Cork City set up an attractive clash with league leaders Shamrock Rovers on Friday by hammering United in a one-sided clash at Turner's Cross yesterday.
Cork dismissed Galway complaints they had acted against the spirit of the game by insisting Galway could not select Mark Herrick, the midfielder who was transferred from Cork just a couple of months ago. Cork had invoked a clause which preventing him from playing against his former club.
An angry Galway manager Tony Mannion said afterwards: "Cork threatened the club with legal action during the week if we played Mark Herrick. It is a disgrace that they could prevent the player from earning a wage in this way and in my view it is contrary to league rules.
"According to the rules of the league we are obliged to pick our strongest team for every match but because of Cork's attitude we were unable to pick one of our best players."
Cork's manager Liam Murphy countered by saying: "If Galway had a problem with this clause then they should not have signed the agreement. The time to challenge this was when the agreement was drawn up; they entered into the contractual agreement freely and without pressure and for them to cry 'foul' now is ridiculous.
"And as for suggesting that we were guilty of unsporting behaviour, what was unsporting was the manner in which some Galway players went over the top at our players and particularly Ollie Cahill. That was unsporting."
Murphy had a point - six players were shown the yellow card by the referee and four of them were Galway players.
Cork led through a goal from Alan Bennett after 31 minutes and Noel Hartigan highlighted a superb performance with goals in the 54th and 76th minutes while Derek Coughlan headed home after 59 minutes.
CORK CITY: Devine; Daly, Coughlan, O'Rourke, Horgan; Carey (Flanagan 68), Bennett, O'Grady, Cahill; Mulligan (O'Brien 79) , Hartigan (Morley 79).
GALWAY UNITED; Colbey; Keady, Clery, Silke, Carberry (Quirke 73); Sheridan, Murphy (Keane 73), Fortune, O'Brien; Ryan, O'Shaughnessy (Forde 73).
Referee: D O'Hanlon (Carrick-on-Suir).
