Waterford Utd 0 Mervue Utd 4MERVUE UNITED got the better of Waterford United as their twice postponed FAI Cup game was eventually played at the RSC in glorious conditions yesterday evening.

Waterford almost opened the scoring on nine minutes when Jack Doherty picked out Ben Ryan from the left but Conor Gleeson produced a brilliant save.

The home side pressed and Dylan Mernagh almost made contact with a Dempsey free-kick on 27 minutes and just three minutes later Doherty shot across the face of the goal after cutting in from the left.

Against the run of play, Mervue United took the lead on 34 minutes as Patrick Hoban finished off a cross from Jean Biansumba after John Frost had been caught in possession. Gleeson produced his second superb save of the game on 42 minutes, this time denying Conor Coad from close range who had been put through by Ryan.

The Galway outfit increased their lead on 57 minutes when Biansumba was left unmarked at the back post to head home a right wing cross from Tom King.

Waterford made three changes in an attempt to get back into the game, but it was a Mervue substitute, Ethan Nkololo, who wrapped up the game for the visitors when he scored on 83 and 84 minutes after coming on to replace Biansumba after 72 minutes. He got his first with an angled shot from the right and 60 seconds later he burst through the Blues defence to score his second.

WATERFORD UNITED: Holden, Carey (Burns 67) Frost, Dempsey, Breen, Mernagh, Higgins, White (Long 59), Ryan (Kiely 59), Coad, Doherty.

MERVUE UNITED: Gleeson, McSweeney, Walshe, Higgins, Ludden, Biansumba (Nkololo 72), Molloy (O'Rourke 88), Varley, Kelly, Hoban, King (Connelly 86).

Referee: Kevin O'Regan (Kerry).