Cork City win keeps pressure on Dundalk

Cork City 2 Longford Town 0

It wasn’t a great performance by any means from the home side ahead of Friday’s mouth-watering clash with Dundalk but they were always in control once Garry Buckley headed them in front shortly before half-time and Colin Healy’s second half goal made much of the second half a formality.

Karl Sheppard and John O’Flynn missed Friday’s win in Drogheda through injury and they were still ruled out along with John Dunleavy who picked up a knock in that game. Alan Bennett was rested, which meant a start for Dan Murray who partnered Darren Dennehy at the back, with Healy returning to the side after missing the previous three games.

Longford boss Tony Cousins made four changes to the side that drew with Sligo Rovers on Friday night with Jamie Mulhall, Martin Deady, Kaleem Simon and Rhys Gorman coming in for Pat Sullivan, David O’Sullivan, Mark Salmon and Ayman Ben Mohamed in a more defensive line up.

The visitors almost had the ideal start inside four minutes, when Mulhall found Gary Shaw in acres of space and with the home defence napping, the striker’s lob over the outrushing Mark McNulty drifted inches over the crossbar.

City lacked urgency in the opening half hour with their build up play much too slow to trouble a well organised Longford outfit with the isolated Mark O’Sullivan having to fight for scraps up front on his own.

Longford were set up to defend first and play on the break when they had the chance and they did look dangerous in their few ventures forward. Stephen Rice went close 9 minutes before the break but his effort from 25 yards was narrowly over McNulty’s crossbar.

The game was badly in need of a goal to bring it to life and it duly arrived four minutes before the break when Longford keeper Paul Skinner could only palm Billy Dennehy’s deep cross onto his post and Buckley was on hand to head home from close range.

Mark O’Sullivan was then close to putting City two up a minute later but his header from Billy Dennehy’s cross was inches wide.

Cork started the second half in the same laboured fashion and Caulfield introduced Rob Lehane for the ineffective Kieran Djilali shortly after the break in a bid to trouble the Longford defence.

The substitution seemed to work as Billy Dennehy went close soon after before his brother Darren headed over from a good position as the home side went in search of a second goal.

Skinner then made a great stop to push O’Sullivan’s header around his post before the second did arrive in the 66th minute when City were awarded a free-kick on the right side of the Longford box. Healy stepped up to whip in a dangerous free-kick which eluded everyone and nestled in the left hand corner of Skinner’s net.

Longford were never going to come up with two goals against a City defence that haven’t conceded at home yet and it was the home side who pushed on in search more goals with the impressive John Kavanagh closest to a third with a long range effort that drifted over.

So another three points for Caulfield’s side, who will know they will have to considerably up their game when the champions come to town on Friday night.

CORK CITY: McNulty, Kavanagh, Murray, D Dennehy, Gaynor, Djilali (Lehane 55), Miller (Holohan 81), Buckley, Healy, B Dennehy, O’Sullivan (Morrissey 70).

LONGFORD TOWN: Skinner, Mulhall, Flynn, Tyrell, Powell, Simon, Rice, O’Connor, Gorman (Shannon 77), Deady (Ben Mohamed 61), Shaw (O’Sullivan 72).

Referee: J McKell (Clonmel).