Maguire new hero for Cork
NEW signing Sean Maguire scored twice in 10 minutes at the Shed End to give John Caulfield’s home side all three points in a poor quality TV league opener with ten man Bohemians at a bitter ly cold Turner’ s Cross.
It was the second and third goals in a week for the Kilkenny native who also scored in Cork’s 2-0 win over double champions Dundalk in the President’s Cup final last weekend.
A good delivery into the box from right-back Eoghan O’Connell saw Maguire hook the ball right-footed past Dean Delaney in the 53rd minute and, 10 minutes later, it was 2-0 when Maguire collected Kenny Browne’s ball out of defence and scored from a very tight angle.
Bohemians travelled south with a bit of a vendetta in mind after Cork denied them European football on the last day of last season when a Billy Dennehy spot-kick gave the Leesiders victory at Dalymount Park.
The Gypsies have been a bogey team for Cork for many years and manager Keith Long went with his strongest available team with new signings Kurtis Byrne and Keith Buckley in the team, with Mark Quigley on the bench.
Cork boss John Caulfield opted to go for an unchanged team from that which lifted the President’s Cup.
City were bright and breezy against Dundalk but it wasn’t quite the same here as both teams effectively cancelled one another out in a best forgotten first-half.
Maguire had a shot go wide of the far post after four minutes when played in by Stephen Dooley before Kenny Browne was booked for a third tackle on Ismahil Akinade in the 18th minute.
Referee Neil Doyle let little go and at times frustrated fans as his tendency to whistle made for a stop-start affair in the opening 45 minutes.
Bohs were a threat from set pieces but goal chances were few and far between with Bohs 3-0 up on the corner count.
Johnny Dunleavy and Bohs’ skipper Derek Pender followed Browne into the referee’s notebook for soft fouls and this league opener never caught f i re at all f or i ts TV audience.
Cork had the wind advantage in the second half and playing into the Shed End there was reason to hope for better things and Maguire certainly delivered on the double.
The home side were a different team on the resumption after some home truths by manager Caulfield at the break, and Maguire’s goals swung the match in their favour with 20 minutes remaining in normal time.
Bohs ended the game with 10 men when Roberto Lopes was sent-off on a second yellow for a challenge on Dooley having been booked earlier in the 57th minute for a tackle on Maguire.
A minute’s applause was held in memory of the late Cork City player Paul Bannon who netted the winning goal against Shelbourne at the RDS when the Leesiders won the league after a round-robin play-off in 1993, and more performances like this suggests there may well be more silverware coming to Cork this year. CORK CITY (4-2-3-1): McNulty; O’Connell, Bennett, Browne, Dunleavy (capt); Bolger, G Morrissey; Turner (Sheppard 76), Holohan (Beattie 68), Dooley (Healy 86); Maguire. Scorers: Maguire 53, 63. Booked: Browne 18, Dunleavy 32, Sheppard 78. BOHEMIANS (4-1-4-1) - Delaney; Pender (capt), Prendergast, Murphy (Wearen 74), Fitzgerald; Lopes; Kavanagh, Buckley, Kelly (Quigley 66), Byrne; Akinade (D. Byrne 86). Booked: Pender 37, Lopes 55, 80. Sent-off: Lopes 80. Referee: N Doyle (Dublin).