Drogheda Utd 0 Cork City 1: IN A lively encounter where both sides wasted a number of chances it took an own goal to decide the contest 11 minutes from the end when Drogheda's Eric McGill turned the ball into his own net to hand all three points to Cork on a night when a share of the spoils would have been just about right.
It took a fine stop by goalkeeper Steve Williams from Billy Dennehy’s powerful shot to prevent Cork taking the lead in the first minute and as the visitors continued to dominate Danny Murphy pushed up from the back but saw his strike on goal deflected out for a corner.
With 16 sixteen minutes gone City went close once more when Kevin Long met Dennehy’s corner perfectly and was unfortunate to see his powerful header come back off the crossbar. Almost immediately at the other end Drogheda created their first opportunity as Jamie Duffy sent Ross Gaynor in on goal, but he drove the ball into the side netting.
Just before the half-hour mark Brendan McGill swung a corner in from the right which Ian Ryan guided towards the top corner but Gareth Cambridge was on the line to head clear.
Eight minutes from the break Gaynor raced away down the left and set up Guy Bates who sidestepped his marker brilliantly before sending his strike just the wrong side of the post.
How the game remained goalless for so long was a mystery and it was ironic that it was an own goal that eventually ended the stalemate. United’s right back James Chambers lost his footing allowing Dennehy send a low cross into the box that flew past the hapless Williams from the boot of the unlucky McGill. Drogheda’s disappointment was complete in stoppage time when Paul Shiels saw red for an off-the-ball incident.
DROGHEDA UNITED: Williams, Chambers, Clarke, Kenna, Ryan, E McGill (Martin, 83 mins), B McGill, Shiels, Duffy, Bates, Gaynor.
CORK CITY: McNulty, Murphy, O’Halloran, Murray, Gamble, Kuduzovic, Dennehy, Lordan, O’Neill (Duggan, 72 mins), Long, Cambridge (Silagailis, 67 mins).
Referee: R Winter (Dublin).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)