Buckley’s early brace perfect tonic for City

Cork City 2 Waterford United 0

A beleaguered Waterford side went into the tie on the back on Sunday’s announcement by the board following a team meeting that the club may be forced to trim the playing staff and cut players wages due to the club being unable to attract sufficient financial support through sponsorship or gate receipts.

The players and staff are said to be considering the proposals and a further meeting is due to take place later in the week, when a further decision will be made by the board.

Blues manager Tommy Griffin had a job on his hands to gee players up after that meeting and rested a number of players with only Patrick Fitzgerald starting from the side that went down 2-0 to Galway United in Galway last Friday night.

Cork boss John Caulfield was eager erase the memory of Friday’s hammering in Dundalk and he started with a strong side with big signing Anthony Elding making a start up front.

After a low key opening, the home side hit the front in the 17th minute when Ian Turner pulled the ball back from the byline and Buckleyhammered home.

The same player made it 2-0 two minutes later when he found himself in acres of space in the box and had time to control Kevin Mulcahy’s cross before slotting the ball past Matthew Connor in the Waterford goal.

It looked like City could run up a cricket score at that stage as they were swarming all over the inexperienced Waterford side and attacking at will but Griffin’s side dug deep and defended well and could have went in at the break only one behind but Conor Whittle dragged his shot wide following a neat interchange of passes with Conor Meade.

The second-half didn’t do much to enthuse the small crowd of 579 and Elding didn’t last long as Caulfield introduced Rob Lehane for the striker before the hour mark.

Former City player Stephen Kenny had a long range effort that McNulty was equal to in one of Waterford’s breakaways with City’s best chance falling to Lehane but he fired over from inside the box after substitute Andy O’Connell played the ball back.

CORK CITY: McNulty; Kavanagh (Horgan 45), Murray, Dunleavy, Mulcahy; Turner, O’Leary, Healy, Buckley (O’Connell 71), Davoren; Elding (Lehane 57).

WATERFORD UNITED: Connor; Whitty, Kavanagh, Fitzgerald, Corcoran; Whittle (Doherty 67), Coad (O’Connor 45), Croke, Rocks, Kenny; Meade (Kiely 72).

Referee: Kevin O’Regan (Kerry).