CHAMPIONS CORK WIN AT A CANTER
BRAY WANDERERS CORK CITY 0 4
CORK City avoided breaking sweat and still came away with a 0-4 victory at the Carlisle Grounds.
The league champions were in cruise control since Sean McLoughlin’s eighth minute opener and they wrapped things up with three goals in four second half minutes as the Bray Wanderers defence collapsed and waved the white flag.
It means that Dave Mackey’s side have haemorrhaged 22 goals in eight games (2.75 goals per game) and scored just four times (one in every two games). With stats like that, you can understand why they prop up the Premier Division table.
If the Seagulls were to have any chance of upsetting the odds, they had to score first or hold Cork City at bay long enough to inflict frustration on them.
They didn’t look overly frustrated when they broke the deadlock in the eighth minute. Barry McNamee delivered a free from the right and a City head nodded it on. A pinball scramble ensued and centre-half Sean McLoughlin scrambled it over the line.
A second would definitely have spelled the end of the home side’s challenge. Kieran Sadlier tried to hammer that final nail into the coffin on 17 minutes when a throwin from the left bounced through invitingly for him. He met it with a sweeping half-volley that Dillon unconvincingly - but effectively managed to palm out it over the sideline.
Bray’s first threat arrived midway through the first period. Gary McCabe tricked his way free on the right flank and drilled in a cross that the in-rushing Jake Kelly was perhaps a yard from tapping in at the back stick.
On 27 minutes, Bray could have levelled. Co. Wicklow man Aaron Barry gave the ball away on the edge of his own area and Jake Kelly was slipped in on the left channel. His strike was firm but so were Mark McNulty’s wrists as he got two strong hands behind it to push it away.
With seven minutes remaining in the first half, a long, raking pass from the Bray defence set up a race between Daniel Kelly and Shane Griffin. Who won the sprint was unclear though as Kelly ended up on the deck and the home fans bayed for a penalty. Ben Connolly’s glare was fixed firmly on the incident but he didn’t bat an eyelid as he turned away.
After a subdued first half, Kieran Sadlier seemed to spark into life for the second period.
A miscued McCabe clearance saw him unleash a venomous volley that whistled inches wide of Dillon’s far post. The Galway man would not have saved it had it been on target.
Winger Jake Kelly offered some positivity again for the hosts when he tamed Dillon’s clearance and turned his man but his snapshot caused McNulty no worries.
A minute later, Daniel Kelly was screaming for a penalty again but his second audtion went as well as his first and he’s still waiting on Connolly’s call.
Cork ended Bray’s interest in the 65th minute. Sadlier had possession in the centre circle and stalled on the ball to slip it to the on-rushing Barry McNamee. He roared forward and took advantage of the space afforded to him by Conor Kenna as he drilled into the bottom corner superbly from 20 yards.
It was 0-3 within a flash. Sadlier stood over a free and curled in a fiercely temping cross. A flick of merest proportions would have sufficed and McLoughlin was in position to do so. Initially, it was unclear if he had touched it as both players seemed to celebrate but after the match Sadlier officially claimed it.
There was no doubt over the next one as City landed their third goal in four minutes. Sadlier was all of 30 yards out when his blockbuster almost ripped the net off.
McNamee nearly had a fifth when he met Morrissey’s rightwing cross. The wee wizard was at full stretch though and his headed effort looped gently into Dillon’s grateful hands.
With a match on Monday last to cater for also, City were happy to see out the remainder of the tie and rest legs but the damage had already been done.
One point out of a possible 24 for the Seagulls. Wow.
1. Aaron Dillon; 2. Hugh Douglas, 4. Conor Kenna, 5. Sean Heaney, 23. Andrew McGovern; 8. John Sullivan, 22. Darragh Noone; 17. Daniel Kelly, 21. Gary McCabe, 11. Jake Kelly; 10. Aaron Greene. SUBS: Paul O’Conor for Noone (69); Cory Galvin for J. Kelly (72). Not used: Evan Moran, Rhys Gorman, Dan McKenna, Ronan Coughlan, Ger Pender.
BRAY WANDERERS:
1. Mark McNulty; 21. Conor McCarthy, 29. Sean McLoughlin, 5. Aaron Barry, 20. Shane Griffin; 8. Conor McCormack, 6. Gearoid Morrissey; 25. Barry McNamee, 7. Jimmy Keohane, 11. Kieran Sadlier; 9. Graham Cummins. SUBS: Karl Sheppard for Keohane (59); Colm Horgan for McLoughlin (72); Tobu Adebayo-Rowling for Griffin (75). Not used: Peter Cherrie, Michael Howard, Garry Buckley, Josh O’Hanlon.
CORK CITY: REFEREE: VENUE:
Ben Connolly. Carlisle Grounds, Bray.