Bohemians 3-1 Longford Town
Bohemians bounced back from the concession of an early goal to record a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Longford Town in their EA Sports Cup second round encounter at Dalymount Park.
Ayman Ben Mohamed opened the scoring for the visitors in the 12th minute with a scintillating strike from more than 20 yards out. The midfielder darted in from the right wing before unleashing a curled effort which left Dean Delany grasping at thin air.
Veteran striker Jason Byrne levelled matters for the Gypsies in the 28th minute when he headed home Karl Moore’s inviting cross.
The unmarked James O’Brien fired Bohemians into the lead 10 minutes when his low strike found its way past lunging Longford keeper Paul Skinner.
Substitute Kealan Dillon ensured Bohemians advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition at the expense of their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division rivals when Karl Moore’s blocked effort dropped kindly for the midfielder who volleyed home from the edge of the penalty area.
Dundalk 1-0 Shelbourne
SSE Airtricity Premier Division leaders Dundalk spurned a whole host of opportunities against Shelbourne at Oriel Park but advanced to the quarter-finals on a 1-0 scoreline.
Lilywhites midfielder John Mountney scored the only goal of the night in the 12th minute when he latched on to Kurtis Byrne’s cross and rifled the ball past Jack Brady in the Shelbourne net.
Mountney could have doubled Dundalk’s advantage just minutes later, but his goal-bound attempt was deflected wide.
Shelbourne struggled to create clear-cut chances as the cup holders closed out the game and moved into the next round.
Crumlin United 1-4 St Patrick’s Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic secured their quarter-finals spot after seeing off a spirited Crumlin United side 4-1 in their Dublin derby at Richmond Park.
Sam Vernon struck the Saints’ opener in the 15th minute when an alert Jamie McGrath capitalised on Cyril Guedje’s heavy touch and found Sam Verdon, who blasted his shot past Crumlin keeper Dave Meehan from 15 yards.
Pat’s dominated possession for the remainder of the half but were unable to breach a well organised Crumlin defence.
The Leinster Senior League side exerted sustained pressure on their more illustrious rivals after the restart, with Chris Straessle heading a good opportunity wide after Ger Rowe and Alan McGrael initiated a Crumlin raid down the left wing.
McGrael, who played an instrumental role in Crumlin’s best moves, found Patrick Cannon with a sublime through ball minutes later and the striker kept his composure before slotting the ball past St Pat’s custodian Conor O’Malley.
With a potential upset in the offing, St Pat’s rediscovered their collective focus.
Only a goalline clearance prevented Ger O’Brien regaining the lead for the Saints, but the Premier Division side hit the front for the second time in the match when the unfortunate Ross Carraig turned Conor McCormack’s centre into his own net in the 67th minute.
Meehan will have nightmares about the third goal he conceded on the night as he flapped hopelessly while attempting to parry 71st-minute James Chambers 25-yard drive, while Verdon bagged his second goal of the game with a rasping shot from distance.
UCC 3-2 Cobh Ramblers
UCC continued their EA Sports Cup run by inflicting a dramatic 3-2 defeat on SSE First Division side Cobh Ramblers at the Mardyke.
UCC, who accounted for Wexford Youths in the first round, took the led through a Cian Hill header in the 27th minute.
Cian Murphy returned to haunt his former side as the UCC defender eluded a number of Cobh defenders before smashing the ball past David Browne in the 51st minute.
Cobh regained a foothold in the game that their limited efforts scarcely warranted when substitute Robert Waters headed home Shane O’Connor’s corner in the 88th minute.
In a grandstand finish, Watters grabbed his second of the evening with an explosive volley from 30 yards deep into injury time, but UCC advanced when Sean O’Mahony headed past Browne with 94 minutes on the clock.
