League Report: Cork City 2 - 1 Galway United

Cork City continued their long unbeaten league run which now stretches to 22 games when they defeated Galway United 2-1 on Friday night.

It was a tense affair in the opening exchanges between these sides with both teams playing with very different concerns. The Rebels looking to move on after losing key players, Kevin O’Connor and Sean Maguire, and The Tribesmen still desperately battling against relegation.

Shane Keegan’s men were easily beaten during their first trip to Cork earlier this season but it was the visitors who struck first, and struck early.

Marc Ludden has been causing trouble with his long throws for several years in the League of Ireland. His throw in the sixth minute was cleared waywardly by the Cork defence into the path of former Rebel Gavan Holohan just inside the box. The midfielder struck a hat-trick last week against Drogheda and he made no mistake with his chance striking the ball with accuracy into the bottom corner of Mark McNulty’s net.

Galway spent much of the first half frustrating the home side with some excellent defending and the closest The Rebels came in the opening 25 minutes was a fantastic long distance effort by Steven Beattie, from the right flank which went just inches over the crossbar.

Stephen Dooley almost brought The Rebels level with United when a beautifully threaded through ball from Kieran Sadlier which put him one on one with Conor Winn. Dooley attempted to round the goalkeeper but he took the ball too far past the imposing shot stopper putting it wide in the process.

Cork came very close again later in the half when Ryan Delaney spotted Karl Sheppard striding into the box. Delaney launched a great ball toward the striker but Stephen Folan just about got in front of the ball to catch it with his head and take it away from the former Tribesman.

An interesting booking for Galway forward Ronan Murray. The striker had a great ball played in the air to him and Murray managed to turn it into the back of the net, the linesman had his flag up though and the Mayo native was adjudged to have used his hand to put the ball into the net.

Cork had dominated on the attacking front for long periods and early in the second half they finally equalised through Garry Buckley. David Cawley was in possession of the ball but the Galway midfielder dawdled on the ball and Buckley wrenched the ball from him before smashing the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box.

Buckley nearly put his side in front with a blistering header with just over 60 minutes gone but Conor Winn was able to bat it behind at full stretch. Minutes later Karl Sheppard blazed down the right wing before drilling a ball across the box towards Achille Campion but the forwards momentum meant he couldn’t fully control his header blazing it over the bar.

Cork began to turn the screw and disaster struck for the Tribesmen from a Beattie cross. Sheppard got his head to the ball and indecision from both Conor Winn and Lee Grace resulted in the ball being bundled over the line for a Galway own goal.

In injury time The Tribesmen nearly clinched a point. Murray struck the free-kick to Lee Grace who was waiting in the box but the defender’s header agonisingly struck the bottom right post before it was then blazed wide.

The Tribesmen couldn’t find their equaliser and they left Turner’s cross empty handed as they continue their fight against relegation but Cork City have taken another step towards that Premier Division title.

Cork City: Mark McNulty, Alan Bennett, Ryan Delaney, Shane Griffin, Conor McCormack; Steven Beattie (Connor Ellis, 86), Garry Buckley, Stephen Dooley, Gearóid Morrissey, Kieran Sadlier (Achille Campion, 46); Karl Sheppard.

Subs not used: Greg Bolger, Jimmy Keohane, Conor McCarthy, Alan Smith, Sean McLoughlin.

Booked: Kieran Sadlier (3),  Conor McCormack (52), Garry Buckley (90).

Galway United: Conor Winn; Colm Horgan, Lee Grace, Stephen Folan, Marc Ludden; Kevin Devaney, David Cawley, Gavan Holohan, Alex Byrne (Ronan Manning, 84); Ronan Murray, Padraic Cunningham (Eoin McCormack, 63).

Subs not used: Gary Shanahan, Paul Sinnott, Maurice Nugent, Gary Kinneen, Charlie Burns.

Booked: Kevin Devaney (9), Padraic Cunningham (27), Ronan Murray (51).

Attendance: 3,744

Extratime.ie Man of the Match: Garry Buckley