Breen brace has Tipperary Town side heading in the right direction towards the Aviva

FAI Junior Cup (5th Round)

HOWTH CELTIC 1 ST MICHAEL'S 3

Despite conceding an early goal Tipperary Town side, St Michael’s powered into the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup with a good win away in Dublin at Howth Celtic on Sunday afternoon.

They had an uncharacteristic slow start and went a goal down in the fourth minute when after a Chris Higgins foul, Gary Honan found the top corner of the net from all of 30 yards, with a rocket of a free kick.

But once they settled the TSDL side began to make some good chances and almost levelled the game in the 19th minute when David Slattery saw his header come back off the bar following a Jimmy Carr cross. Ed O’Dwyer then fired wide minutes later, and Slattery was unlucky again just before the half hour mark.

The pressure finally paid off in the final minutes of the half, when the veteran centre half Paul Breen was on hand in the area to head home from a Joey Mulcahy corner kick, and send the teams to the break all square.

Six minutes into the second period, the visitors had to survive a scare when a pass from DJ Cremins was intercepted by Niall Cullen who played in Gary Honan, but the striker’s shot just went outside the post much to the relief of the travelling support.

As the game opened up, both sides began to create chances, and it was the Saints who finally made it pay ten minutes from time when Jimmy Carr recycled a ball following a Joey Mulcahy free kick and his floated cross saw Paul Breen head home, for his and his side’s second goal.

Howth Celtic pressed forward over the last ten minutes, but the game was finally put to bed three minutes from time when substitute Adam McGrath latched on to a loose ball, and his finish from the edge of the area flew past the stranded home keeper.