wixted, James.

Subs:- Chambers for Topcu and Hery for O’Shea (both 57 mins), Fay for Wixted and Adeyemo for James (both 69 mins), Lotefa for Campbell (81 mins).

Referee: David Dunne.