Fanad United dominate against Harding FC to advance in FAI Junior Cup

It might have taken them until the 78th minute to find their second goal and seal their victory in Traigh-a-Loch on Sunday, but Fanad United were well deserving of their victory in a 3-0 win over Dublin’s Harding FC in the fifth round of the FAI Junior Cup. 

The Donegal side now remains the only team in the county still in the competition following Cockhill and Letterkenny Rover’s respective defeats in the competition throughout the weekend with Fanad now advancing to the last-16 of the national competition. 

Fanad were well deserving of their win with Harding producing hardly any danger or chances throughout the game while the home side dominated from start to finish but found it hard to find the net, although they were never in any real danger. 

The match was also noteworthy with Harding FC fielding three Donegal natives with former Keadue player Sean Bonner playing in defence while Letterkenny native Jason Ashmore played up front, with former Fanad player Shane Sweeney coming off the bench. 

Both teams were trying to break each other down in the opening minutes with neither side gaining an edge in a match that took a long time to kick into life. 

Eddie O’Reilly nearly broke the deadlock after 10 minutes when a super ball was floated into the striker, forcing goalkeeper Rafa Di Tonto to come out and try and clear the ball away but O’Reilly chipped the ball over his head however, the Harding No 1 was able to regain his composure and get his hands on the ball. 

O’Reilly had what was perhaps the chance of the game two minutes later when Di Tonto’s kickout was accidentally kicked straight to the Fanad player who just had to kick into an open goal, but his shot somehow fell right of the post. 

The chances kept falling Fand’s way but they just couldn’t put the ball in the net. After being denied a penalty for a handball from the Harding defender a follow up corner saw Patrick Moffitt leap highest in the box to header the ball towards goal but the ball was denied by the post as Harding stayed level. 

Fanad were very much the more dominant team in the first half, with Harding struggling to even get a single attack. There was always a feeling that the Donegal side would get the opening goal and that eventually came on the 27th minute when Patrick Moffitt swung in from the right wing, which met Patrick Carr who hit it at first attempt into the net to make it 1-0. 

Harding’s best chance came on the stroke of half-time when a long ball was kicked high into the box resulting in a mistake where both Fanad’s goalkeeper Mark McConigley and his defence both jumping into the air in an attempt to clear the ball ending with Harding’s Dan Nea trying a bicycle kick but the effort fell into McConigley’s hands. 

Harding seemed to come into the game as the half ended but couldn’t find the equaliser as the half ended 1-0 in favour of the home side. 

Darren McElwaine came close in the opening minutes of the second half from a free when he struck low from outside the box but Di Tonto was super in stretching out and palming the ball out for a corner. 

Fanad’s Eoin Logue had his first real chance on 50 minutes when he tried to get on the end of a brilliant crossed ball but the ball just went away from him as he tried to head it home. 

Chances kept falling Fanad’s way but it was now frustrating their supporters that they couldn’t find the net. Patrick Moffitt was present at the back post from his side’s corner which he got a foot to, but it was blocked in the crowded area and cleared out of the Harding box. 

On 71 minutes Liam McGrenaghan, who was only on the field struck from a free kick right on the halfway line off his left, with the kick sailing over all the players in the box and rattling the crossbar as the score still stood at 1-0. 

After dominating the entire match, Fanad eventually found their second goal in the 78th minute from the penalty spot when Eoin Logue rattled the bottom corner of the net following a Yorgen Fernandez foul on Darren McElwaine inside the box making the tie 2-0 and almost sealing the victory for the Donegal club. 

It was 3-0 moments later when Keelin McElwaine robbed possession from the Harding defence with the defender looking to go himself but was denied by the goalkeeper, however, Martin McElhinney was on hand to fire into an open net  

Fanad United: Mark McConigley; Patrick Moffitt, Keelin McElwaine, Seamus Friel, Oisin Langan; Carlos O’Reilly (David Lynch, 75), Peter Carr (Liam McGrenaghan, 65), Patrick Carr (Martin McElhinney, 80), Darren McElwaine (James Gallagher, 86); Eoin Logue, Eddie O’Reilly (Dylan McGloine, 84). 

Harding FC: Rafa Di Tonto; Mick O’Rourke (Josh Tormey, 58), Keith Egan, Yorgen Fernandez (Shane Sweeney, 76), Fiachra Spellman; Sean Bonner, Dan Nea (Jack Reynolds, 76), Niall Skelton (Tommi Bianchini, 67), Lucas Olabarria; Manuel Sanchez, Jason Ashmore (Roman Rukhadze, 73). 

Referee: Vincent McLaughlin