DENNEHY FIRES TREBLE AS REBELS ROUT DROGS

THREE second-half set-piece goals gave Cork City all three points after coming from behind to beat Drogheda United, who finished with eight men, at Turner’s Cross. Billy Dennehy hit a hat-trick for the home side, while Karl Sheppard was City’s other goal-getter on a dramatic night of football on Leeside. Johnny McDonnell’s side stunned Cork with the opening goal after just nine minutes with a classic counterattacking move from a Cork City corner. Michael Schlingermann’s kick-out found Cathal Brady, with Drogheda breaking three on two, and he fed winger Lee Duffy who swept the ball home. Mark McNulty had to make a good save to deny Seán Brennan a second goal minutes later and the game was only 15 minutes old when former Drogheda man Gavan Holohan forced Schlingermann into a diving save. Soon afterwards Sheppard missed a good chance and Schlingermann was again forced into action as he saved well from O’Sullivan and the half ended with Drogheda goal to the good. Dennehy’s accuracy from a direct free-kick on 54 minutes after a deliberate handball by Alan Byrne got Cork back into the contest before Drogheda saw Shane Dunne and Byrne both sent off on second yellows in a 20-minute period. Sheppard found the net after 65 minutes before Dennehy made the game safe with his 83rd-minute penalty. Dennehy grabbed his hat-trick in added time to complete the rout before Daryl Kavanagh capped a miserable night for Drogheda with a red card for dissent after the full-time whistle.

CORK CITY: McNulty; Kavanagh, Murray, D Dennehy, O’Connor; Healy (capt), Miller (Buckley 80); B Dennehy, Holohan, Sheppard (Morrissey 69); O’Sullivan (Kearney 85).

Scorers: B Dennehy 54, 83 (pen) & 93; Sheppard 65.

DROGHEDA UTD: Schlingermann; Daly (capt), Byrne, Gorman, Hughes; Duffy, Brennan (Thornton 37), Dunne, Brady (Walshe 65); Marks, Kavanagh. Scorer: Duffy 9.

Sent off: Dunne 70, Brady 80, Kavanagh 90.

Referee: P McLaughlin (Donegal).