Cork City stifled by Patrick’s Athletic

St Patrick’s Athletic 0 Cork City 0: Cork City maintained their unbeaten start to the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign when drawing 0-0 with 10-man St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park last night.

However, the visitors will rue not availing of their numerical advantage for the final 15 minutes following the dismissal of Saints full-back Lee Desmond.

City arrived in Inchicore four points clear of their opponents but started largely on the back-foot with Christopher Forrester firing wide in the 8th minute following a lively counter-attack early on.

Greg Bolger was a late withdrawal from the Athletic squad due to illness, while Lee Desmond’s initial travails at left-back in place of the suspended Ian Bermingham was an area in which the visitors looked to exploit.

With little to entertain the crowd in terms of goalmouth action, there were some increasingly spicy challenges. City skipper John Dunleavy was cautioned in the 18th minute following a foul on Killian Brennan.

The first genuine chance of the night arrived from a set piece in the 25th minute. An inswinging John Kavanagh free was flicked on by John O’Flynn but Karl Sheppard was unable to manoeuvre his resultant header on target as it bounced on top of Conor O’Malley’s crossbar.

Thankfully, this action helped ensure a more entertaining end to the half with the hosts enjoying half-chances through both Christy Fagan and Aaron Greene.

However, the greater threat and cohesion undoubtedly belonged to City and a superb counter in the 35th minute should have brought them the lead. Billy Dennehy released O’Flynn in the inside right channel but O’Malley worked wonders in tipping the striker’s cross-shot narrowly past his right-hand upright.

From the resultant corner, hesitancy in the home defence should have been punished by Sheppard, but his left-foot shot from six yards lacked sufficient power to pierce a heavily manned defence.

The final chance of the half fell to the hosts in the 44th minute as Mark McNulty parried over the crossbar to deny Fagan after an excellent delivery from the right by Conan Byrne. On the restart, referee Derek Tomney was forced to dismiss half-hearted penalty protests in the 51st minute after Byrne had fallen theatrically under pressure from Ross Gaynor.

City were beginning to struggle against a more focused Saints outfit with both Forrester and Greene threatening to break the deadlock in quick succession.

With O’Flynn replaced by Kieran Djilali in the 58th minute, City’s difficulties in troubling their opponents was even more pronounced and sloppy defending in the 65th minute should have been punished but for Fagan’s poor control of Ger O’Brien’s through ball.

After Billy Dennehy had finally offered some attacking threat for City with a powerful drive that veered wide after 72 minutes, the visitors were handed a numerical advantage three minutes later as Desmond was shown a secondyellow after a rash challenge on Dennehy.

But Cork’s hesitancies continued with the hosts still carrying a greater threat. Fagan’s nimble turn after 83 minutes was not matched by a shot that comfortably cleared McNulty’s crossbar.

St Patrick’s Athletic:

O’Malley; O’Brien, Hoare, Browne, Desmond; Byrne, Chambers, Forrester, Brennan, Greene; Fagan (Kilduff, 90+1).

Cork City:

McNulty; Kavanagh, D Dennehy, Bennett, Gaynor; B Dennehy, Miller, Dunleavy (Holohan, 81), Buckley, Sheppard (Lehane, 87); O’Flynn (Djilali, 58).

Referee:

Derek Tomney (Dublin)

Attendance:

1,728