Horgan edges City one step closer

CORK CITY took a significant step closer to the eircom League title when they defeated champions Shelbourne in front of a packed and passionate Turner's Cross last night.

A first-half Neal Horgan strike was enough to seal the points, though the Leesiders were forced to live on their nerves for much of the second-half as Shels pressed for an equaliser. They failed and Pat Fenlon's side fell 17 points behind premier division leaders Cork with a game in hand but in the spotlight once again after a second consecutive bad-tempered game saw midfielder Richie Baker dismissed late on.

None of that will have concerned Damien Richardson and his players last night after they delivered their 15th unbeaten game in a row to more than 6,000 noisy fans who, in return, provided an electric atmosphere at the Cross. And with a trip to second-placed Derry City on Friday night, midfielder Joe Gamble lived up to his surname by declaring: "This might come back to haunt me but if we win or even draw in Derry I think we'll win the league.

"That was a massive win for us, probably the biggest of the season. We've opened the gap between us and Shels, not just points-wise but morale wise too. We've beaten them twice and proved we can beat the best sides."

Fenlon kept his players locked in the visitors' dressing room well after the final whistle, leaving his opposite number Damien Richardson to assess the damage done to Shels' title hopes.

"They're not going to give up and push right to the very end but it looks difficult for Shelbourne to come back from there," the City manager said.

"All I'm concerned about though is Cork City and I can't keep stressing that enough. We have to keep our minds firmly on our goal and that is purely and simply the next game and it will always be right to the end."

Shelbourne, still smarting after their 3-3 draw with Drogheda a week ago, had ended with both Fenlon and Stuart Byrne sent off but had started brightest at Turners Cross. Jason Byrne sent in an eighth-minute cross from the right that Alan Bennett could only half clear before recovering to block Ollie Cahill's shot.

City soon warmed to the task, settling down with the ball and keeping possession but failing to make inroads past Shels' uncompromising defence.

In fact, Shels were uncompromising in every department, Glen Crowe felling Liam Kearney on halfway after 10 minutes before Gamble was brought down under pressure from two defenders in the left-hand corner.

City's first real attempt on goal came after 23 minutes and produced immediate dividends. John O'Flynn played the ball from the left into Neale Fenn's path, 25 yards out and in front of goal. Fenn tried to pass the ball out to right winger O'Donovan but his effort was blocked by left-back Dave Crawley and spun into space for Gamble to recover. He reached the byline before cutting back to the incoming Horgan who cleverly sent the ball into the bottom corner of the Shels net with the outside of his right boot.

Shels threatened an instant response but when Byrne ran onto a Wes Hoolahan through ball, he tumbled on the corner of the six-yard box. Bennett took exception to Byrne's shouts for a penalty, provoking an unnecessary response from the striker who slapped the defender in the face, yet referee Damien Hancock chose to take no action.

Shelbourne maintained the pressure when Crowe shot just wide of goal but tempers soon frayed again. Crawley appeared to be stopping O'Donovan from getting to his feet after the two had challenged for a loose ball and, as the referee looked on, Gamble intervened to help his team-mate. That produced a spat between those two players but again the referee kept play flowing.

City will have been happy to go in still in front at half-time but Shels continued to keep them pinned in their own half as the second half began with Byrne allowed a free header on 51 minutes from a Baker free-kick which crept just wide of the far post. Byrne was again the threat six minutes later when his chipped free-kick hit the top of Cork's defensive wall and ran out for a corner, but less than a minute later, he was a surprise substitution as Fenlon sent Jamie Harris into the attack and replaced Ollie Cahill with the more combative Alan Moore on the left side of midfield.

Baker was the first player into the book in the 59th minute when he brought down Gamble but the home side had to wait 15 minutes for the next effective attack. O'Flynn teed up Kearney to unleash a rasping left-footed shot which deflected off Shels skipper Owen Heary and forced his keeper Dean Delaney to change shape in order to make an excellent one-handed save.

After all the aggression between the sides going unchecked for the most part, it was a surprise to see referee Hancock book Kearney moments later for kicking the ball away at a Shels free-kick. There was no confusion, however, when Hoolahan was booked for an elbow on Murphy in the 79th minute and even less doubt in the 84th when Baker was shown his second yellow for a wild kick at Kearney after the ball had gone out of play. The ensuing melee between the players resulted in further yellows for Heary and City defender Murphy.

Still Shels pressed as five minutes of time were added on and City were on tenterhooks as Hoolahan sent in a cross that Heary met with a header. It edged just wide and with it Shels' effectively said goodbye to their title.

CORK CITY: M Devine, N Horgan, D Murphy, A Bennett, D Murray, R O'Donovan (C O'Brien, 71), G O'Halloran, J Gamble, L Kearney (D Coughlan, 90), N Fenn (D Behan. 85), J O'Flynn.

SHELBOURNE: D Delaney, O Heary, C Hawkins, D Rogers, D Crawley; O Cahill (A Moore, 58), W Hoolahan, C Fleming (J Chambers, 67), R Baker, G Crowe, J Byrne (J Harris, 58).

Referee: D Hancock, Dublin.

Result: Coca Cola League One: Port Vale 1 Brentford 0.