Mbabazi brings City down to earth

St Patrick’s Athletic 4 Cork City 1

St Pat's gathered a bountiful harvest from a succession of scoring chances in an extraordinary match. It sounds like a contradiction, in view of the scoreline, to suggest Cork played the better football, but there was a style and a swagger about much of their work.

Cork were reduced to 10 men when Greg O'Halloran was dismissed after 59 minutes when, as the last defender, he was guilty of a trip on Mbabazi. But they suffered mostly because their suspect defence was regularly caught square by an alert St Pat's midfield.

They could, with justification, complain about one of the St Pat's goals the third which should have been whistled back because of offside.

Pat's were, as always, spirited and driven, and in producing a totally effective performance they showed an acute and early awareness of Cork's weaknesses. Paul Osam, Martin Russell Liam Kelly had the ability to take full advantage. The quality of their service to the front-runners was exceptional.

Four goals represented a wonderful return against a Cork team high on confidence and playing attractive football, but it is true Pat's were just as often denied by the courageous goalkeeping of Michael Devine and they missed as many chances as they took.

Yet Pat's struggled to contain Cork until the opening goal in the 35th minute.

Tony Bird intercepted a Cork passing movement on the half-way line and his pass to Martin Russell was delivered through the Cork defence for Gerard McCarthy to take it on and shoot past Devine.

The goal came against the run of play and in their anxiety to recover lost ground Cork lost their defensive security. They looked capable of getting back into the game when Bird again won possession on halfway and drilled a splendid through pass inside left-back O'Halloran which was taken on and finished confidently by Mbabazi on the call of half-time.

The goal was significant because it illustrated the threat posed by Mbabazi, the Uganda international who is in trouble with his national association for walking out on a European Championship tie.

Cork had other problems in defence, for with St Pat's operating with two players wide on the touchlines, Cork were always stretched.

Yet Cork were very much in the game until two incidents effectively settled the result in a three minute period immediately after half-time. Conor O'Grady sent John O'Flynn charging on goal from the right but his shot from 15 yards flew across goal and narrowly wide of the far upright.

Almost immediately the action was switched to the opposite end of the pitch where Bird took an excellent pass from Mbabazi through the middle to beat Devine from 10 yards. Not only did Bird look offside, but Paul Osam might also have been adjudged offside when the winger delivered the ball.

O'Halloran's dismissal in the 59th minute was followed immediately by St Pat's fourth as McCarthy cut back a glorious ball from the end line for Mbabazi to cap a superb individual performance by waltzing around Devine and clipping the ball into the net.

The first instincts of Cork is to play football and their persistence eventually paid off with a consolation goal after 75 minutes. George O'Callaghan, full of inventiveness in another sparkling individual performance, swerved a free from 25 yards over the wall of defenders and into the top corner of the net for a classic strike.

ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC (4-3-3): S. Kelly; Croly, Foley, Maguire, Burke; L. Kelly, Osam (Marney 68), Russell (Hughes 86); Mbabazi (McGuinness 82), McCarthy, Bird.

CORK CITY (4-4-2): Devine; Carey, Bennett, Cronin (Daly 68), O'Halloran; O'Brien, O'Grady (Mulligan 52), Reynolds, Woods (Mulconry 63); O'Callaghan, O'Flynn.

Referee: Mr J Feighery (Dublin).