Waterford United  2 – 0  Crumlin United

Waterford United proved to have too much for their Leinster Senior League opponents in the replayed FAI Ford Cup 4th round tie at the RSC tonight. Having been held to a scoreless draw at Richmond Park last Friday, it was a different United that set about making sure that passage to the next round was secured. The Blues raced into an early lead, were two to the good by half time – though in truth they might have been out of sight by then with a bit more luck in front of goal – and then saw the game out in reasonable comfort in second half.

The match began at breakneck pace, in marked contrast to last Friday’s encounter, and the Blues opened the scoring inside three minutes, albeit somewhat fortuitously. Graham Cummins, running onto a right wing cross from Alan Carey, fired low from the edge of the area, the ball striking a defender and looping up over the helpless Gareth Sutton and into the far corner of the net. Two minutes later Willie John Kiely got on to John Kearney’s clever through ball ahead of Ciaran Kenna, raced into the area, but pulled his shot across the face of goal. And another two minutes later Cummins should have scored again, getting a foot to Carey’s fizzed cross from the right, but only managing to steer it outside the far post.

On 11 minutes, another good move saw Kearney spring the offside trap as he got onto Carey’s neat ball into the right channel, but another low cross to the far post was taken off Kiely’s toe by Kenna. Those misses threatened to prove costly on 17 minutes, when the home side had a massive let-off. A Crumlin corner from the right side was knocked low to Daniel Loughran, and though Kiely blocked his first effort, Loughran recovered and turned to whip in a superb shot from the edge of the box that cannoned back off the inside of the far post. The ball bounced kindly for James Lee, but Michael Devine was quickly up off the ground to pull off a truly outstanding save as Lee drove the rebound goalwards.

On the half-hour, a great four-man move involving Stephen Grant, Kearney, and Kiely almost set up Cummins to score at the far post, but the shot was smothered. Grant was becoming ever more influential in the game, and he had a big hand in Waterford’s second. Carey started the move off with a low ball into Cummins, who had come short. The big striker clipped a lovely ball over the defence for Grant, flying in from the right. His low cross was aimed at Kiely at the near post, and though the shot was blocked, he recovered to touch it on to Kevin Waters, who swept home right-footed inside the far post from eight yards out.

Into the second half, and the Blues were almost on the scoresheet again within three minutes. Kiely, racing onto a long Kenny Browne pass down the middle, attempted to lift it over the outrushing Sutton, only for the Crumlin keeper to stand up tall and get a good hand on it. After that bright start, however, the chances dried up somewhat, though the home side stayed very much in the ascendant. On 57 minutes Kiely again came close, but just failed to connect with a header to Carey’s booming cross, and it wasn’t until the 65 minute mark that Crumlin threatened for the first time, James Lee heading his brother Patrick’s right sided cross tamely at Devine at the back post.

The pace was upped a bit when Cummins found himself free on the edge of the area on 72 minutes, but his low shot wasn’t struck well enough to trouble Sutton. And the visitor’s showed their teeth again two minutes later, Jonathan Clarke racing onto Patrick Lee’s through ball, and forcing a fine save from Devine. Moments later Stephen Larkin found himself in a good position but blazed over, as Crumlin pushed forward once more. 

In truth, though, Waterford were well on top all through the half, and they made their non-league counterparts chase shadows at times, as they saw out the remainder of the game. There was one final scare just before full time, when Devine came to punch a deep free kick, but could only knock it up in the air, and Clarke got a toe to it but prodded high over the bar. The three minutes added time only produced another red card for the visitors, as Kenna was dismissed for a nasty late tackle on Kenny Browne, and that was that. The Blues’ unbeaten record in Cup competitions this season continues, and their name is added to the hat for the Quarter-Final draw. Stephen Grant was unanimously named Man of the Match by the press box after the game, a deserved reward for the midfielder’s best game in a Blue shirt since re-signing in the Summer.

Waterford United: Michael Devine; Alan Carey, Kevin Murray, Kenny Browne, Seamus Long; Stephen Grant (Joe Mulcahy 85), Kieran Fitzgerald, John Kearney (Dave Warren 66), Kevin Waters (Declan Woodgate 82); Willie John Kiely, Graham Cummins – subs: Kevin Burns, Gary Dunphy, Paul Carey

Goals: Cummins 3, Waters 40

Booked: Browne, Warren, Fitzgerald

Crumlin United: Gareth Sutton, Gavin Kavanagh (Leon Johnston 71), Damien Cuffe (Chris McCreevy 49), Paul McCabe, Ciaran Kenna, Martin Cramer, Stephen Larkin, James Lee (Anthony Kavanagh 85), Daniel Loughran, Patrick Lee, Jonathan Clarke – subs: John Barrett, Colm Corcoran, Carl Redmond, Keith Conroy

Goals:

Booked: Loughran, Clarke, J Lee, Sutton, Larkin

Sent Off: Kenna 91

Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork)