Derry City 7
Mervue United 1

Keith Kelly in The Brandywell

Mervue United were dumped out of the FAI Cup at the quarter-final stage on Friday night by a Derry City side that scored seven, and could have added seven more, such was the absolute dominance of the Premier Division outfit.

Speaking in the build-up to the game, Mervue manager Johnny Glynn suggested that all the pressure would be on the home side as they would be expected to win comfortably, but no-one could have imagined how one-sided the game would turn out on a night when Mark Farren made history for the Candystripes.

Going into the game, the striker was two goals off equalling Liam Coyle’s all-time scoring record for the Brandywell side, and having moved to within one goal of Coyle’s tally of 112 goals with a strike 10 minutes before the break, the Donegal-born striker first equalled, and then surpassed, that record which has stood since 2003, with two goals in the space of a minute just past the hour mark.

It was a hugely emotional moment for both player and club – Farren was forced to retire from football two years ago after being diagnosed with a benign brain tumour, but he won that personal battle to come back and claim the scoring record in what is his last season with Derry, as he is set to join IFA Premiership side Glenavon in January after 10 seasons at the Brandywell.

While it was a night to remember for Farren, it was one to forget for Mervue United, who are now left in an ignominious battle with local rivals SD Galway to avoid finishing bottom of the league. The pair occupy the bottom two places of seventh and eighth in the First Division, and, embarrassingly, if you combine their points (15 and 13 respectively), it is still less than the 29 points of Athlone Town, the side immediately above the pair in the table.

Any team can have a rough season, and any team can suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of a side a division above them, but the season as a whole has, quite frankly, been a nightmare for the FAI and the domestic league in Galway.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.