Fingal ease their way into last eight

Sporting Fingal 4 Athlone Town 1:SPORTING FINGAL eased their way into the last eight with a comfortable victory at Morton Stadium last night.

Gary O’Neill broke the deadlock after 10 minutes, Kieran Reilly gifted the ball to Alan Kirby who found O’Neill inside the box and he sent a rising left-footed drive into the roof of the net.

Conan Byrne and Shaun Williams both had chances to double Fingal’s lead, but perhaps the best chance fell to Athlone’s Robert Benson who fired wide.

Sporting did get a second as the half came to a close, Eric Foley was impeded and Byrne’s 30-metre free-kick struck Andrei Georgescu in the Town wall, wrong footing Alex O’Reilly and nestling in the corner.

Des Hope and Benson went close for Athlone, but, if there was any doubt about Byrne’s claims over the first goal, he made sure he’d get on the scoresheet in the 57th minute when he headed home from Lorcan Fitzgerald’s deep cross.

Noel McGee did get a consolation for the visitors from the penalty spot, but the final word went to Robert Bayly whose run and shot grabbed a fourth and final goal.

SPORTING FINGAL: Quigley; Gannon, Paisley, Maher, Fitzgerald; Byrne, Williams, Bayly, Kirby, Foley (Zayed 75); O’Neill (Corcoran 71).

ATHLONE TOWN: A O’Reilly; N O’Reilly, Hardy, Hope, Cleary (Hamm 31); Georgescu, Reilly (McGee 60), Hayes, Tyrell; Place (Mernagh 71), Benson.

Referee: R Rogers (Dublin).