Galway on the road for next cup date

SOCCER/League of Ireland: Galway United were "rewarded" for their defeat of Carlsberg FAI Cup holders Derry City at the weekend when they were drawn last night away to either Shelbourne or Sligo Rovers in the quarter-finals of the competition.

The first division outfit had been hoping for a home game at the last eight stage but instead face the possibility of having to travel to Tolka Park in a couple of weeks, if league leaders Shelbourne can see off the westerners at the second attempt this Thursday evening.

"Well, obviously, getting drawn at home would have been the main thing we were looking for," said United manager Tony Mannion last night, "but this will do. Everybody would have regarded Derry City as favourites - strong ones - before the weekend, but maybe they underestimated us a little bit and we showed a bit of character to beat them.

"If it ends up being Shelbourne in the next round then maybe we can do the same again. But sure, we wouldn't mind it being Sligo either. Don (O'Riordan) has got about eight or nine players from these parts up there and he managed here so we could kill two birds with one stone, have a reunion and play them in the cup too."

Drogheda boss Harry McCue was clearly disappointed at his side having been paired with Bohemians just a couple of weeks after losing to the Dubliners for the second time in the league this season. But, he said, he believes his players can bounce back to defeat last year's beaten finalists this time.

"I suppose they're a team we'd have been hoping to avoid," he said, "but the last game will be still fresh in everyone's memory up here - we felt we were very hard done by to lose it in the last 10 minutes.Hopefully, that will spur the lads on.

"I honestly feel that we have a squad here that's capable of beating Bohemians and I have no doubt whatsoever that there'll be a full house for the game, so it'll be a great occasion. I'd dearly love to go to a cup semi-final and maybe then on all the way. This could still be the year."

Bohemians manager Stephen Kenny was cautious about his side's prospects at United Park despite those two league wins. "We're only back from there," he said just after the draw had been made on RTÉ television, "but Drogheda's a bit of a cup town and we'll be up against it up there.

"It's a tough place to get anything out of and it'll certainly be very different to playing Skerries at the weekend, but we'll still be looking forward to it."

In the other games of the round, Kildare County face a difficult trip to Inchicore to face St Patrick's Athletic while Longford Town will take on Waterford United in Flancare Park.