National League/Cork City 4; Drogheda United 0: Cork City closed the gap at the top of the Eircom League table to just a single point with a sparkling performance before a highly excited home following at Turner's Cross last night.
Cork totally outplayed Drogheda with their under-21 international John O'Flynn claiming two of the goals to boost his season's tally to 14. They led 2-0 at the interval and two goals within a minute midway through the second half rounded off a highly impressive win.
Drogheda were devastated by the power and precision of Cork's early attacking football. They had no answer to the pace of O'Flynn or the subtlety of O'Callaghan, and Cork threatened whenever their two main strikers were in possession.
They were almost in within eight minutes of the start when a goal kick from Michael Devine was headed on by O'Flynn to O'Callaghan.
He released his partner with a well-disguised pass but goalkeeper Gary Rogers was well positioned to turn O'Flynn's shot round the post.
Cork showed the benefits of their work on the training ground with two goals from free kicks and it was significant that each of the goals was set up by O'Callaghan.
The first arrived in the 20th minute when O'Callaghan played a free from near half-way to O'Flynn on the edge of the penalty area. He held off three defenders and shot left-footed, as he turned, high into the roof of Rogers's net.
Cork's second arrived in the 31st minute and it was neatly taken. This time O'Callaghan's free from the right wing was much nearer goal and as he played the ball across the penalty area Dan Murray timed his run to perfection to head past the goalkeeper.
O'Flynn's goal was his 13th in the competition and his powerful running meant the Drogheda defence could never relax.
But O'Flynn lost a good chance in the 34th minute when he chose to shoot from a narrow angle for Rogers to save when Ryan Casey was crying out for a pass across the penalty area.
Apart from a free from Andy Myler that was driven wide and a header from Declan O'Brien that was saved, Drogheda seldom showed in attack.
Cork stretched their lead to three in the 76th minute when the powerful O'Flynn surged clear onto O'Halloran's flick over the top of the defence, and he drilled a shot home from 18 yards.
And before Drogheda could recover from this their defence was breached again within 60 seconds as O'Flynn robbed Aidan Lynch and linked with O'Callaghan, who sent substitute Conor O'Grady in for number four.
CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Coughlan, Murray, Woods; Doyle (O'Grady 73), C T O'Brien, O'Halloran (K. Murray 88), Casey; O'Callaghan (C P O'Brien 81), O'Flynn.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Rogers; O'Connor, Scully, Lynch, Gray; Gallagher, Tierney (Flanagan 46), Beesley (Cronin 81), Kelly; O'Brien (Quinless 63), Myler.
Referee: I Stokes (Dublin).
