FAI Junior Cup Second Round
Letterkenny Rovers 5 - 1 Gweedore Celtic
Letterkenny Rovers secured a convincing 5-1 win over Gweedore Celtic in the second round of the FAI Junior Cup under the lights at Leckview Park.
Rovers’ first real chance came after 7 minutes when Aidy Delap cut in from the right wing, finding Gareth Doherty, whose curling effort forced a fine save from Gweedore’s keeper. Just moments later, BJ Banda had the ball in the net, but it was ruled offside.
Gweedore responded quickly, with Colm O’Dochartaigh striking narrowly wide. However, Rovers took control in the 16th minute. Goalkeeper Mark Anthony McGinley launched a long ball from a Gweedore corner, allowing BJ Banda to outpace the defense, round the keeper, and slot in the opener. Two minutes later, Banda was at it again, hitting the crossbar with a lobbed effort, but Nathan Plumb was on hand to tap in the rebound, doubling Rovers’ lead.
Gweedore continued to create chances, particularly through O’Dochartaigh on the right wing, but they couldn’t convert, with McGinley handling any shots that came his way. Rovers thought they had a third in the 30th minute when Nathan Plumb crossed for Joel Bradley Walsh, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
The second half saw Rovers continue their dominance, with Henry Welles coming close from a Joel Bradley throw. Gweedore’s Michael McKelvey made several important saves, but the visitors pulled one back when Colin McNicholas broke through the middle and finished calmly.
Rovers responded quickly, with BJ Banda smashing in a goal from a tight angle after being set up by Gareth Doherty. In the 77th minute, Joel Bradley Walsh delivered a cross from the left for Nathan Plumb, who sent it back into the box for Caolan McConnell to finish neatly.
The final nail in the coffin came in the 85th minute when a Luke Parke corner caused chaos in the Gweedore defense, resulting in an own goal to make it 5-1. Despite a late chance for Gweedore, the home side remained dominant, securing a well-earned victory.
Scorers:
BJ Banda (16’, 68’), Nathan Plumb (18’), Caolan McConnell (77’), OG (85’)