Cork City 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 0
Karl Sheppard’s third goal in as many games helped Cork City to move to second in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division at Turner’s Cross on Friday night.
Having beaten Finn Harps last Friday and then Shamrock Rovers on Monday, the Rebel Army are now firmly back in the title race, atoning for three straight draws before that.
While their previous two home wins had seen opening goals inside two minutes, City didn’t get such a blistering start but still began well.
Steven Beattie was wide with a header early on while Garry Buckley also threatened, though Pat’s defender Darren Dennehy – like his brother Billy a former City player and so a target of the fans in the ‘Shed end’ – did go close from a corner.
John Caulfield’s men were having the better of the play, however, and made the breakthrough in the 25th minute. Buckley got to a loose ball ahead of defender Seán Hoare before playing it wide to Sheppard. His low effort took just enough of a deflection off right back Michael Barker to send the ball in a trajectory which was just beyond the dive of goalkeeper Patrick Jennings, going in with the aid of a post.
Buoyed by that, City created more. Sheppard had another shot which Barker got something on, though this time the ball bounced out for a corner, while Seán Maguire somehow missed from close range after Beattie’s ball across and Beattie shot wide after Darren Dennehy blocked Maguire.
The second half wasn’t as eventful in front of goal. Sheppard had a speculative effort just over from a kick-off while a Buckley effort which hit Darren Dennehy’s hand might have brought a penalty and a Sheppard break had to be well dealt with by Ian Bermingham.
Pat’s couldn’t sufficiently test Mark McNulty in the City goal, however, and the three points were enough to move above Derry City in the table.
CORK CITY: McNulty; Dunleavy, Bennett, Browne, O'Connor; G Morrissey, Bolger; Beattie (D Morrissey, 81 mins), Buckley, Sheppard (Healy, 90 mins); Maguire (O'Sullivan 74 mins).
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Jennings; Barker, Hoare, D Dennehy, Bermingham; McEleney (Kelly, 75 mins), Cawley; Byrne (Treacy, 62 mins), Timlin, B Dennehy; Corcoran (McGrath, 62 mins).
Referee: D Tomney (Dublin).
Attendance: 2,769.
Derry City 0 Sligo Rovers 2
A lively Sligo Rovers brought Derry City crashing back to earth at the Brandywell to record their first back-to-back victories of the season.
And the home side can have no complaints as Sligo were thoroughly deserving of this win which more than made up for their defeat at this venue in the EA Sports Cup 10 days ago.
Sligo got into gear from the start and they could have led 3-0 up before 25 minutes had elapsed but for the agility of City goalkeeper Ger Doherty.
John Russell, Mick Leahy and Raffaele Cretaro all squandered superb scoring opportunities, with Doherty denying Russell and Cretaro with vital saves.
And when the ‘Bit O’Red’ did break the deadlock in the 26th minute, it came as no surprise.
A free-kick on the left from Craig Roddan saw Derry centre back Patrick McClean fail to intercept allowing Cretaro to rise and direct a downward header into the net from close range.
The home side’s only noteworthy effort on goal during the opening period was a low drive from Rory Patterson midway through the half which was easily saved by Michéal Schlingermann.
A Cretaro snap-shot threatened to extend Sligo’s lead in the 52nd minute, with Doherty alert to the effort when blocking with his hands.
However, Derry did begin to threaten and in the 61st minute a cross from young Conor McDermott was touched agonisingly wide by substitute Ronan Curtis.
Minutes later, Sligo hit on the break and Liam Martin’s shot crashed off the post before Jimmy Keohane drove the rebound against the crossbar and Derry breathed a sigh of relief.
But Keohane made up for his miss in the 64th minute when doubling Sligo’s lead, Aaron McEneff caught in possession and the Sligo midfielder gave Doherty no chance.
DERRY CITY: Doherty; Vemmelund, McBride, McClean, McDermott; McCormack (Daniels, 72 mins), McEneff; Boyle (Curtis h/t), McNamee, Ward (Jarvis, 57 mins); Patterson.
SLIGO ROVERS: Schlingermann; Adebayo-Rowling, Leahy, Boylan, Donelon; Richards, Roddan, Keohane; Russell (Roberts, 92 mins), Cretaro (Sadlier, 90 mins), Martin.
Referee: R Rogers (Dublin).
Shamrock Rovers 2 Bray Wanderers 0
Killian Brennan and Dean Clarke scored second-half goals to earn Shamrock Rovers a much-needed win against 10-man Bray Wanderers at Tallaght Stadium.
Rovers fans expecting a swift response from their back-to-back defeats against Dundalk and Cork City over the previous week were to be disappointed by a dire first-half display.
However, when Seán Harding hauled down Dean Clarke as he raced clear on 64 minutes, the defender was dismissed and Brennan smashed the resulting free-kick home.
Clarke, another close-season addition by Pat Fenlon, added the second with seven minutes remaining by converting Simon Madden’s low cross from the right.
