Cork take advantage and go top

What is it they say about title races and winning when you play badly? Well, if there's anything to it then Dave Barry can rest easy this morning.

His players may have turned in an utterly forgettable performance against a Finn Harps side that arrived with three wins in their last four outings, but in the end they hammered out a win to go top of the table while their main championship rivals dropped points.

Finn Harps scarcely resembled a team who'd rediscovered their confidence. In the opening stages their penalty area was only marginally less densely packed than the shed behind them.

Cork's opener came after just 15 minutes, the trouble starting for the visitors when goalkeeper Brian McKenna failed to deal with a corner and Liam O'Brien pushed the ball wide to Ollie Cahill. From there the winger, City's most troublesome player throughout, floated the ball back towards the six yard box and Pascal Vaudequin, with not a local player in sight, stepped up to nod past his own goalkeeper from point blank range.

After that the only question appeared to be how many they'd score for Harps looked incapable of altering a hopelessly defensive gameplan that involved the use of five defenders across the back plus another couple in midfield whose primary role was to provide protection for those in the rear.

On the sideline injured player manager Gavin Dykes shouted himself hoarse attempting to get his full-backs to try their hands at wing backing after the goal but even if they had it wasn't clear how much benefit might have been derived for up front the lonely James Mulligan stood little chance of making an impact against a very capable City defence.

Gradually things did shift around, though, and when City lost Liam O'Brien to a broken nose at half-time and brought on Colin O'Brien they started to look a good deal more creative out wide and a great deal more vulnerable through the centre.

Fergal Harkin almost made the most of the improved opportunities down the middle with just short of 20 minutes to play when, having linked up well with Jonathon Minnock he let fly with a powerful drive but Noel Mooney got down wonderfully to turn the ball onto the post. The City goalkeeper, criticised last month for an error that cost his side two points against Bohemians, then recovered quickly to gather the loose ball as Mulligan closed in.

"I thought we deserved something out of the game," said Dykes afterwards. "We were without doubt the better side in the second half and if Fergal's shot had gone in, who knows, maybe we would have even gone on to win it." Instead his side's best period passed without Mooney's goal being seriously threatened again and City started to get the upper hand once more.

They might have scored a couple by the time Johnny Glynn finally made sure of the points for the home side three minutes from time.

With the desperation to secure an equaliser growing at one end, the gaps were growing larger at the other and when Stephen Napier found Glynn in space, the 33-year-old striker had more time than he could possibly have hoped for in which to pick his spot.

Cork City: Mooney; Napier, Daly, Hill, Cronin; Flanagan, Freyne, L O'Brien, Cahill; Dobbs, Morley. Subs: C O'Brien for L O'Brien (halftime), Glynn for Dobbs for (60 mins).

Finn Harps: McKennads; Vaudequin, McLaughlin, Scanlon, Boyle, Hutchison; Kenny, McGrenaghan, Minnock; Mulligan. Subs: Harkin for McGrenaghan (half-time), Speak for Minnock (72 mins).

Referee: P Whelan (Dublin).