Shelbourne 2 Cork City
1
Cork City goalkeeper Mark McNulty said before the game that failure to get a result in Tolka Park would render last week’s victory over champions Sligo Rovers at Turner’s Cross meaningless – and sadly for him and the travelling Rebel Army, he was unable to prevent Johnny McDonnell’s Reds from edging a scrappy game.
Second half goals from Lee Murtagh and substitute Darren Tinnelly were enough to make Kalen Spillane’s 85th minute header a mere consolation as the Leesider’s inconsistent form continued – they have now won twice and lost three of their last five league games.
Cork City remain in seventh place, three points ahead of Drogheda United – who don’t play UCD until Sunday due to their European exploits – while Shels still prop up the table but have now closed the gap on Bohemians to just one point.
Though both sides played out a 0-0 draw in Turner’s Cross this time last year, this result extends the run of both teams finding the net against each other in Tolka Park – the last time one of these teams failed to score at Shelbourne’s home ground was October 1st 2010, when City were Foras Co-op and both sides were in the First Division. That game ended 2-0 to the Reds, Marc Hughes and Ian Ryan with the goals.
City made two changes to the side that started in last week’s 3-1 victory over Sligo Rovers at Turner’s Cross, with John Kavanagh and John Dunleavy – both products of City’s double-winning u19 side – coming in for Gearoid Morrissey and Danny Murphy who missed out through injury and suspension respectively.
Shels also made two changes, with Mark Leech and Robert Bayly both injured and replaced by Stephen Hurley and Derek Doyle, the latter making his first appearance since returning to the League of Ireland.
The game got off to a flying start when the on-loan Ciaran Kilduff latched onto a Daryl Kavanagh through-ball after only 30 seconds. He went past the charging Lee Murphy but hadn’t raised his head and his effort at the open goal was cleared for a corner by Pat Flynn.
That would prove to be the best chance of the first half as the frantic start wilted in the scorching heat, with the game soon becoming bogged down in midfield. The Leesiders looked the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock but despite some neat build up play, crosses from Turner and Kavanagh were comfortably dealt with by the Reds rearguard.
Up the other end, McDonnell could be heard urging striker Lee Murtagh to get into the box – the ex-Firhouse Clovers frontman was being sucked into the midfield scrap and while his enthusiasm was admirable, as he was chased everything down, he wasn’t hurting the Leesiders.
Moments later, Kilduff made the sort of run Murtagh needed to make, latching onto a ball from Dunleavy in midfield – however, his left-footed effort lacked venom and it rolled into Murphy’s arms. This was a feature of many of the efforts in the first half.
And though City looked the more likely of the two sides to score, it was Shels who knitted together the first half’s neatest move, Pat Flynn exchanging passes with Stephen Hurley on the left-flank before playing it into Derek Doyle.
He switched it centrally to Sean Brennan – who had been largely subdued on the right hand side of Shels’ midfield – and he moved it onto the over-lapping fullback Brian Shorthall. His inswinging cross, though, missed the head of Murtagh and was easily collected by Mark McNulty in the City goal.
Just before the interval Lee Murphy was forced to tip over a header from Garry Buckley – this was close as anybody had to come scoring since Kilduff’s first minute effort.
The opening goal came after 55 minutes and, unlike last week against Drogheda United, the offside flag would not deny Lee Murtagh. A free-kick from Hurley deep in the right of midfield was met at the back post by Ian Ryan – his diving header bounced across the six yard box and reached the back post where Lee Murtagh was in the perfect poacher’s position to tap in his first goal for the club.
The game descended into niggly fouls after that, with Graham Gartland, John Kavanagh and Ian Ryan all finding their way into Derek Tomney’s notebook in a seven minute spell.
CCFC were lacking penetration with Shane Duggan’s two miscontrols in ten seconds summing up their efforts. Daryl Kavanagh was booked for diving in the box moments later under a Graham Gartland challenge, summing up their frustrations.
And things only got worse on 80 minutes as Shels doubled their lead.
