Covies cut apart by the Green machine
A devastating second half display from the six-in-a-row Kilkenny & District League champions ended the hopes of Westport United in the FAI Junior Cup for another year Milebush.
The effects of Storm Isha caused this game originally scheduled for United Park to be moved to Solar 21 Park hours before kick-off and both teams initially struggled early on to acclimatise to the inclement weather.
One of the ties of the round when the draw was made, Kevin McNamara’s side were coming into this as underdogs, with the two-time FAI Junior Cup finalists containing the likes of former League of Ireland star Michael Drennan and Irish amateur international Lee Delaney.
Westport did themselves little favours as they final ball let them down throughout. The withdrawal of Cillian McGlade on 58 minutes that robbed them of their defensive leader proved fatal as Evergreen began to cut through them at will in the second half and ran out deserved winners. Were it not for a string of saves by Delaney’s international teammate Gary Cunningham, it could have been much worse for Westport.
The visitors, who last reached the final back in 2016, were in as early as two minutes when Declan McQuillan turned and fired just over from 20 yards out. United, who were playing with a strong wind, had their best chance of the half moments later when the ball fell into the path of Adam Nugent but his strike skidded off the slick surface and was palmed away by Nathan Owens.
The duo of McQuillan and Drennan who were the twin threats for the Kilkenny & District League side, the latter seeing his header via a corner deflected away by Aaron Cannon on 11 minutes.
Drennan was again involved on 38 minutes when his excellent cross almost found David Grincell but Cunningham was there to punch away. McQuillan will feel he could have scored on the stroke of half-time after he was found inside the edge of the area only for Cunningham to get down quickly to palm away.
United’s resistance was broken ten minutes into the second half as a delightful ball found David Grincell and the centre-forward poked it past Cunningham at the near post.
Five minutes later, Grincell’s glancing header from Drennan’s pinpoint corner doubled Evergreen’s advantage. Nugent almost pulled one back on 78 minutes after a quick counter by Evergreen captain Lee Delaney snuffed out the danger.
It was all over on 82 minutes as Gary Cunningham’s short kickout backfired and Drennan pounced to put the result beyond doubt before Jamie Owens capped off a fine win in style after he caught out Cunningham with a delightful lob late on.
