Beckett unravels Cork at the death

IT MAY not seem like much of a consolation to Dave Barry, particularly as his club's competitive season ended yesterday, but it could have been worse for his Cork City side at the Brndywell.

Under the old rules of this competition, the Gary Beckett goal that secured Derry's place in the semi finals came just 20 seconds short of the whole tie shifting down south for a replay.

This season, though, the visitors needn't allow that thought to haunt them for although they were desperately unfortunate with the timing of the strike, with extra time looming they still seemed likely to make their exit.

Undoubtedly they defended well throughout what was a pasisonately contested encounter, but having realised that they were effectively being told to "come and get us" the home side responded to order. It may have taken them some time to figure out the route to goal, but they always looked like the more likely side to get there in the end.

In Beckett they had the most dangerous finisher on the pitch and although they seemed unable to find a way to keep him supplied for most of the proceedings, they simply over ran their opponents towards the end. The youngster had several chances to wrap up the tie.

It was only, however, when all hope of avoiding extra time seemed to have passed that he did it. Declan Boyle fed the ball short for Tom Mohan and his low angled cross from the right was touched past a stranded Dave Henderson and into the far corner.

"It was a good win for us," observed Derry manager Felix Healy afterwards, "because people say that we are well organised and work hard, but when it came down to it we showed that we could play a bit too out there today."

They certainly did and if they can keep it up, it is difficult to see how they will be prevented playing their way to the League and Cup double.

For their part, Cork were tight at the back, with Dave Hill, until he limped off injured at half time, clearing up anything that went astray. Never, though, did there seem a way that the visitors could beat their hosts. Throughout the game they snatched just a handful of half chances, with the distribution skills of the more experienced players, notably Barry himself, relied upon to set the younger legs on their way. With just two men lip front against defenders of the calibre of Paul Curran, Declan Boyle and Gavin Dykes, it didn't look like a credible plan for victory.

The first half certainly held very few surprises for either manager with Dave Barry opting - as his opposite number had expected him - to defend in numbers while Felix Healy urged his side to push and prod away in search of the breakthrough.

With Hill co ordinating the visitors' five man defence and the Cork's midfield basing itself deep inside its own hall, for long stretches of time Derry were deprived of the space to create. Despite the home side enjoying the bulk of possession they failed to draw a single save from Harrington.

A fine through ball by Tom Mohan did open Cork up once, with Declan Boyle getting to the line to cross, but on that occasion Colin O'Brien got in ahead of James Keddy at the far post to clear the danger.

With Barry breaking up just about everything that Derry tried to do through the centre, Keddy had looked to be his side's most likely route to goal. When, after the break, Cork started to display a little more adventure, it was the former UCD player who was first to attack the space they left behind.

Within a minute of the restart his cross set up Liam Coyle for a header that Harrington touched on to the bar and from there on, to the crowd's relief, the home side began to exert the sort of pressure that looked like yielding a goal.

Despite a couple of chances for Beckett and one for Ryan Coyle, though, the locals couldn't seem to find a way through. By the time Beckett dived in to send Boyle's lofted cross of the upright in the 86th minute it appeared that Cork were going to take the hosts into extra time.

A minute later the visitors might even have stolen it. John Caulfield, one of two Cork strikers left to chase the odd long clearance all afternoon, broke clear down the right and after turning Paul Curran twice, squandered the chance by firing a weak shot well wide to the left. It was a few minutes more before the full cost of the miss became apparent.