Drogs steal cup as Leech shows misfiring City how it's done

Cork City 0 Drogheda United 1

The Rebels were left to rue their failure to score twice from point-blank range in the first half of a compelling if hardly classic Setanta Sports Cup final.

Controversial too, as seems to be becoming a habit in the increasingly heated rivalry between these two sides. The fourth red card in three games between the two in this season’s tournament was shown just after the final whistle, when Cork’s Danny Murphy threw a punch at Keith Fahey.

In the chaos of the moment, the card was actually shown by referee David McKeon to Joe Gamble, just before the Cork midfielder was called onto the podium to receive his man of the match award. With tempers running high all round, it then emerged that McKeon had been given the wrong shirt number by the linesman - 20 instead of 2 - and the error was rectified in the referee’s official report.

The incident completed an unhappy night for Murphy, who had been robbed in possession by Fahey in the build-up to Drogheda’s winning goal. But, in truth, Cork had only themselves to blame for failing to punish Drogheda in a first half during which Roy O’Donovan and George O’Callaghan were unable to find the net from right in front of goal.

Afterwards, Cork City boss Damien Richardson declined to comment on the sending off, but said he felt that referee McKeon had not been “in sync” with the game and that it was “a serious mistake” an IFA referee had not been appointed to take charge of the final.

“But I don’t want this to appear like I’m a bad loser because I’m not,” he added. “Drogheda won the cup - they took the only chance that came their way and we didn’t take our chances. And that’s what wins games.

“I’m filled with great pride about the performance of the team. After a nervy opening ten minutes we dominated proceedings for the remainder of the game. We created a plethora of chances and had we taken one of those chances you’d be extolling the virtues of the great performance of my team and the individual skills of the players. Unfortunately, we didn’t take one of those chances - how they stayed out defied logic - and then we made an error and paid for it, and a different story will be written.”

George O’Callaghan, who had to be called ashore just short of the hour mark, is now likely to be out of action for some time. Striker John O’Flynn’s hamstring injury, which kept him out of Saturday’s game, is also still causing concern.

Richardson admitted that it had been a “bit of a gamble” to play O’Callaghan but with O’Flynn out it was one he felt he had to take.

“George needs to be rested now,” he said. “He has received a battering through the early part of the season - the Setanta Cup hasn’t been kind to him - and he will have to be taken out of the scene for a bit.”

O’Callaghan, who played with pain-killing injections before the game and at half-time, conceded as much afterwards but the real pain came from hitting the post with the goal at his mercy 20 minutes into the game.

“If I’d had it another hundred times I’d score,” he said. “To miss it was devastating. I seen him (Dan Connor) go down, gave him the eyes and thought I’d just put it in by the post. I couldn’t believe it when it came back. That’ll haunt me for a long time. They outplayed us totally in the FAI Cup final last year but I thought we were the better side in this one. But we didn’t take our chances and they got a goal on the break. They’re a resilient side and that’s why they’re top of the league. And it’s up to us now to retain our league title.”

Drogheda, who had begun each half and the first period of extra time brightly before coming under the Cork cosh, showed their strength in adversity, with Jason Gavin and Graham Gartland outstanding in the heart of the defence and Stephen Bradley orchestrating their better attacking moves from midfield.

Said a delighted manager Paul Doolin: “People said before the game that we’re just a physical side but I find that strange. I think we’re playing football as good as anything I’ve seen in the league in a long time. Maybe not in this final, but in general. We broke through last season in the Cup final, we’ve qualified for Europe, now we’ve got another major trophy. And we’re the first eircom League club to do it. We’d like to win a league but we know we’ve got a bit to go. But we’re really looking forward to the rest of the season.”

On the edge that has entered into their rivalry with Cork, Doolin said: “You’ve got two competitive teams. Let’s be fair, it’s not one-sided, Cork are physical as well. All teams need a bit of that. I don’t think it’s anything nasty. Whatever happened at the end of the game, I’m not sure. There were a couple of cards in our first Setanta Cup game, but I don’t think they were bad and I think people made mountains out of molehills.”

Doolin and Richardson were agreed on one thing at least, the coolness with which young Leech took the winner. For the Cork City boss, the finish brought back memories of the great Mick Leech, the Shamrock Rovers striker with whom he helped Shamrock Rovers to their fabled six-in-a-row cup success in the sixties.

Said Richardson: “The kid reminds me very much of his father, he has that kind of subtle ability that takes you by surprise and it’s that sort of ability that can change games. We made a mistake and the ball fell to a lad who, for someone so young, kept a very clear head and you have to respect that and compliment him on the finish.”

Afterwards, Leech gave almost as cool an overview of the game itself.

“I thought Cork probably deserved to win,” Leech admitted. “In the first half they were the better team but we grinded it out in the end, and we defended great as we have all season - another one-nil for us.”

Leech said that his father, who attended the game, was “a massive influence” on him, but added with a grin: “I’d like to make my own name, because every time it’s in the papers it’s ‘son of Mick’. So if you just leave it at Mark, I’ll be happy with that.”

CORK CITY: Devine, Horgan, Murray, Bennett, Murphy, Gamble, O’Callaghan (Woods 56), O’Brien (Softic 102), Behan (McCarthy 99), Fenn.

DROGHEDA UTD: Connor, Shelley, Gartland, Gavin, Webb, Robinson (Fahey 84), Bradley, Keegan, Keddy, O’Brien, Fitzpatrick (Leech 72).

Referee: D. McKeon (Dublin).