Cork close on title

SUDDENLY, it has all become crystal clear: Cork City will travel to Tolka Park next Saturday knowing that a win against Shelbourne will deliver the First Division title and promotion to the Premier Division.

Shels still have three games to play but even if they beat Salthill Devon today and Finn Harps on Tuesday, the chance to win the title will remain in City’s hands.

That is what is at stake for the Leesiders following last night’s results which saw Cork ensure at least a play-off place by beating Longford Town and then, courtesy of Limerick’s win in Gortakeegan, leapfrog Monaghan to go top of the table.

There were 3,433 inside Turner’s Cross last night for what was, officially, the last home game of the campaign and the crowd were treated to a lively start.

One minute in and Davin O’Neill’s right-footed cross was met by the head of Vinny Sullivan but he could only direct the effort straight at Paul Hunt in the Longford goal.

The action went straight down to the other end where Keith Gillespie’s low inswinging free-kick flew across the Cork goal and just wide of the far post.

The crowd didn’t have to wait much longer for a goal and it was one that came as a shock to the home supporters, as Austin Kelly and Mark Salmon combined to open up the Cork defence, Salmon then keeping his cool to toe-poke past Mark McNulty and give the visitors the lead.

Cork then squandered a great chance for an equaliser, Kalen Spillane heading over from just short of the goal-line after Gearoid Morrissey’s free-kick had found him unmarked and sneaking in at the far post.

City continued to dominate, the game being played mostly in Longford’s half, and the deserved equaliser finally came in the 25th minute when, after a poorly defended ball up the line from Spillane, Graham Cummins made inroads into the box from the left and, when his effort was only parried by Hunt, O’Neill had the straightforward task of finishing to an unprotected net.

Cork nearly took the lead a few minutes later after a superb multi-pass move ended with Sullivan flicking Neal Horgan’s cross just the wrong side of the post.

Unfortunately for City, O’Neill, who had been tormenting Longford, was forced off with a recurrence of his injury woes shortly before the break, but with Derek O’Brien on in his place, the home side continued to force the pace.

The second half had barely started when a terrible Gillespie back pass put Sullivan clean through on goal but, having taken the ball around goalkeeper Hunt, he could only find the side-netting from an acute angle.

Daryl Horgan made no such mistake in the 50th minute, getting behind the always vulnerable Longford defence and onto the end of a long ball from Cummins. Showing sublime skill, the winger allowed it to bounce once before lobbing Hunt so precisely that the ball dropped just under the bar as the keeper furiously back-pedalled.

Yet, for all City’s dominance, the narrowness of the one-goal advantage meant that the faithful could afford no feelings of complacency, adding to the sense of underlying tension in the ground as the game became scrappy for a prolonged period.

The insurance goal finally arrived in the 85th minute when, after Derek O’Brien had been tripped in the box by substitute Graham Walsh, top scorer Cummins stepped up to smash the ball straight down the middle, to the raucous delight of the fans behind the goal in the Shed.

Longford did get the ball in the net before the final whistle but a linesman’s flag robbed them of even that consolation, as Cork thoughts began to turn to next Saturday’s trip to Tolka Park with the title on the line.

CORK CITY: McNulty, O’Halloran, Spillane, Kavanagh, N Horgan , O’Neill (O’Brien 37), Duggan, Morrissey, D Horgan (Turner 92), Sullivan (Lordan 89), Cummins.

LONGFORD TOWN: Hunt, Downing, Deans, Hyland, Cronin, Gillespie (Purdy 77), O’Brien (S Skelly 57), Salmon, Morley (Walsh 21), Crawley, A Skelly.

Referee: James McKell (Tipperary).