Behan and Doyle put City joint top

Bohemians 0 Cork City 2

On what was a bitterly cold night, Denis Behan had given City the lead early in the second-half, but the Leesiders had more than enough chances to have been well out of sight before Kevin Doyle put the matter beyond doubt with a fine individual effort in added time.

With Ken Oman suspended, Gareth Farrelly and Thomas Heary out through injury, and James Keddy and Tony Grant confined to the bench, player-manager Farrelly had to reshuffle his troops again as Bohemians looked to kick-start a season which had brought them only two points from four games before last night.

A bit early to be talking about a must-win game perhaps but the home side badly needed to inject some momentum into their season.

Cork, by contrast, were looking to extend an unbeaten run and Damien Richardson, with the luxury of choosing from a full-strength panel, opted to start with Joe Gamble and John O’Flynn on the bench.

Not surprisingly, it was the visitors who began with more confidence and composure, though the game’s first incident of note was a yellow card dished out to Denis Behan almost straight from the whistle for a challenge on Terry Palmer.

On seven minutes, Cork almost opened the scoring, O’Callaghan’s deflected shot on the run from Kevin Doyle’s cross, looping over Matt Gregg and striking the woodwork.

From Danny Murphy’s free kick eight minutes later, O’Callaghan was at it again, seizing on a poor clearance to drill a low drive just wide of the post from the edge of the area.

For much of the first half, Bohs were struggling with City’s pace and passing but the Dubliners finally came into the game in the 35th minute, when towering defender Jimmy Aggrey almost got on the end of a low Fergal Harkin free at the far post, while the Cork defence stood flat-footed.

Their first whiff of a goal boosted the home side who finished the first half on top, with Dominic Foley and David Bracken sending powerful headers just wide, and then the increasingly influential Harkin cutting in from the right before forcing Devine into a diving save.

The break suited the visitors better, however, and it was they who threatened from the restart, with O’Callaghan firing wastefully over from a good position inside the box. It was to prove a short-lived reprieve for Bohs. Three minutes later, O’Callaghan’s looping ball from the right found Behan on the edge of the box, and the in-form striker grabbed his fourth of the season with a hooked shot, Gregg got a right hand to it but it wasn’t enough to keep the ball from slipping inside his post.

On the hour mark, Tony Grant came on for Bracken, as Farrelly sought to break a dismal scoring record which had seen the home side score only once in four outings.

But again it was Cork who came closest to a goal moments later, Doyle’s close range half-volley being parried by Gregg at his near post, before Aggrey cleared the danger at the expense of a corner.

City spurned an even better chance in the 73rd minute when, with the Bohs defence looking to push out, the advancing Dan Murray lifted a delicate lob over the top, to find O’Callaghan in the clear. The number ten coolly chested it down but then, to his own evident dismay, shot wide with the goal gaping.

From a much less propitious situation, O’Callaghan went close again minutes later, scraping the bar with an inswinging corner kick. But while the score remained at 1-0 there was always a chance that Bohemians might punish Cork’s profligacy from a set-piece or rare counter-attack, as when Foley volleyed over after a good build-up with six minutes left.

At the other end, Doyle could have immediately settled nerves but was unable to keep his footing after wriggling through the centre of the Bohs defence.

The visiting fans had more to cheer when John O’Flynn came on for Behan with three minutes left but they were groaning almost immediately when the substitute saw one effort blocked by Gregg and his shot from the rebound cleared off the line by Des Byrne.

Cork almost paid the price for their wasted efforts when Kevin Hunt blasted over from close range after a scramble in the box, but the matter was finally put beyond doubt in time added on, when a fine solo run by Kevin Doyle saw him take out Palmer and Rice before shooting low into the corner.

BOHEMIANS: Gregg, Aggrey, Palmer, Rice, Byrne, Hunt, Harkin, Ward, Kelly, Foley, Bracken (Grant 60).

CORK CITY: Devine, Murphy, Bennett, Murray, O’ Brien, Horgan, O’Callaghan, Kearney, Woods, Doyle, Behan (O’Flynn 87).

Referee: David McKeon.