Setanta Cup/ Dungannon Swifts 0 Cork City 0:A point apiece was probably a fair result last night, although Cork will rightly feel aggrieved at being denied an obvious penalty.
Dungannon, having lost their way domestically with just one win in six outings, showed plenty of initiative and had Cork on the back foot for much of the opening half.
Ryan McCluskey and Adam McMinn were both narrowly off target when getting on the end of successive Rodney McAree corners and a neat low drive from junior international David Scullion brought a superb save from Michael Devine.
But City will know they should have gone ahead 10 minutes before the break. A stunning pass from Darragh Ryan put Roy O'Donovan in a head-to-head against Dwayne Nelson. The former Cheltenham player appeared to have done the hard bit as he rounded the goalkeeper but, from 18 yards, he fired a low shot wide of the unprotected net.
Cork went for broke on the resumption and were fuming when a strong penalty claim was turned away when O'Donovan was brought down inside the box by McMinn.
And O'Donovan and Dan Murray both failed with chances to win the game right at the end.
DUNGANNON SWIFTS: Nelson, Wray, Gallagher, Montgomery, McMinn, McCluskey, McCabe, McAree, McAllister, Baron, Scullion. Subs: T Fitzpatrick for McCabe (22 mins); Hamill for Barnon (76); Everaldo for Scullion (89).
CORK CITY: Devine, Ryan, O'Callaghan, Murray, O'Brien, Gamble, O'Donovan, Cillian Lordan, Behan, Kelly, Kearney. Subs: Softic for Kelly (64 mins).
Referee: F Hiles(Coleraine).
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