Cork fail to take home advantage

Premier Division / Cork City 0 Longford Town 0: Longford Town's stubborn resistance denied Cork City the points they needed to consolidate their position of third in the league at a wet and windy Turner's Cross last night.

Cork's failure to score cost them dearly for the second consecutive match at home and, after being held by UCD last time out, they might well regret the loss of such precious points in their efforts to secure a place in European football for next season.

Longford sent out the very same team that won the FAI Cup final in an attempt to improve their luck against Cork this season.

Longford had lost all three games to Cork in the league earlier in the season.

The midlanders began as if determined to blow Cork away, with Brian McGovern illustrating their positive approach with a shot from all of 25 yards within 60 seconds of the start which whistled narrowly over the bar.

But that was to prove an isolated moment of excitement in a low-key first half.

The home supporters were roused only when popular centre forward John O'Flynn was introduced as a substitute after 35 minutes.

O'Flynn missed Cork's previous 11 games because of a knee injury and he was not long into action before he got his head to a cross from Kevin Doyle only to direct it wide of Stephen O'Brien's goal.

O'Flynn's introduction fired Cork to improve their game and they made a determined push to take control immediately after the half-time break.

George O'Callaghan was narrowly wide with an ambitious overhead attempt in the 47th minute and Liam Kearney wasted a very good opportunity when he shot over the bar from 20 yards two minutes later.

Then it was Longford's turn to go close to breaking the deadlock on 57 minutes when Alan Kirby's corner from the left fell into a crowded goalmouth and to the feet of substitute Brian Byrne. However, his shot from six yards was taken off the line by full back Billy Woods.

CORK CITY: Devine; O'Halloran, Coughlan, D Murray, Woods; C O'Brien (O'Flynn 35), O'Grady (Behan 70), K Murray (Bennett 85), Kearney; Doyle, O'Callaghan.

LONGFORD TOWN: O'Brien; Murphy, Ferguson, McGovern, Dillon; Kirby, Perth, Keogh, Prunty (Byrne 46); Barrett (Lavine 84), Francis (Kelly 83).

Referee: P Tuite (Dublin).