Cockhill Celtic progress past Ayrfield United in FAI Senior Cup

Cockhill Celtic progressed to the next round of the FAI Senior Cup after they easily seen off Dublin’s Ayrfield United at The Charlie O’Donnell Sports Grounds.

Gavin Cullen’s men had six goals to spare in the end with a late five-minute hattrick cameo from Jay Bradley the highlight. 

The Inishowen Premier Division champions were two up at the break thanks to goals from Luke Rudden and Lee McColgan. However, they would move up a gear or three in the second period. 

Cockhill gained sight of goal less than two minutes in with Jack Doherty and Garbhan Friel taking touches inside the area. 

When the ball was eventually rolled across the edge of the area towards Jack Doherty he blazed well over. 

And just six minutes in, Cockhill took the lead when Rudden brilliantly headed home Harry Doherty’s freekick from deep. 

A lightning counter, where Rudden threatened to get in behind eventually resulted in the Cockhill winger teeing up Friel but his effort was easily gathered by visiting netminder Shane O’Rourke. 

Ten minutes in Jack Mullen almost benefited from some hesitant goalkeeping by O’Rourke as he was a little too slow to clear his lines. 

With the hosts continuing to turn the screw, O’Rourke made two brilliant stops in quick succession, as both Friel and Rudden were denied. 

However, on 17 minutes Cockhill doubled their advantage when O’Rourke, so impressive up until that point, let a tame Lee McColgan effort slip through his fingers and into the net.

Cockhill were so comfortable in the first-half that it took 33 minutes for Ayrfield to offer any real threat but when they did, Adam Evans pulled an effort right across Harry Doherty’s goalmouth. 

Doherty had to then come to punch clear a dangerous Daniel Hickey freekick from around the middle of the park. 

Just before the break, Evans was almost threaded through but Doherty was off his line quickly to cut out that danger. 

The second-half was barely a minute old when Doherty had to turn behind an effort from United replacement Jamie O’Brien. 

Daniel Hickey’s resulting corner also caused some bother before the home defence eventually cleared the danger. 

On 50 minutes, with Ayrfield much improved, a dangerous freekick from the outside right of the box was swung in by Hickey and Cockhill again needed Doherty to come and deal with the delivery. 

Cockhill soon grabbed a hold of matters again though and James Bradley was just inches away, on the slide, from turning in McColgan’s low delivery. 

McColgan himself then had a driven effort cutting in from the right beaten away by United defender Gerard Carroll. 

On 63 minutes, Cockhill grabbed their third of the afternoon as Corey McBride’s pull back was finished to the back of the net by Mullan. And just two minutes later Rudden netted a fourth with Friel the provider on that occasion. 

Ayrfield did manage to pull a goal back, from the spot, on 68 minutes when Eric Madden stroked home after James Bradley was adjudged to have handled inside the area. 

Substitute Luke Kelly went close to adding a fifth as did Peter Doherty. However, five minutes out from time Jay Bradley did find the net. And, near the death, the substitute netted a late brace to seal the match ball as well as a 7-1 rout. 

Cockhill Celtic; Harry Doherty; Lee McLaughlin, Peter Doherty, Oisin McColgan (Jason Breslin, 84), Lee McColgan; Jack Mullan, James Bradley, Jack Doherty (Jamie McKinney, 79), Luke Rudden; Corey McBride (Jay Bradley, 72) Garbhan Friel. 

Ayrfield United: Shane O’Rourke; Jack Kelly (Darren Brazil, 77), Cameron Nangle (Jamie O’Brien, 43), Alex Wilders, Chris McFadden; Louis Franzoni, Gerard Carroll (Alan Connor, 68), Eric Madden; Ross Coyle; Adam Evans, Daniel Hickey. 

Referee: Thomas Oates.