Corbally make City pay for late blunder
City had taken the lead through Denis Behan with 12 minutes to go and looked to be in control as the minutes ticked away before a defensive mix-up let in the Limerick side as Colm Carroll pounced to send the game into extra-time with the last kick of the game.
The additional time failed to separate the sides and they must meet again at Jackman Park, Limerick on Friday evening, May 16.
City had dominated a first-half slow to spring to life. A right-foot curling shot from midfielder Eoin Geaney brought Corbally keeper JJ Hartigan into action for the first time in the 17th minute, although the effort was straight at him.
But it was not until the 36th minute when Hartigan was pressed into service again, saving at the feet of Jamie Nolan and then, two minutes later, pushing away a Nolan 25-yard drive following a neat one-two with left winger Raymond Lally. But the scarcity of chances left the sides goalless at half-time.
The Limerick side made a change at the break, replacing Niall Butterfield with Dean Earls in midfield and they restarted with impetus, with Colm Carroll and strike partner Peter Ryan both shooting from distance in the opening minutes.
Geaney sent in a fierce shot at the other end which Corbally keeper Hartigan did very well to tip onto the bar and it took a similar save at the other end from City’s Peter Cuthbert to prevent Corbally taking the lead from an Earls direct free-kick 30 yards out.
Earls was again the centre of attention six minutes later when he was scythed down by Geaney, earning the City player a yellow card.
But Geaney made a more positive contribution 12 minutes from time, sending in a corner from the right to the back post where Denis Behan controlled with his chest and fired into the roof of the net to put the Leesiders in front with 12 minutes to go.
Behan deserved to add to it in injury time when he picked the ball up on the right touchline, rode two tackles and sent in a curling shot that edged past the far post.
It proved a costly miss as Corbally took advantage of some defensive indecision when Cuthbert and his defender Milner failed to deal with an innocuous centre from the left. Colm Carroll pounced, rounded the two City players and slotted home into an empty net to send the game into extra time. Milner’s afternoon got worse when he and Corbally’s Ryan were red-carded in the third minute of extra time following a touchline scuffle. It was the last real incident of the afternoon as tired legs, bouts of cramp and a booking for City’s Lally disrupted the rest of the extra time.
CORBALLY UNITED: JJ Hartigan, D Ryan, P Lonergan, L O’Flynn, C Hunt, A Fitzsimons (S Cronin, 80), A Carroll, Danny Hanley (E Gardiner, 84), C Carroll, P Ryan, N Butterfield (D Earls, 45).
CORK CITY: P Cuthbert, A O’Flynn, D Keily (R Coyle, 67), D O’Connell, R Milner, M Buckley (captain), E Geaney, D O’Sullivan, D Behan, J Nolan, R Lally.
Referee: M Frieberg (Tipperary)
