Slick City answer critics and regain top spot

Cork City 2 Shelbourne 1

Written off in many quarters for not having the strength in depth to defend their title, City defied their critics with a superb team performance full of courage, discipline and no little flair to edge out their greatest of rivals for the second time this season.

Shelbourne enjoyed enough possession to at least fashion a draw, but praise must be bequeathed upon the City players, especially their back four, which has an air of invincibility about them at this crucial juncture of the season.

Shelbourne started with three ex-Cork City players spread across midfield – Liam Kearney and Ollie Cahill on the flanks with Greg O’Halloran stationed in central midfield. O’Halloran was to be replaced late in the first-half by another former City player, Alan Reynolds.

As early as the second minute, Kearney arced in a dangerous cross to which Michael Devine had to be alert. Shels’ good start continued when, two minutes later, Gary O’Neill’s attempted 25 yard lob almost caught the City custodian unawares — Devine had to back-peddle furiously to avoid the embarrassing concession of an early goal.

Shelbourne’s Jason Byrne almost snatched the opener when latching onto a Sean Dillon headed clearance, his low drive slipped under Devine’s arms. However the Cork net-minder recovered in time to retrieve the ball.

Shels were beginning to knit some good passages of football together. Greg O’Halloran started the move setting up Jason Byrne in midfield who played a one-two with Gary O’Neill. Byrne took the ball to the edge of the penalty area where the advancing Devine took him down. It was a blatant penalty which Byrne struck low to the bottom right hand corner.

That came in the 41st minute and four minutes later, the equaliser came from the talismanic George O’Callaghan.

The hardworking Colin O’Brien was hacked down by O’Halloran just outside the penalty box, up stepped O’Callaghan to curl a sublime free-kick to the top right hand corner. Though Dean Delaney got a hand to it, the execution was pure perfection.

Three minutes into injury time Shels could have retaken the lead when a superb cross by Dave Rogers was met by Jason Byrne on the far post but his header sailed narrowly wide.

It didn’t take long for the second half to explode into life. After only three minutes, Cillian Lordan played a clever ball into Roy O’Donovan’s path and gliding between two defenders, the Republic of Ireland U21 star forced Delaney to come off his line before squaring the ball left for Neale Fenn who rattled the back of the Shels net.

Six minutes from time Jason Byrne unleashed a powerful shot from 25 yards that skimmed over Devine’s post but it never looked like the league champions would concede a second to the tireless Shelbourne.

CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan (Lordan 11), Bennett, Murray, Woods; O’Donovan, O’Callaghan, O’Brien, Gamble; Fenn (Behan 79) & O’Flynn.

SHELBOURNE: Delaney; Heary, Hawkins, Dillon (Baker 81), Rogers; Kearney, S Byrne, O’Halloran, Cahill; O’Neill & Byrne (Crowe 65).

Referee: D Hancock (Dublin)