Dunne hopes big finish in Bray breathes life into season

The difference six minutes can make in football.

That was the time it took for Cork City to score twice and snatch victory at the death against Bray Wanderers on Monday night. For 87 minutes, with Bray good value for their 1-0 lead, it looked like Cork’s season was about to go from bad to worse, that heart-breaking Setanta Cup exit to Shamrock Rovers and a comprehensive loss in the league to Dundalk, set to be eclipsed in the doom and gloom stakes by defeat to a side that had not managed a win since the opening day of the season.

Instead, an Ian Turner penalty three minutes from the end of normal time and a Shane Duggan header three minutes into time added on changed the whole complexion of the night — and, potentially, of Cork’s season.

“It could be a moment where things start to turn,” manager Tommy Dunne agrees. “On the back of the last three games, it could have been a case where things went south altogether. It was a big result, because to say it was a difficult night would be an understatement. We were hammered in the first half. There was no urgency or tempo to our play and Bray could easily have been home and dry at half-time.

“To be truthful, it was the worst we’ve been this year. And we knew we were going to have to dig a little bit deeper just to turn the corner.”

Which they did, eventually finishing “like a train”, in the manager’s words with those two late goals. It all made for a much happier journey home from Bray than from Dundalk.

“It was a different atmosphere, with a bit of laughing and joking,” says Dunne. “And mentally that makes a difference. Instead of having the weight of the world on their shoulders the boys were happier in themselves.

“Having said that, I still felt absolutely wrecked getting off the bus in Cork at two in the morning. Sometimes it feels like being on the road will never end. But we’ve two games at home coming up now, so it’s not too bad.”

Albeit that they are, as Dunne admits, two “tricky” games, against St Pat’s on Friday and Limerick on Monday.

But, thanks to their own version of the late, late show in the Carlisle Grounds, at least Cork City will be back at Turner’s Cross in a winning state of mind.