Cork City stun the champions

Dundalk 0 Cork City 1: It’s definitely game on in the 2016 league season.

A day which began well for Stephen Kenny, with the news that he has signed a two-year contract extension, ended in bitter disappointment as he watched his champions Dundalk fall to a penalty from their former player, Sean Maguire.

For John Caulfield and Cork City, this was a hugely significant victory as they finally got the better of their ultimate bogey team — and away from home too, the first time the Leesiders have prevailed at Oriel Park in seven years.

Speaking before kick off Friday night about the ingredients which have made Dundalk so successful under his watch, manager Kenny said: “When my son was nine, I said to him there’s no ‘I’ in team but he said back to me ‘there’s five in individual brilliance!’ I had to laugh at it. In other words we want individuals to absolutely express themselves within the framework of the team.”

There was certainly plenty of that in a first half dominated by the home side but, transformed at the break, Cork showed terrific collective purpose in the second to turn the game on its head, even if there was more than a hint of controversy about the awarding of the decisive penalty which was confidently converted by the club’s new goal-getter Maguire.

Steven Beattie, hat-trick hero in last Monday’s 6-0 walloping of Longford Town retained his place for Cork but midfielder Gearoid Morrissey, who shipped a late knock in the same game, hadn’t recovered in time for last night’s game, skipper Johnny Dunleavy pushing up into midfield. For Dundalk, skipper Stephen O’Donnell was back after missing the last gasp 2-1 win against Wexford Youths through illness.

This is a sore one, @DundalkFC vs @CorkCityFC tonight and Dane Massey has lost a tooth!! @SoccRepublic @OrielUpdates pic.twitter.com/K8Xa7EjZKd

— Inpho Photography (@Inphosports) March 18, 2016

There were barely 15 seconds showing on the new Oriel Park scoreboard when Stephen Dooley enraged the local support and not a few of the Dundalk players by flooring Brian Gartland with a heavy challenge, an early sign that the visitors were not about to stand on ceremony in the home of the champions. Dane Massey was next to feel the pain, losing a tooth in an aerial challenge.

The first chance of the game came on 10 minutes as Mark McNulty, at full stretch, did very well to turn a low Patrick McEleney drive around the post.

Soon after, Ronan Finn crashed a shot into the side-netting after more good work on the right flank from John Mountney who was giving Cork’s left-back Kevin O’Connor all sorts of problems in the early stages. And when, in the 20th minute, Ciaran Kilduff headed just wide from a precise Daryl Horgan cross, the feeling grew that a breakthrough was imminent for the home side.

It was all of 33 minutes before Cork registered their first corner of the game, Gary Rogers’ smothering save after a bit of pinball in the box, the Dundalk keeper’s first — and as it turned out — only meaningful contribution of a first half in which an otherwise dominant home side failed to get the goal their general play probably deserved.

But it was immediately evident that there was more about City at the start of the second period, as they pressed higher up the pitch and quickly trebled their corner count. Then, as Dundalk were in the throes of mounting a dangerous counter-attack, the home side suffered the blow of seeing Patrick McEleney suddenly pull up with thigh strain, requiring his immediate replacement by fellow new signing Robbie Benson.

With referee Paul McLaughlin having regularly reached for his pocket in a feisty first-half, Stephen O’Donnell could consider himself lucky to still be on the pitch when, after another clear foul just short of the hour mark, Cork players were left appealing in vain for a second yellow card.

But that was as nothing to the frustration they felt in the 63rd minute when Rogers did brilliantly to deny Steven Beattie from close range, after good work on the right by Karl Sheppard and a nice Stephen Dooley flick to set up the gilt-edged chance.

As in their opening night meeting with Bohemians, this was a much improved second- half performance by City, yet even the visitors looked shocked when, in the 68th minute, the referee awarded a penalty after a Sheppard cross struck Dane Massey on the arm. The decision may have been harsh but what followed was even harder to take for Dundalk as their former player, Sean Maguire, stepped up to tuck away the spot kick, his fourth goal in four league games for his new club.

After that, it was all about composure and discipline from Cork as they comfortably kept the champions at bay to register a huge three points so early in the 2016 campaign.

Dundalk:

Rogers, Gannon (Meenan 80), Gartland, Boyle, Massey, O’Donnell, Finn, Mountney, McEleney (Benson 52), Horgan, Kilduff (McMillan 75).

Cork City:

McNulty; O’ Connell, Bennett, Browne, O’Connor, Dunleavy, Bolger, Dooley (Turner 84), Beattie (Healy 78), Sheppard, Maguire (O’Sullivan 87).

Referee:

Paul McLaughlin (Monaghan)