City's nine-goal wonders
The match highlighted a huge gap in standards. Glenmore Dundrum were nominally the home team but the financial inducement they accepted to come south carried a heavy penalty in the form of a whopping defeat.
Cork's exciting young attacking players produced a performance full of initiative, imagination and breathtaking skill to overwhelm the Dubliners. Glenmore's task was rendered hopeless by a litany of misfortune in the second half when they had to play the final 30 minutes with 10 men.
They lost their goalkeeper Philip Gray with an injury after 51 minutes and had to use their third substitution to compensate and midfielder David Gill was forced to play in goal. They were already four goals behind at that stage and when midfielder James Dunne was forced off with an injury after 60 minutes they were heading for a record defeat.
Cork were a delight and their fans 4,000 spectators enjoyed a goal-scoring performance such as we have rarely seen in this historic stadium. All of Cork's creative players enjoyed themselves with John O'Flynn, the Cobh lad just returned from Peterborough, adding to his reputation with a cracking hat-trick of goals.
He had plenty of competition for top billing, however, with George O'Callaghan again impressing with his confidence on the ball and his cheeky ability to do the unexpected.
But even then the spotlight was commanded by Billy Woods who weighed in with two goals, the second of which brought the fans to their feet.It came after 83 minutes, the last goal of the game, and it was calculated to send the fans happily on their way.
O'Flynn set it up with a splendid cross from the right-hand touchline and Woods met the ball powerfully on the volley to rip home a right-foot shot from 10 yards.
O'Callaghan claimed two of Cork's goals and substitutes David Warren and Colin P O'Brien one each as Cork weaved pretty patterns while punching big holes in Glenmore's defence.
The measure of Cork's superiority was scarcely reflected in the scoreline, as big as it was, for they also hit the woodwork on four occasions and a more strict referee would surely have awarded them two further penalties in the second half.
A worry for Cork, however, was the injury suffered by Conor O'Grady in an unfortunate clash with Dunne in the 59th minute. Both chased an inaccurate pass from a Glenmore player and were at full stretch as they tried to capture the ball. The clash of feet left Dunne hobbling off and the Cork physio calling for a stretcher as he feared O'Grady had suffered a broken bone.
Cork's disappointment for the young midfielder was not helped by the fact he was making his season's debut and had not touched the ball during the four minutes he was on the pitch. They will be hoping hospital tests will yield encouraging news.
Cork's manager Liam Murphy will not allow such a high-scoring performance go to the heads of his young warriors for Glenmore Dundrum offered only token resistance. It was a delight to see Cork's young forwards reap such a bountiful harvest on a glorious evening for football, but while the entertainment was lavish, the significance of their win will not count for a great deal against national opposition.
GLENMORE DUNDRUM (4-4-2): Gray (Bennett 51); Sullivan (Kelly 46), Fitzell, Smith, Flynn; Goulding (Gill 31), Dunne (off inj. 60), Power, O'Donoghue; Smyth, Irwin.
CORK CITY (4-4-2): Devine; Carey, Napier, Cronin, Horgan; O'Brien (Warren 55), Bennett (O'Grady 55/C. P. O'Brien 59), Reynolds, Woods; O'Flynn, O'Callaghan.
Referee: Mr. A. Buttimer (Cork).
