Hibs dump Mervue from FAI Cup for second year in a row

Date Published: {J}

Mervue United 2

Hibernians 3

Mike Rafferty

Two goals in a five minute spell just after the restart turned a poor game into an exciting contest as the underdogs bit back and dumped Mervue United from the FAI Junior Cup for the second year in succession.

The sides went into the game in contrasting form and as the 8/13 favourites, Mervue United would have being full of expectation, while at 100/30, Hibernians were nothing more than hopeful, but while not taking away from the visitors win, Mervue United can only look in-house in the post-mortem.

They were missing just one player as opposed to the five Hibs players from the respective line-ups a league encounter between the sides six weeks ago and on that occasion it was the league champions who prevailed in a very comfortable manner by 4-1.

It was a different case at the weekend, when lining out in a 4-5-1 formation, Mervue were neither creative going forward nor secure when under pressure and the reality is that with a very talented bunch of players at their disposal, the home side seemed to be playing with the handbreak on.

They lacked a sense of urgency and apart from an early Brian Meaney goal and a Stephen Cunningham shot across the face of the box, they never threatened John Cotter’s goal. Indeed the striker, who had scored seven goals in his last six games, looked an isolated figure upfront and it was only after he was joined in attack by Enda Curran on 54 minutes that Mervue began to look threatening.

The visitors were certainly no better in a poor opening half, but while their expectations might have being a little more limited, they certainly made matters more interesting on the resumption as they took a 2-1 lead and opened up the game as a contest.

The last half hour was certainly a very watchable contest as Mervue went chasing the game and at the same time left themselves open to counter attacks, which Hibernians exposed by notching the third.

However despite pulling it back to the minimum, the chase came up short as the visitors displayed admirable qualities in holding out in a frantic closing spell, which included eight minutes of additional time.

Matters all started out so differently as an early Shane Gallagher header tested Brian O’Donoghue, before the home side took the lead on just four minutes. Just like in the earlier league meeting of the sides, it was again Meaney who made the breakthrough as he floated a corner all the way to the net for a 1-0 advantage.

The only other real excitement in the opening half came on 17 minutes, when Mike Tierney got on the end of a Keith Ward corner, but his close range effort was kept out by the diving O’Donoghue.

Apart from that early breakthrough the two sides cancelled one another out, as midfield was as packed as Shop Street on a Saturday afternoon and opportunities were nonexistent.

However the course of the game changed quickly on the resumption. A Ward free-kick from wide on the right in the 47th minute was clipped over the cover and past the far post, where Mark Murphy was steaming in and his sliding finish was exemplary as the shot somehow got the better of O’Donoghue at his near post and at 1-1 the game was coming alive.

Four minutes later it moved up another level as Hibernians made it 2-1. A weak pass back by Colm Smyth put O’Donoghue in trouble, but he rescued the situation well as he diverted away Murphy’s close range effort. However the ever-willing winger chased the rebound and his cross literally put it on a plate for Daniel Small as he finished off from close range.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.