Adam Hanlon got to the byline and sold Neal Horgan, checking inside. His left-footed cross reached substitute Darren Tinnelly. It initially looked as if Garry Buckley – who was solid throughout – had done enough to prevent the shot as Tinnelly miscued, but the City defender lost his footing and Tinnelly was able to wriggle free before firing a low left-footed shot beneath the body of McNulty.
The goal came on the back of a half-hearted penalty appeal for John Kavanagh when he went down just inside the box, but the referee ignored the shouts and Shels broke away to score.
But then, with the game seemingly beyond them, Cork City won a corner in the 85th minute and Horgan’s delivery was expertly glanced home by Kalen Spillane to reduce the deficit. The Rebel Army attacked with renewed vigour. Another Horgan cross, this time from the right, was met by the newly introduced Denis Behan but his header bounced wide when it seemed easier to score.
With five minutes added on, the Leesiders tried desperately to get forward, Duggan’s distance effort ricocheting wide to Adam Rundle and he put in a teasing cross to towards Kilduff – but Murphy came out to claim and that was City’s last chance.
TEAMS:
Shelbourne: Lee Murphy; Pat Flynn, Graham Gartland, Ian Ryan, Brian Shorthall; Adam Hanlon (Craig Mooney, 90+), Stephen Hurley, Glen Cronin, Sean Brennan; Derek Doyle (Darren Tinnelly, 78 mins), Lee Murtagh (Dean Kelly, 82 mins). Subs not used: Niall Burdon, Rob Cornwall, Adam O’Connor, Stephen Sheerin.
Cork City goalkeeper Mark McNulty said before the game that failure to get a result in Tolka Park would render last week’s victory over champions Sligo Rovers at Turner’s Cross meaningless – and sadly for him and the travelling Rebel Army, he was unable to prevent Johnny McDonnell’s Reds from edging a scrappy game.
Second half goals from Lee Murtagh and substitute Darren Tinnelly were enough to make Kalen Spillane’s 85th minute header a mere consolation as the Leesider’s inconsistent form continued – they have now won twice and lost three of their last five league games.
Cork City remain in seventh place, three points ahead of Drogheda United – who don’t play UCD until Sunday due to their European exploits – while Shels still prop up the table but have now closed the gap on Bohemians to just one point.
Though both sides played out a 0-0 draw in Turner’s Cross this time last year, this result extends the run of both teams finding the net against each other in Tolka Park – the last time one of these teams failed to score at Shelbourne’s home ground was October 1st 2010, when City were Foras Co-op and both sides were in the First Division. That game ended 2-0 to the Reds, Marc Hughes and Ian Ryan with the goals.
City made two changes to the side that started in last week’s 3-1 victory over Sligo Rovers at Turner’s Cross, with John Kavanagh and John Dunleavy – both products of City’s double-winning u19 side – coming in for Gearoid Morrissey and Danny Murphy who missed out through injury and suspension respectively.
Shels also made two changes, with Mark Leech and Robert Bayly both injured and replaced by Stephen Hurley and Derek Doyle, the latter making his first appearance since returning to the League of Ireland.
The game got off to a flying start when the on-loan Ciaran Kilduff latched onto a Daryl Kavanagh through-ball after only 30 seconds. He went past the charging Lee Murphy but hadn’t raised his head and his effort at the open goal was cleared for a corner by Pat Flynn.
That would prove to be the best chance of the first half as the frantic start wilted in the scorching heat, with the game soon becoming bogged down in midfield. The Leesiders looked the more likely of the two sides to break the deadlock but despite some neat build up play, crosses from Turner and Kavanagh were comfortably dealt with by the Reds rearguard.
Up the other end, McDonnell could be heard urging striker Lee Murtagh to get into the box – the ex-Firhouse Clovers frontman was being sucked into the midfield scrap and while his enthusiasm was admirable, as he was chased everything down, he wasn’t hurting the Leesiders.
Moments later, Kilduff made the sort of run Murtagh needed to make, latching onto a ball from Dunleavy in midfield – however, his left-footed effort lacked venom and it rolled into Murphy’s arms. This was a feature of many of the efforts in the first half.
