CORK CITY ENSURED that Dundalk will have to win the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title themselves as they came from behind to defeat St Patrick’s Athletic at Turner’s Cross on Friday night.
A loss for the home side here would have made it three titles in a row for the Lilywhites, but John Caulfield’s side ensured that their slim hopes of an upset stayed intact, albeit not without a scare.
City had begun brightly, with Mark O’Sullivan twice denied by goalkeeper Brendan Clarke from a corner while Karl Sheppard had an effort ruled out for a push, but on 23 minutes Pat’s had the lead when Conan Byrne curled a beautiful free kick home from 30 yards.
Sheppard went close to an equaliser soon after, backheeling wide from Michael McSweeney’s cross, but City were handed an equaliser when an errant backpass put Clarke in trouble and O’Sullivan nipped in to level.
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Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Byrne might have had a second, hitting the side-netting, and Seán Hoare had an effort from distance which whizzed over, but it remained 1-1 at half-time and the hosts’ good start to the second half turned the game their way.
Top scorer Seán Maguire, introduced at half-time, took just four minutes to make his presence felt as he headed home Steven Beattie’s corner, and then on 53 Beattie himself made it 3-1 from O’Sullivan’s pullback.
Beattie and O’Sullivan both had chances to make it four but Pat’s never looked like getting back into the game and the focus now turns to Oriel Park on Sunday, where a win would give Dundalk the threepeat.
CORK CITY: Mark McNulty; Michael McSweeney, Alan Bennett, Dave Mulcahy, Kevin O’Connor; Greg Bolger, Gearóid Morrissey (Colin Healy 55); Steven Beattie, Danny Morrissey (Seán Maguire half-time), Karl Sheppard (Ian Turner 70); Mark O’Sullivan.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Brendan Clarke; Ger O’Brien, Rory Feely, Seán Hoare, Ian Bermingham; Sam Verdon, Lee Desmond (Jonathan Lunney 21); Conan Byrne, Graham Kelly, Jamie McGrath (Stephen Kinsella 77); Christy Fagan.
Referee: Paul Tuite (Dublin).
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Cork produce defiant comeback to keep slim title hopes alive
Cork City 3
St Patrick’s Athletic 1
CORK CITY ENSURED that Dundalk will have to win the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title themselves as they came from behind to defeat St Patrick’s Athletic at Turner’s Cross on Friday night.
A loss for the home side here would have made it three titles in a row for the Lilywhites, but John Caulfield’s side ensured that their slim hopes of an upset stayed intact, albeit not without a scare.
City had begun brightly, with Mark O’Sullivan twice denied by goalkeeper Brendan Clarke from a corner while Karl Sheppard had an effort ruled out for a push, but on 23 minutes Pat’s had the lead when Conan Byrne curled a beautiful free kick home from 30 yards.
Sheppard went close to an equaliser soon after, backheeling wide from Michael McSweeney’s cross, but City were handed an equaliser when an errant backpass put Clarke in trouble and O’Sullivan nipped in to level.
Byrne might have had a second, hitting the side-netting, and Seán Hoare had an effort from distance which whizzed over, but it remained 1-1 at half-time and the hosts’ good start to the second half turned the game their way.
Top scorer Seán Maguire, introduced at half-time, took just four minutes to make his presence felt as he headed home Steven Beattie’s corner, and then on 53 Beattie himself made it 3-1 from O’Sullivan’s pullback.
Beattie and O’Sullivan both had chances to make it four but Pat’s never looked like getting back into the game and the focus now turns to Oriel Park on Sunday, where a win would give Dundalk the threepeat.
CORK CITY: Mark McNulty; Michael McSweeney, Alan Bennett, Dave Mulcahy, Kevin O’Connor; Greg Bolger, Gearóid Morrissey (Colin Healy 55); Steven Beattie, Danny Morrissey (Seán Maguire half-time), Karl Sheppard (Ian Turner 70); Mark O’Sullivan.
ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Brendan Clarke; Ger O’Brien, Rory Feely, Seán Hoare, Ian Bermingham; Sam Verdon, Lee Desmond (Jonathan Lunney 21); Conan Byrne, Graham Kelly, Jamie McGrath (Stephen Kinsella 77); Christy Fagan.
Referee: Paul Tuite (Dublin).
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SSE Airtricity League Premier Division League of Ireland LOI Report Cork City St Patrick's