Cork City 2-3 Longford Town
Cork City may have a FAI Cup final to look forward to next month but their poor league form continues as the Leesiders were beaten by Longford Town at Turner’s Cross - a result that all but secures the midlanders' survival in the top flight for 2016.
Seeking their first win in the league since August, the hosts went ahead through Karl Sheppard on 34 minutes but two goals in three minutes from the visitors turned the game on its head just before the half-time whistle.
City clawed their way back into the contest with a goal from Steven Beattie not long after the hour mark. However, Town weathered the resurgence and scored once again to take all three points.
John Caulfield welcomed striker Mark O’Sullivan back from injury and also handed starts to John Dunleavy and Billy Dennehy with Gavan Holohan, Garry Buckley and suspended Ross Gaynor the three players to drop out following the draw with Drogheda United last time out.
Longford Town, for their part, drafted in David O’Sullivan and Mark Rossiter for Noel Haverty and Lorcan Shannon respectively.
With Shamrock Rovers edging closer in the battle for second, City needed to be out of their blocks quickly and Billy Dennehy slapped the ball on to Paul Skinner’s post from Steven Beattie’s cross with just four minutes gone.
Town, likewise, were anxious to ease growing relegation concerns and pushed forward early on with David O’Sullivan flicking an effort at Mark McNulty in the 13th minute before seeing an even better opportunity blocked by City’s Kevin O’Connor eight minutes later.
That near miss seemed to stun the home side into action. O’Sullivan headed a fine ball from Beattie over the Longford bar within a minute. A long clearance from McNulty then saw Billy Dennehy send the striker clear again moments later but his first touch was heavy and the danger fizzed out.
Sheppard blazed an effort across the face of the goal just past the half-hour mark. The move was a precursor to the opening goal, which arrived on 34 minutes. A inch-perfect ball from Liam Miller sent Sheppard clear through on goal and once he rounded Skinner, he made no mistake and fired to the back of the net.
In the following minutes, both Beattie and Billy Dennehy might have extended City’s lead; however, the next goal, when it came, went the way of the men in red and black.
Attempting to clear his lines, Darren Dennehy directed the ball out to the feet of Dean Kelly, who rode his luck, broke clear and found O’Sullivan. Through one-on-one with McNulty, the finish from Town’s number 15 was excellent and left the Cork keeper with no chance.
The equaliser silenced the small Cork crowd of 2,011, and quiet turned to unrest three minutes later as Rice and Dunleavy battled each other to reach O’Sullivan’s cross, with the ball ending up in the back of McNulty’s net.
Caulfield took swift action during the break, introducing Cup semi-final hero Danny Morrissey and Holohan for O’Sullivan and Miller respectively. The Kevin O’Connor in green forced a fingertip save from Skinner on 48 minutes before Town’s Kevin O’Connor drew gaps with a flying long-range effort at the other end moments later.
Gary Shaw broke clear down the right and had another decent chance for Tony Cousins’ men on 57 minutes - only to see his final shot cleared by Dan Murray - and City’s second hit the back of the net just six minutes later.
Connor Powell conceded a free out wide on the right wing and Billy Dennehy’s set piece was headed straight at Skinner by Morrissey before Beattie hooked the rebound home.
Back from the injury he sustained just before scoring the Cup semi-final winner against Bray Wanderers, Morrissey directed a spectacular overhead kick just wide of Skinner’s post on 76 minutes.
A fine header from the Midleton man, which was blocked by Gorman, had City players screaming for a penalty five minutes later but even the addition of John O’Flynn to their attacking line-up could not see City force a way through.
Instead, the winning goal fell the visitors on 84 minutes. O’Sullivan, who was excellent all night, went clear down the right and pulled the ball back inside to Kevin O’Connor. Longford’s number 11 then fired home from 12 yards out to secure three very, very valuable points for the midland’s outfit.
Cork City: Mark McNulty; Michael McSweeney, Dan Murray, Darren Dennehy, Kevin O’Connor; Karl Sheppard, John Dunleavy, Liam Miller (Gavan Holohan ’46), Steven Beattie, Billy Dennehy (John O’Flynn ’76); Mark O’Sullivan (Danny Morrissey ’46).
Substitutes: Alan Bennett, Alan Smith, Liam Kearney, Stephen Folan.
Longford Town: Paul Skinner; Pat Sullivan, Rhys Gorman, Mark Rossiter, Connor Powell; Philip Gannon; Gary Shaw, Kevin O’Connor, Aymen Ben Mohamed (Kaleem Simon ’68), Dean Kelly (Stephen Rice ’41); David O’Sullivan.
Substitutes: Jamie Mulhall, Martin Deady, Lorcan Shannon, Mark Salmon, Paul Hunt.
Referee: Ben Connolly.
