DUNDALK are beginning to look more and more like a club in crisis after they went down to yet another one goal defeat before the smallest attendance of the season at Oriel Park.

Manager John Hewitt rung all the changes possible in the second half against an injury hit Cork City, but it was not until the 86th minute of the game that the home side managed to get a shot on target.

This was a very dispirited display by Dundalk but Cork must take a lot of credit for defending well against a strong breeze in the second half.

The high wind made the game very scrappy in the first half, but Cork had their chances to go ahead before they finally took the lead in the 34th minute.

The goal resulted from a mistake by Stephen Napier who allowed Ollie Cahill to rob him outside the area. Cahill ran through to the six yard line and although Dundalk goalkeeper Les Fridge made a brave effort to keep the ball out, Colin O'Brien followed up to force the ball over from close range.

Dundalk were unable to take advantage of the strong breeze in the second half, getting caught too often by the offside trap and also stifled by good work in the centre of the Cork defence by Gareth Cronin.

Damian O'Connell could have made the game safe for Cork in the 65th minute when he took advantage of another defensive mistake to round Fridge - he somehow shot wide of an empty goal.

Dundalk's one effort at scoring in that second half came from a shot by Brian Byrne which was easily saved by Cork's substitute goalkeeper Noel Mooney, who had replaced the injured Phil Harrington.

With just about a minute to go, there was almost a repeat of Cork's goalscoring effort when Cahill once again beat the Dundalk defence and crossed the ball in front of goal where O'Brien got on the end of it, only to turn it over the bar.