SoccerRound-up

Cork City beat eight man Shamrock Rovers as St Pat’s edge Dundalk

Drogheda United win consecutive matches for the first time since May of last year

Cork City players celebrate after their win over Shamrock Rovers. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Cork City players celebrate after their win over Shamrock Rovers. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Fri May 26 2023 - 22:03

Cork City 1 Shamrock Rovers 0

Cork City made it back to back wins for the first time on their return to the Premier Division by defeating eight man Shamrock Rovers at Turners Cross.

Rovers enjoyed the majority of possession and all of the goal chances during the opening half, but the City defence worked hard and held firm. Stephen Bradley’s side went closest to scoring through shots from Markus Poom and Gary O’Neill which went just wide.

Rovers were reduced to 10 men on 37 minutes, when Richie Towell was shown a straight red card following an off the ball incident in the box with City defender Gordon Walker. They were then remarkably down to eight men by the 63rd minute, when Johnny Kenny and Sean Hoare were given their marching orders.

Cork were now on the front foot and looking to push for a winning goal. City took the lead on 85 minutes, when Ruairi Keating finished from close range after getting on the end of a Kevin Čustović cross.

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It is a victory which should give Cork City belief they can consolidate and compete in the Premier Division. Now suffering back to back defeats, Rovers will look to bounce back in what is turning into an increasingly captivating title race.

Cork City: J Corcoran; G Walker (J O’Donovan, 82), T Owolabi (C Murphy, 82), A Bolger, R Keating, B Coffey (D Krezic, 68), D Crowley, J Honohan, K Čustović, J Häkkinen, J O’Brien-Whitmarsh.

Shamrock Rovers: L Pöhls; S Hoare, R Lopes, D Cleary, S Kavanagh, G O’Neill, R Towell, M Poom (D Nugent, 76), R Gaffney (J Kenny, 56), N Farrugia (R Finn, 67), J Byrne (A Greene, 76).

Referee: Sean Grant

Drogheda United 3 UCD 1

Drogheda United achieved a rare feat in beating UCD at Weavers Park, courtesy of two quick-fire Freddie Draper goals just before half time. For the first time in almost exactly a year, Kevin Doherty’s team have won consecutive matches.

Remarkably, United had not managed that moderate feat since May of last year when Finn Harps and Shamrock Rovers were beaten. That the champions were beaten again in this short winning sequence is certainly a quirk.

The win is all the more impressive given the students had taken a first half lead through Adam Wells. The left wing back’s strike briefly suggested a shock could be on the cards. Such hope for Andy Myler was soon extinguished.

Draper had already twice gone close when he levelled the game. Darragh Markey slipped him in and the teenage striker beat Kian Moore. Minutes later, he lobbed the goalkeeper from inside the area, after controlling a superb Aaron McNally pass.

The on-loan Lincoln City striker turned provider for Dylan Grimes’ close range finish as United pulled away from the visitors in the second half.

Michael Gallagher’s shot proved a test for the Drogheda goalkeeper. However, United’s three-goal haul, a first for them this term, ensured they saw out the contest comfortably.

Drogheda United: McCabe; Ahui, Adegboyega, Keeley, McNally; Heeney (O’Brien, 90+1), Brennan; Grimes (Leddy, 84), Markey, Rooney; Draper (Foley, 77).

UCD: Moore; Keaney, O’Brien, Osam (Bolton, 72); Higgins (Gallagher, 53), Keane (Alonga, 73), Behan, Nolan (Barr, 58); Norris, Doyle (Kinsella-Bishop, 72).

Referee: Kevin O’Sullivan

St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Dundalk 1

Conor Carty scored a dramatic late winner as St Patrick’s Athletic overcame a double injury blow and a sending off to give manager Jon Daly victory in his first game in charge of the team in a permanent role.

The tenaciously fought win avenged a 5-0 drubbing at Oriel Park in March to make it four out of five victories for Daly since initially taking over, as his side consolidated fourth place in the table, going three points clear of Dundalk.

On a perfect evening for football by the Camac, St Patrick’s started with intent forcing a couple of corners inside the opening two minutes. Mark Doyle worked Nathan Shepperd while Adam Murphy saw a shot deflected on to the crossbar before St Patrick’s dominance told with their lead goal on the half-hour.

Shepperd could only parry away Jake Mulraney’s inswinging cross, giving Doyle a tap-in for his fourth goal of the season. A point-blank save from Dean Lyness denied Dundalk skipper Patrick Hoban an equaliser six minutes later.

The game was then held up for seven minutes for a nasty injury to St Patrick’s central defender Tom Grivosti, sustained in the build up to that chance. Having already lost right-back Axel Sjoberg to injury, St Patrick’s fans saw Grivosti carried off on a stretcher.

A loose clearance almost brought Dundalk an equaliser deep in first half added time, Robbie McCourt showing good control to rifle just wide with a crisply struck half volley. Sensing the vulnerability of St Patrick’s rejigged defence, Dundalk made three changes ahead of the resumption and were level within three minutes.

McCourt found space on the left to whip over a cross that found one of those substitutes, Rayhaan Tulloch, unmarked to nod past Lyness. St Patrick’s were then reduced to 10 men on 54 minutes when Mulraney was shown a straight red card following a melee involving most of the players.

Though it looked to have been instigated by Connor Malley putting Mulraney in a headlock, the Dundalk midfielder received just a yellow card. Having defended doggedly, two substitutes then combined to win it for St Patrick’s on 81 minutes. Tommy Lonergan mesmerised Hayden Muller on the left to put over a delightfully weighted cross.

Carty, 21 on Thursday, arrived at the far post to crash his shot home off the crossbar to a rapturous reaction from the bulk of the 4,089 attendance.

St Patrick’s Athletic: Lyness; Sjoberg (McGrath, 7), Grivosti (McClelland, 43), Curtis, Breslin; Lennon, Murphy (McCormack, 61); Mulraney, Forrester, M. Doyle (Carty, 61); E. Doyle (Lonergan, 61).

Dundalk: Shepperd; Davies, Muller, Williams (Leahy, 77), McCourt (Elliott, 77); Doyle (Lewis, h-t), Malley; Martin (Tulloch, h-t), Yli-Kokko (Ward, h-t), O’Kane; Hoban.

Referee: Ray Matthews (Midlands)