Cork haul themselves back to top

National League Premier Division/ Longford Town 0 Cork City 0: Having previously returned from European excursions to earn crucial league wins over Drogheda United and Shelbourne, Cork City couldn't quite make it three out of three last night at Flancare Park.

Still, there was a good deal for the visitors to be pleased with as they picked themselves up from defeat in Prague to earn a draw that puts them back above title rivals Derry at the top of the table on goal difference.

"To reclaim the lead in the league race was important to us and I'm delighted we've done that tonight," said manager Damien Richardson afterwards.

"To come here after a huge trip away, a huge game in Europe, and show the sort of character we did makes me very proud.

"The fatigue the players were suffering was obvious through the last 15 minutes but we kept at it and could have won the game. From my point of view it's very much one point gained rather than two dropped."

The results of this season's previous meetings between these two sides suggested goals would be desperately hard to come by and, sure enough, there were few enough chances as the teams with the league's tightest defences came head to head for the fourth time this year.

City made two changes to the side that lost in Prague with Derek Coughlan coming back in for Alan Bennett, whose hamstring injury remains a concern, while Greg O'Halloran replaced the suspended Danny Murphy at left back.

City took the game to their hosts early on. Seán Prunty, for a start, was finding Roy O'Donovan a handful while George O'Callaghan proved a regular source of problems as he pushed forward from midfield.

By the break, however, the contest was even enough and Longford created at least as many half chances in the second half. Paul Keegan's running stretched City's central defenders while a couple of errors by Greg O'Halloran allowed Longford to try their luck from long range and Dean Fitzgerald's powerful shot from 25 yards in the closing stages would have tested Michael Devine had it not been straight at him.

Both sides produced decent spells of passing football over the course of the game but while City's movement going forward looked the more effective their efforts were largely cancelled out by the locals, whose hunger seemed the greater at times.

Still, it was the visiting side that produced the two best chances of the game. After seven minutes John O'Flynn really should have had his eighth league goal of the season when Neale Fenn sent him clear of Danny O'Connor and one-on-one with Shay Kelly, who did well to save with his feet.

Then, eight minutes from the end O'Donovan cut in unchallenged from the right and aimed a curling left-footed shot at the bottom corner which, once again, Kelly did very well to keep out.

After that, though, Alan Kirby might have stolen it for the hosts but wasted the chance he had carved out for himself with a fine run into the area by firing well wide of the mark.

As it is now, both Derry and Shelbourne have made ground on the leaders, who now have FAI and Uefa Cup games to worry about before facing UCD at Turner's Cross in a fortnight's time.

LONGFORD TOWN: Kelly; Gough, O'Connor, Dillon, Prunty; Kirby, Martin, Fitzgerald, Byrne; Baker, Keegan.

CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Coughlan, Murray, O'Halloran; O'Donovan, Gamble, O'Callaghan, Kearney; Fenn, O'Flynn.

Referee: P Tuite (Dublin).