Crumlin United FC

 This was a bonus game for me, with time to kill in Dublin after Athlone the night before and hours until my flight home. I took the 73 bus up to Drunmil post office and walked it to Pearse Park, about 10 minutes, I was there in good time 1530 for a 1700 kick off. However the trip from Athlone to Dublin was eventful with the train braking down in the middle of nowhere and taking us back to Newbridge. There was a small admission charge of 5 euros, no merchandise but what an excellent little ground, there was good toilet facilities and a canteen that sold snacks, crisps, chocolate etc and hot and cold drinks. The club have some sort of partnership with fellow Dublin club Shamrock Rovers and also Robbie Keane is involved there with him starting his career at Crumlin and now running an academy of his own.

The opposition were Salthill Devon FC all the way from Galway, believe me it's a long way so fair play to them. There were probably around 60 people in attendance on this late Saturday afternoon game with the mercury in the temperature gauges through the roof, my head is testament to that, having opted to leave my recent purchase of a Linfield baseball cap at home!

From the off Salthill were second best, never really showed much first half other than long range efforts wildly off target and the occasional set piece lobbed into the box, for me there was only going to be one winner and so it proved. The first Crumlin goal came when the number 9 ran into the box and evaded everyone even the keeper and he had the simple task of slotting into an empty net. The Salthill keeper then briefly made amends with an excellent stop to put it behind for a corner. Half time came and went and if anything Crumlin were even more dominant in the second half, camped in the Salthill half. They got the second on the hour, slotted nicely into the bottom corner. The third came from their number 11 winger Jude who was a constant menace, he finished his solo run by curling one home from the left wing. The icing was put on the cake in the 90th minute with a fourth after they had also missed when clean through and been thwarted by the Salthill keeper again. The referee put Salthill out of their misery, not a game that will live long in the memory for them but Crumlin can now look forward to the second round and maybe drawing St Pats, Shamrock, Shelbourne or Bohemians in the next round.