FAI Cup Second-round replay/Cork City - 1 Galway Utd - 0: Galway United finished this controversial replay of the FAI Carlsberg Cup second-round tie against Cork City with only 10 players and a real sense of grievance at Turner's Cross last night.
Galway's anger stemmed from the disputed penalty decision that won the game for a nervous Cork City in the 71st minute. Their grievance, one felt, had as much to do with the fact that they themselves were denied what appeared a justifiable penalty claim late in the drawn match on Friday last.
The dismissal of midfielder Colin Fortune six minutes after John O'Flynn had converted the penalty was bizarre. He was sent off while the ball was out of play. While Cork prepared to take a throw-in, Fortune appeared to swap words with referee Alan Kelly and was shown a yellow card and then a red card in rapid succession.
He had not been booked earlier so presumably the dismissal was for a second yellow card offence.
Roy O'Donovan had a shot hacked off the goalline in the 67th minute by Ronan Frawley.
The penalty was a result of the relentless pressure they maintained on the Galway defence, particularly in the second half, and they wasted a number of highly promising scoring opportunities.
It looked as if O'Donovan might score in the crucial 71st minute as he controlled a cross from Joe Gamble on his chest, deep inside the penalty area. Goalkeeper Alan Gough knocked over George O'Callaghan as he attempted to confront O'Donovan and the referee was ideally positioned to rule against the goalkeeper.
O'Flynn scored after Galway's protests but the recent departure of their leading goalscorer, Kevin Doyle, left Cork looking decidedly short of firepower.
CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Murphy; O'Donovan, Gamble, O'Callaghan, Woods; Fenn, O'Flynn.
GALWAY UNITED: Gough; Frawley, Keady, Clery, O'Reilly; O'Brien, Harty, Fortune, Casey; Goldby, O'Dowd. Subs: Moran for Casey (72 mins); Williamson for Goldby and Russell for O'Reilly (84 mins).
Referee: A Kelly (Cork).
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