Murphy magic lights up drab FAI Cup tie as Mervue Utd advance

SD Galway 0Mervue United 2

Keith Kelly

A moment of brilliance from Alan Murphy lit up an otherwise drab FAI Cup derby clash in Terryland Park on Friday night to seal Mervue United’s place in the hat for the Third Round draw at the expense of cross-city rivals SD Galway.

There were four minutes remaining, and Mervue United were holding on to a one-goal lead, when Murphy rolled back the years with a piece of sublime skill to set up his side’s second goal and kill off any chance of a Devon comeback.

Picking up the ball just inside the Devon half, Murphy flicked the ball over the head of Tommy Bradshaw, flicked it past Eugene Greaney, and then jinked past the challenge of Willie Enubele before spraying the ball wide to substitute Etanda Nkololo, who took a touch, stepped inside and fired past Devon ‘keeper James Keane from the angle of the box to seal the win.

The only pity was there was only 228 people to witness Murphy’s touch of class, proving once and for all that Devon’s rebranding attempts – at the behest of the FAI – to attract a fanbase from around the city and county have failed miserably.

The FAI needs to address the issue sooner rather than later if it is not to permanently lose League of Ireland fans in Galway, as there is no doubt those who were regulars at Galway United games have not bought into the ‘SD Galway’ brand, nor have they thrown their lot in behind Mervue United, and despite the controlled protestations of one club official on Friday night, no amount of media promotion or hype will change that.

All of that is an argument for another day. What Friday confirmed was that Mervue are now top-dogs in Galway, and they thoroughly deserved their win as they showed the greater creativity and, in Murphy and Pat Hoban, had a far more potent threat up front than their hosts.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.