Honours even at Oriel Park

Dundalk 1 Cork City 1: On a quintessentially Irish summer evening — wind, rain and a moderate risk of frostbite — the loyal 2,613 who braved the elements at Oriel Park were rewarded with an absorbing game, fully befitting a top two Premier Division clash.

Cork City did very well to come back from the blow of conceding early to a Richie Towell penalty through Mark O’Sullivan’s first-half equaliser to keep the gap between the sides at six points.

City boss John Caulfield said afterwards he was “disappointed” to have been sent from the dug-out in the first half for protesting what he alleged was a Towell dive while he also insisted the penalty given when Alan Bennett and Brian Gartland appeared to wrestle in the box, should have been a free out for Cork.