The Hoops were decidedly disjointed in the first half, sloppy in possession even with the returning Stephen McPhail anchoring midfield.
Just like St Patrick’s Athletic last week, Rovers found Bray dogged in defence, leaving them to work off scraps such as a couple of Brennan free-kicks which sailed over.
It was only after the hour mark that the contest came alive, as the sides traded a couple of chances. Against the run of play, Bray found an opening through an Andrew Lewis shot which Barry Murphy batted away around his near post. Moments later, Dean Clarke raced clear down the left for Rovers, yet couldn’t angle his effort inside the post from an acute angle.
Then Clarke was involved in the pivotal moment. Breaking at pace, the striker hared down on goal only to be dragged down on the edge of the box, allowing Brennan to power his free-kick low into the net aided by a slight deflection. Clarke’s endeavours were then rewarded with his close-range finish.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Murphy; Madden, Cornwall, Webster, G Brennan; McPhail, Cregg (North, 65 mins), K Brennan; McCabe, Miele; D Clarke (T Clarke, 85 mins).
BRAY WANDERERS: Cherrie; Harding, Kenna, McNally, Marks; Connolly (Sammon, 82 mins), Creevey, R Brennan, Moore; Lewis (McDonagh, 67 mins), Pender (Noone, 84 mins).
Referee: T Connolly (Dublin).
Galway United 2 Longford Town 2
Longford Town produced a gutsy second-half performance to secure a share of the spoils at Eamonn Deacy Park.
Trailing by two goals at the interval Longford responded after the restart with Galway left reflecting on what might have been.
Galway’s recent form on the banks of the Corrib is encouraging so Tommy Dunne’s team were delighted to take a second-minute lead. Enda Curran’s right-wing cross found strike partner Vinny Faherty, who pounced for his eighth goal of the campaign with a tidy finish.
With John Sullivan and Ryan Connolly prominent, Galway controlled the majority of the opening period extending their lead on the half-hour mark. Connolly’s corner was met by a firm Curran finish at the back post as Galway continued to dictate the agenda out west.
Three minutes after the restart, Longford substitute Kaleem Simon’s free-kick was headed wide by O’Sullivan as the visitors threatened. Longford trimmed the deficit in the 60th minute when Josh O’Hanlon headed home in a crowded area.
Parity was restored on 69 minutes when an O’Hanlon effort hit the post and then struck Galway goalkeeper Conor Winn for an unfortunate own goal.
GALWAY UNITED: Winn; Horgan, Sinnott, Cantwell, Walsh; Shanahan, Sullivan, Connolly, Ludden; Curran (Cunningham, 65 mins; Keating 68 mins), Faherty.
LONGFORD TOWN: Skinner; Haverty (Mulhall, 76 mins), Rossiter, Flynn, Powell; Cowan (Simon, 46 mins), Gannon, O'Connor, O'Sullivan; Hughes (Dillon, 66 mins); O'Hanlon.
Referee: P McLaughlin (Monaghan).
Wexford Youths 1 Finn Harps 1
A well-taken first goal of the season from Andy Mulligan earned Wexford Youths a point in the proverbial game of two halves at Ferrycarrig Park.
Showing no ill-effects from a raft of injuries and the suspension of striker Dave Scully – with manager Ollie Horgan also consigned to the stand due to a ban – Harps dominated from the start.
Tony McNamee’s long throw was a key weapon for the visitors, his first resulting in Gareth Harkin’s volley warming the hands of Youths’ goalkeeper Graham Doyle inside two minutes.
The visitors maintained their early pressure with Adam Hanlon shooting over from a Harkin corner before Keith Cowan flashed a header over the home bar from Liam Flatley’s delivery from the opposite side.
Harps continue to boss the game and got their deserved lead on 24 minutes. Another McNamee long throw wasn’t dealt with as Craig McCabe pulled down Ryan Curran inside the area after the striker had spun past him.
Curran got to his feet to send Doyle the wrong way from a confidently taken penalty.
Harps remained the better side into the second half with Doyle stretching to tip over a shot from Damien McNulty setting the tone one minute in.
Youths needed a bit of inspiration to get into the game and it duly arrived on 51 minutes.
Paul Murphy threaded a sublime ball through for winger Mulligan who slipped the ball under the advancing Ciaran Gallagher for a composed finish.
Youths thought they’d won it on 84 minutes but for some frantic Harps defending.
Stephen Last shot Danny Ledwith’s cross off a post with Murphy’s follow-up brilliantly cleared off the line by Packie Mailey.
WEXFORD YOUTHS: Doyle; McCabe, G. Delaney, Last, Ledwith; Friel (Dunne, 82 mins), Bonner, Kenny, Mulligan; Molloy; Murphy.
FINN HARPS: Gallagher; McNulty, P Mailey, Cowan, Coll; Flatley (Molloy, 56), Houston, Harkin, Hanlon (Funston, 74 mins); McNamee, Curran.
Referee: Graham Kelly (Cork).
