United’s cup hopes ended by the Saints

Galway United 1

[After extra-time]

Another cup meeting with a Dublin side, another cup heartbreak for Galway United as the Tribesmen were dumped out of the competition by a team from the capital for an eighth season in succession.

This one will hurt more than most as well: the better side over 90 minutes, United needed an equaliser in the last minute of normal time to drag the tie into an additional 30 minutes. They shaded the early stages of that as well, but the tie turned on an incident just before half-time when United were reduced to 10 men, and conceded from the ensuing free-kick.

With tired limbs and tired minds, that left a mountain to climb, and Pats added an insurance third goal midway through the second half of extra-time to seal their place in the last four of the cup.

For United, they have bigger fish to fry, a battle to avoid relegation now the sole focus, and the next step in that battle brings them back to the scene of this cup heartbreak this coming Friday night.

They’ll do so without Killian Brouder, who was shown that red card in extra time after taking down Mason Melia just outside the penalty area as the Pat’s man raced onto a brilliant through-ball from Jason McClelland.

Chris Forrester exacted further punishment, whipping the 20-yard free-kick over the United wall and inside Brendan Clarke’s right-hand post with the United keeper rooted to the spot. It was a classy effort from a midfielder who later showed a total of lack of class when indulging in a spot of keepie-uppies in the dying minutes of the game.

The home side were home and hosed at that stage, as any doubts about the outcome ended in the 114th minute when substitute Jordon Garrick was allowed to ghost in off the left wing to curl a shot over the outstretched hand of the diving Clarke and inside the far post.

United made one change from the side beaten in the league by Shelbourne a week earlier, with Aaron Bolger coming in to bolster midfield as Rob Slevin dropped to the bench.

The home side took a nine-match unbeaten domestic run into the game and took a cleaver to their starting XI, making a staggering seven changes from their 2-0 win at home to Drogheda in the league a week earlier, with only Brandon Kavanagh, Jake Mulraney, Luke Turner, and Al-Amin Kazeem – yeah, that Kazeem – starting back-to-back games, which showed the depth of the squad at Stephen Kenny’s disposal.

United, on the other hand, are on a horrible run of results, but despite all that, they were not without hope.

Pictured: David Hurley, seen here in action against Conor Malley of Shamrock Rovers in the league last month, scored a 90th minute equaliser for United.