Defeated Cork City miss chance to move clear at top of Premier League

Bohemians 2 Cork City 0 (Beattie 8, Wearen 80)

Cork City missed the chance to move clear of Dundalk at the top of the Premier Division table following this defeat to Bohemians at Dalymount Park. But that was probably the last thing on the minds of the Cork players and staff after Brian Lenihan was injured in a horrific incident on 66 minutes.

Full back Lenihan landed awkwardly having challenged for a header and was unconscious for several minutes. He received medical treatment on the pitch for 12 minutes before being taken to hospital.

Bohemians had taken the lead on six minutes when Anto Murphy’s cross from deep on the right fell perfectly for Steven Beattie who headed past City goalkeeper Mark McNulty and into the bottom right corner.

Kevin Devaney went close to doubling Bohemian’ lead on 24 minutes when he got on the end of another excellent cross from Murphy, but his blistering shot smashed off the crossbar with Beattie then firing the rebound wide.

Morrison effort

Cork’s first effort on target didn’t come until the 42nd minute when Cillian Morrison’s shot from about 25 yards out was tipped over the bar by Dean Delany in the Bohemians goal.

With little change in their fortunes, City boss John Caulfield had made his three substitutions by the 63rd minute meaning that the visitors were forced to play on with 10 men following Lenihan’s injury.

Eoin Wearen added a second for Bohemians from a Murphy cross on 80 minutes but the thoughts of the crowd of 1,350 at Dalymount Park were still with Brian Lenihan. BOHEMIANS: Delany; Murphy, Byrne, Price, Pender; Devaney (Buckley 90+10), Lopes, Wearen, Kavanagh (Moore 90+8); Corcoran, Beattie (Byrne 64 mins). CORK CITY: McNulty; Lenihan, Murray, D Dennehy, Davoren (Kearney 55 mins); Morrison (O'Shea 55 mins), Healy, Dunleavy, B Dennehy; O'Flynn (Morrissey 63 mins), O'Sullivan. Referee: N Doyle (Dublin)