Goals from Walsh and Devitt fire Galway United into last four of cup

It was a game low on attacking quality - Devitt's strike was the only effort on goal United had in the second-half - but all the matters is the result, and the Tribesmen join Waterford in the hat for the semi-final draw after their 3-0 win over Sligo Rovers in the RSC.

They came form behind to do it as well, Brandon Kavanagh having fired his side into a 15th minute lead, before Stephen Walsh's header eight minutes later tied matters up once again; with Devitt then having the finalsay.

United made two changes to the side which had drawn 1-1 with Shelbourne a week ago, with both David Hurley and Ed McCarthy starting on the bench as Connor Barratt and Al-Amin Kazeem came into the starting XI.

The home side had won just once in their previous six games, a 3-0 victory over non-league College Corinthians in the previous round of the cup, but the Tribesmen weren't exactly pulling up trees either with just two wins in their last six.

They were on an eight-match unbeaten run, however, while Drogheda had lost their last two outings, and were still smarting from their defeat at home to Dundalk in the Louth derby last weekend, with Drogs manager, Kevin Doherty, giving his players a chance to atone for that loss when name the same starting XI.

The wind had been whipping across the pitch from about 90 minutes before kick-off, and the pitch got a short, sharp dusting of rain around 15 minutes before the opening whistle to give the playing surface a bit of zip.

Galway United had an early scare when Hugo Da Cunha let Leigh Kavanagh's backpass run across him, the sliding Mark Doyle almost getting a touch on the ball as the goalkeeper eventually cleared with his favoured right foot. He did get a slight touch on Da Cunha, who wasn't too happy with the challenge, the two players squaring up briefly before referee Kevin O'Sullivan diffused the situation, awarding the goalkeeper a free-kick.

The home side suffered an early set-back when summer signing Keegan Ancelin hobbled off in the 12th minute to be replaced by Thomas Oluwa, who had a brief spell at United in 2021.

Ancelin had scored twice in that win over College Corinthians, but any fears from the home side that they would struggle for goals in his absence were put to bed three minutes later, Brandon Kavanagh firing them in front after United struggled to clear their lines.

They weren't in front for long, with United back on level terms seven minute later. They won a couple of cheap free-kicks down the left flank for pushes in the back, the second of which was 30 yards from goal, left of centre.

Jimmy Keohane and Lee Devitt stood over it before Keohane peeled off to the left, with Devitt floating a cross into the box, and Stephen Walsh met it with a diving header to arrow the ball back across goal and inside the far post.

They were the only to efforts on target in the opening half, though Da Cunha was kept plenty busy fielding cross after cross.

The fourth official had a bit of work to do as well, most of which was to block out the constant chirping from Doherty - the Drogheda manager was finally booked in the 68th minute for his constant yammering - though he did also have to officiate over a second Drogheda substitution due to injury before we had even reached the break, with James Bolger joining Ancelin as an early casualty.

The nearest we came to a third goal was in the final minute of the half, Mark Doyle rising highest to meet an Alfie Bates cross from the right, but his effort skimmed the outside of the back post.

The home side were on top in the early stages of the second-half, though the Tribesmen didn't help their own cause with some woeful passing, and they had Da Cunha to thank for maintaining parity in the 58th minute, the goalkeeper pulling off a brilliant reflex save to tip Doyle's scissors-kick onto the post, with Aaron Bolger completing the clearance.

Doyle's next involvement saw him try to cheat the referee into awarding a penalty four minutes later, but O'Sullivan didn't buy the dive, and instead booked the striker. That saw the home side reduced to 10 men, as Doyle had been booked four minutes before the break for a late challenge on Leigh Kavanagh, leaving United with a man advantage for the final half hour.

As you'd expect, they went on to dominate possession and territory, but their movement off the ball was poor and they struggled to find a way through the Drogheda defence. In fact, they didn't have a shot on or off target until the 82nd minute - but by God, when they eventually did, they made it count.

Jimmy Keohane clipped a free-kick into the danger area and Wasiri Williams eventually got the ball under control and rolled it back for Lee Devitt. He took a touch before thrashing a shot goalwards, the ball beating Luke Dennison at his near post as it clipped the inside of the woodwork and whistled into the back of the net.

The home side threw everything at United in the final eight minutes of normal time, and the additional six of injury-time that was played, but bar a couple of routine saves from Da Cunha, they saw it out to book their place in the last four.

Drogheda United: Dennison; Quinn, Keeley, Bolger (inj, Burney 39); Agbaje (O'Brien 86), Bates (Markey 86), Kavanagh, Farrell(Davis 86), Kane; Ancelin (inj, Oluwa 12), Doyle.

Galway United: Da Cunha; Williams, O'Connor, Kavanagh (inj, Facchineri 90); Keohane, Bolger, Barratt, Kazeem (Thiam 89); Devitt; Walsh, Twardek (Lomboto 89).

Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan (Cork).