Live updates from Terryland Park

Good evening from Terryland Park. We will be providing in depth coverage of tonight's action here in Galway as the home side welcome Athlone Town for this FAI Ford Cup clash.

• Both teams out warming up for tonight's Cup tie. Rain has eased off from the deluge of earlier in the day, but the chance of heavy showers persists. Tonight's referee is Anthony Buttimer.
• TEAM NEWS- Galway are forced into two changes from last week as Alan Murphy and Iarflaith Davoren are cup-tied. Ciaran Foley and Seamus Conneely come into the starting eleven. Jason Molloy, unlucky to be substituted following John Lester's sending off, retains his place meaning Derek Glynn is keeping the subs bench warm yet again.
• TEAM NEWS - Athlone Town have made four changes to the side who were comprehensively beaten up in Monaghan. Ex-Galway man Philip Reilly is suspended and Eric Lavine starts up front alongside Ian Coffey. For the full team line-ups check out the Matchzone section
• 7.30 p.m. 15 minutes to kick off and the floodlights are well and truly on....both sides still warming up while the officiating threesome are swinging their arms in the air over by the corner flag, obviously anticipating some card action later on.
• For those who fancy a flutter, Galway Utd are generally 1-2 while Athlone Town are temptingly priced at 5-1. My fancy is Jay O'Shea to score first and Utd to win 2-0 at 30-1....but I am quite often wrong.
• 7.40 p.m. Athlone sauntering into the dressing rooms.....a less than bulging crowd here at Terryland thus far....50 or so in the away section so far, among a total of hardly 800.
• 7.46p.m. Teams still haven't emerged from the dressing room. A clash of colours maybe? A bit cold for them....no......here they come now...
• 7.49 GAME ON
• Jeff Kenna has lined out at left back with Marc McCulloch pushing on to left midfield...Ciaran Foley and John Russell man the middle of the pitch.
• 4' - GOAL FOR ATHLONE - Another early disaster for Galway as Robbie Hamm guides in Joey Maloney's left wing free from four yards.....terrible defending by the home side.
• A dream start for the Midlanders who have used Anthony Hayes as part of a 3-man midfield alongside Carmine Russo and Colm Jinks from the start, leaving Lavine up front on his own and Coffey out wide on the right....it's working.
• 11' A weak shot from Jay O'Shea after a typical mazy run which brought him across the edge of the area brings Ciaran Kelly into action for the first time.
• The Athlone section has grown to over a hundred by now and they are enjoying this...."You're supposed to be at home" rings out from the away section.
• 19' Athlone are content to get bodies behind the ball and are doing it well. The home side haven't turned on the ignition yet, never mind find first gear...
• 21' Colm Jinks spots Rogers off his line and tries one from 40 yards but can't get the elevation required. Rogers was in trouble though if he had connected well.
• 27' Russell shoots well wide from distance.
• 28' Free to Athlone in similar position to first goal....Rogers slices his punch but does enough to clear.
• 28' BOOKING John Russell.
• 29' John Fitzgerald has header from O'Shea's corner well gathered by Kelly.
• 31' O'Shea finds Jorgensen in the area and the Dane gets in a shot which is well blocked by Tom Sheridan for another corner.....Galway waking up to the fact that a quarter-final place is at stake here.
• 33' GOAL FOR GALWAY- A sustained period of pressure yields dividends for the home side as John Lester nods in Ciaran Foley's cross. Ciaran Kelly was powerless after he had just made a fantastic save from Jason Molloy's glancing header.
• 37' GOAL FOR GALWAY UTD 2-1 - Another corner pays off for Kenna's men as Russell works a short one and drills a cross into the box where his captain John Fitzgerald stoops low to head his side in front. Again, nothing Kelly could have done. Two big goals from the two centre halves...
• Substitution for Athlone - Johnny Mernagh on for the injured Eric Lavine.
• Athlone have struggled to find their front man since their opening quarter dominance....Mernagh is pacy though and is looking to get in behind the goal scorers...
• 47' Colm Jinks almost gets on the end of a dangerous ball from the right but, realising he's not going to get there, decides to attempt the flying punch technique favoured by Maradona and co. He is unsuccessful and ends up in the netting himself.
• 8.37p.m. HALF TIME.
• Starting to bucket down here at half time. Some surface water appeared on the pitch during the first half but the game will definitely be played out to a conclusion. Given the situation at Dalymount, we're all glad to be getting out of here well before midnight. Although the lights in Terryland have led a checkered past.......
• 8.54 pm SECOND HALF UNDERWAY
• Substitution for Athlone - Noel McGee on for Carmine Russo.
• McGee has slotted in up front alongside Mernagh as Athlone look to get back into the game.
• First ball out of the ground tonight is lumped over the stand by Robbie Hamm......wind has freshened and is favouring the home side
• 50' - Great chance for Athlone - Mernagh does well down the right and leaves two for dust before picking out Coffey at the far post with a great ball. Coffey fluffs his lines though and scoops his effort high and over the bar.
• 55' Jorgensen shoots low and wide after good work by Jeff Kenna. A neat turn by the Dane but no end result.
• 56' Robbie Hamm ventures forward again and cracks in a shot from 25 yards which Rogers parries and gathers at the second attempt.
• 61' GOAL FOR GALWAY 3-1 - Jorgensen opens his account with a shot which looked to take a deflection on the way in. A deserved goal as Galway have bossed the second half with Jay O'Shea particuarly impressive.
• 62' O'Shea goes close with a rasping shot that Kelly does well to tip over for a corner.
• 64' O'Shea continues his personal duel with Kelly, attempting to volley the goailes clearance back in over his head, but Kelly just about turns around in time to gather the ball.
• 66' O'Shea goes closer again - this time rattling the bar after a neat exchange of passes at the edge of area set him free. The ball crashes down but not over the line and Russell is outjumped by Sheridan in the race for the rebound.....
• 70' Substitution for Athlone - Niall Scullion on for Ian Coffey.
• 70' O'Shea this time tries to curl a shot over Kelly but is only slightly wide of the right hand post.....at this point its only a case of how many Galway will get
• 75' Double Substitution for Galway - Cian McBrien for Kenna, Levi Tierney for Russell.
• 78' Scullion forces Rogers to backtrack with a cross from the right which he has to scamper backwards to psh behind for a corner.
• 80' O'Shea vs Kelly Episode IV - O'Shea cuts in from the right and whips in a left footed shot from the edge of the box which has top corner written all over it, but again Kelly says no and produces a fingertip save to keep the winger at bay.
• 82' Booking - Nigel Keady.
• 83' Kelly this time turns his attentions to Marc McCulloch, pushing away a well struck free from the edge of the D.
• 86' Let off for Galway as McBrien clears off the line following a scramble in the area.
• 87' GOAL FOR GALWAY UTD - O'Shea finally gets the goal his Man of the Match display deserved, finding the bottom corner following a breakaway from which Ciaran Foley provided the assist.
• Injury time now and Athlone are desperate to get out of here. The rain is still bucketing down and their FAI Cup adventure for this year is over.
• 9.41 p.m. GAME OVER - Galway United 4 Athlone Town 1.
• Not sure if I want to leave the press box with the saturating rain that's falling outside. Galway deserved their win after another characteristically poor opening. Athlone were never at the races once Fitzgerald put the home side ahead and Galway now have a quarter final date to look forward to....