And though City looked the more likely of the two sides to score, it was Shels who knitted together the first half’s neatest move, Pat Flynn exchanging passes with Stephen Hurley on the left-flank before playing it into Derek Doyle.
He switched it centrally to Sean Brennan – who had been largely subdued on the right hand side of Shels’ midfield – and he moved it onto the over-lapping fullback Brian Shorthall. His inswinging cross, though, missed the head of Murtagh and was easily collected by Mark McNulty in the City goal.
Just before the interval Lee Murphy was forced to tip over a header from Garry Buckley – this was close as anybody had to come scoring since Kilduff’s first minute effort.
The opening goal came after 55 minutes and, unlike last week against Drogheda United, the offside flag would not deny Lee Murtagh. A free-kick from Hurley deep in the right of midfield was met at the back post by Ian Ryan – his diving header bounced across the six yard box and reached the back post where Lee Murtagh was in the perfect poacher’s position to tap in his first goal for the club.
The game descended into niggly fouls after that, with Graham Gartland, John Kavanagh and Ian Ryan all finding their way into Derek Tomney’s notebook in a seven minute spell.
CCFC were lacking penetration with Shane Duggan’s two miscontrols in ten seconds summing up their efforts. Daryl Kavanagh was booked for diving in the box moments later under a Graham Gartland challenge, summing up their frustrations.
And things only got worse on 80 minutes as Shels doubled their lead.
Adam Hanlon got to the byline and sold Neal Horgan, checking inside. His left-footed cross reached substitute Darren Tinnelly. It initially looked as if Garry Buckley – who was solid throughout – had done enough to prevent the shot as Tinnelly miscued, but the City defender lost his footing and Tinnelly was able to wriggle free before firing a low left-footed shot beneath the body of McNulty.
The goal came on the back of a half-hearted penalty appeal for John Kavanagh when he went down just inside the box, but the referee ignored the shouts and Shels broke away to score.
But then, with the game seemingly beyond them, Cork City won a corner in the 85th minute and Horgan’s delivery was expertly glanced home by Kalen Spillane to reduce the deficit. The Rebel Army attacked with renewed vigour. Another Horgan cross, this time from the right, was met by the newly introduced Denis Behan but his header bounced wide when it seemed easier to score.
With five minutes added on, the Leesiders tried desperately to get forward, Duggan’s distance effort ricocheting wide to Adam Rundle and he put in a teasing cross to towards Kilduff – but Murphy came out to claim and that was City’s last chance.
TEAMS:
Shelbourne: Lee Murphy; Pat Flynn, Graham Gartland, Ian Ryan, Brian Shorthall; Adam Hanlon (Craig Mooney, 90+), Stephen Hurley, Glen Cronin, Sean Brennan; Derek Doyle (Darren Tinnelly, 78 mins), Lee Murtagh (Dean Kelly, 82 mins). Subs not used: Niall Burdon, Rob Cornwall, Adam O’Connor, Stephen Sheerin.
Booked/sent off: Graham Gartland (62 minw), Ian Ryan (69 mins)/none.
Cork City: Mark
McNulty; Neal Horgan, Garry Buckley, Kalen Spillane, John Kavanagh; Ian Turner
(Adam Rundle, 66 mins), John Dunleavy, Shane Duggan, Daryl Horgan; Daryl
Kavanagh (Denis Behan, 85 mins), Ciaran Kilduff. Subs not used: Kevin Burns,
Eoghan Murphy, Brian Lenihan, Stephen Kenny, Danny Furlong.
Booked/sent off: John Dunleavy (52 mins), John Kavanagh (68 mins), Daryl Kavanagh (77 mins)/ none.
Ref: Derek Tomney (Dublin)
MATCH STATS (Shelbourne/Cork City):
Shots: 6/8
Corners: 6/5
Fouls: 6/11
Offsides:0/1
Attendance: 805
Booked/sent off: John Dunleavy (52 mins), John Kavanagh (68 mins), Daryl Kavanagh (77 mins)/ none.
Ref: Derek Tomney (Dublin)
MATCH STATS (Shelbourne/Cork City):
Shots: 6/8
Corners: 6/5
Fouls: 6/11
Offsides:0/1
Attendance: 805
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