Walsh and Lomboto at the double as Galway ease past Bluebell

AT THE DOUBLE: Francely Lomboto of Galway United after scoring his side's seventh goal during the Extra.ie FAI Cup First Round match between Bluebell United and Galway United at Tolka Park in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Bluebell United 0 Galway United 7 

Stephen Walsh and Francey Lomboto both scored twice as First Division promotion hopefuls Galway United eased into the second round of the FAI Cup at Tolka Park.

Leinster Senior League side Bluebell were behind after just eight minutes and down to 10-men three minutes later as their hopes of causing a shock were dashed almost from the start.

The Clondalkin side felt they should have had a spot kick of their own after seven minutes when new signing Glen McAuley’s cross certainly appeared to strike the arm of Galway defender Charlie Lyons.

And while referee Gavin Colfer was unimpressed with that, he had no hesitation in pointing to the spot at the other end when Bluebell defender Nathan Bell pushed Stephen Walsh to the ground inside the area as he ran onto a Max Hemmings pass.

David Hurley stepped up to score emphatically from 12 yards, his seventh penalty of the season.

It got no better for Bluebell three minutes later, their captain Shane Stritch shown a straight red card for a dreadful challenge on Galway skipper Conor McCormack.

It was all but game over just past the half hour when dominant Galway scored twice inside a minute, both from striker Walsh, the joint leading scorer in the second tier.

With appeals for offside not entertained, Walsh stole in to head home Oisin O’Reilly’s sublime diagonal ball from the left on 32 minutes.

Scarcely a minute later, Walsh was in again, this time from a Max Hemmings pass, to cleverly turn Karl Russell before shooting past Michael Quinn.

Rob Manley stretched Galway’s lead six minutes into the second half when shooting to the corner of the net after Bastien Hery, on his debut, skilfully set him up when beating two defenders.

David Tarmey tapped home the fifth goal on 79 minutes from O’Reilly’s cross.

Fellow substitute Lomboto added the gloss with goals in the 88th and 91st minutes.

The first when racing clear onto Hurley’s pass from halfway, the second when converting another fine delivery from O’Reilly.

Bluebell United: Quinn; Bell (Heffernan, 87), Russell, Geoghegan; O’Brien, Benson (Plunkett, 78); Yousif (Dongo, 57), Hajji, Stritch, Hayes; McAuley (Finch, 57).

Galway United: Connor; Finnerty, Portilla, Lyons (Lomboto, 57); McCormack (Thomas, 39), Hurley; Hemmings, Hery (O’Connor, 68), O'Reilly; Walsh (Tarmey, 57, Manley.

Referee: Gavin Colfer (Wicklow).