O’Callaghan spot-on to fire Cork into final

Cork City 1 Derry City 0

A 91st minute penalty from George O’Callaghan sent a 6,000 strong crowd into raptures and brought an end to Derry City’s 25-game unbeaten run.

And there was a touch of schadenfreude in the celebrations too, as the spot-kick was conceded by the former Cork player Stephen O’Flynn, who tripped Neale Fenn in the box.

Cork boss Damien Richardson saluted both sides afterwards for “an enthralling game played on a dreadful surface.”

“People might say neither side deserved to lose but you have to keep going right to the end and we got the break. I’m just immensely proud of my team and our supporters. We’re in the final and it’s great to have that cup tradition back in Cork.”

O’Callaghan’s spot kick was the decisive moment in a tight, hard-fought and entertaining game.

The heavy pitch claimed a casualty even before the kick-off. John O’Flynn made the team-sheet but not the team, Damien Richardson deciding 30 minutes before the start that the surface would prove too demanding for a striker recovering from a groin injury. Denis Behan came in to lead the line for Cork.

The early exchanges were certainly physical enough yet both teams did their best to get the ball down and play, with Cork in the ascendancy for 30 minutes of the first half, and Derry taking over towards the break.

Decent chances came at both ends. Cork almost drew first blood after eight minutes. Liam Kearney’s deep cross was headed back across the box by Roy O’Donovan, but the unmarked Behan miskicked and, following up, O’Callaghan was unable to make the most of the loose ball from an acute angle.

Immediately, the action swung to the other end, with Danny Murphy doing well to block a fierce Gary Beckett drive.

In the 27th minute O’Callaghan again made a mockery of the spongy surface, working a little magic on the left to create space for the cross that the ever-willing Behan, having to step away from the goal, could only head straight at the keeper.

Derry always looked threatening from corner kicks but it was a Cork set-piece which almost broke the deadlock. Danny Murphy’s long free-kick was expertly chested down by Behan but O’Callaghan’s rising shot on the half-volley from the edge of the area flew wide.

From another Derry corner, Michael Devine was forced into a diving save at the post from Peter Hutton’s header, but Cork regained the initiative at the start of the second half, with Joe Gamble pulling the strings with some expansive passing to the flanks. Ten minutes after the restart, he was involved in a splendid move which finished with O’Callaghan’s header, from O’Donovan’s cross, bouncing just wide of the post, with goalkeeper Forde at full stretch.

With stamina under severe test, both managers made changes on 70 minutes, Derry’s Stephen O’Flynn coming for Gary Beckett and Cork’s Billy Woods replacing Liam Kearney. Barely two minutes later, O’Flynn - much to the joy of his former supporters in The Shed - was in the referee’s book for a late tackle on Danny Murphy.

Stephen Kenny next replaced his other frontman Mark Farren with Alan Murphy, and the fresh legs helped Derry to relieve what had been almost relentless Cork pressure.

The addition of Pat McCourt with ten minutes left opened up the possibility of an individual bit of magic that might swing the game but it was Cork substitute Neale Fenn - on for Behan with six minutes remaining - who helped make all the difference.

With the fourth official showing four minutes of additional time, Danny Murphy floated in a free-kick from the left which found Fenn on the far side of the box. And it was then that the striker turned into another striker’s tackle, Stephen O’Flynn bringing Fenn down to give away a stonewall penalty.

The reliable O’Callaghan stepped forward and coolly did the needful - and after that it was all joy unconfined at the Cross, as the faithful prepared for a Cup final showdown against either Drogheda United or Bray Wanderers on December 4.

CORK CITY: Devine, Horgan, Murray, Bennett, Murphy, Kearney, O’ Brien, Gamble, Kearney (Woods 70), O’ Callaghan, Behan (Fenn 84).

DERRY CITY: Forde, Hargan, Hutton, McChrystal, Molloy, Brennan (McCourt 81), McCallion.Martyn, Deery, Beckett (O’ Flynn 70), Farren (Murphy 75).

Referee: Damien Hancock.