Sean Maguire helps Cork City to 4-0 win over Galway

Cork City - 4

Ace marksman Sean Maguire’s third of the season set Cork City on the way to back to back league wins last night, with second half goals from Ryan Delaney, Stephen Dooley and Connor Ellis adding to a comprehensive victory over Galway United at a delighted Turner’s Cross.

Apart from in the sky, the only cloud for City was that the irrepressible Maguire was forced off with an injury after a superb hour-long display of the striker’s art.

After last week’s mudfest in Finn Park, Cork brought the weather with them back from Ballybofey but, despite the torrential rain of the previous 24 hours, the efforts of the ground staff combined with the excellent drainage at the Cross meant the game passed a 4pm pitch inspection to go ahead.

Having soldiered through the sapping 90 minutes in his native Donegal last Friday, Johnny Dunleavy was given a night’s rest, the club carefully managing his return to the fray after nine months on the sidelines.

City had the luxury of Alan Bennett returning to reclaim his place at centre-half, while Steven Beattie came in on the right wing and, in the absence of the suspended Garry Buckley, Jimmy Keohane played in midfield with Conor McCormack retaining his right-back slot.

Galway United arrived in Cork on the back of surprise 0-1 home defeat to Drogheda United but the scoreline last Friday hardly reflected a first half performance in which Shane Keegan’s men had failed to transform dominance into goals.

In a bid to improve their finished product, Padraic Cunningham was given the nod upfront ahead of Vinny Faherty, with Conor Melody and Kevin Devaney also coming into the visitors’ starting line-up.

And, in what was a false dawn for them, it was the Tribesmen who got off to the livelier start, penning Cork back in their own half and causing a certain amount of panic in the home rearguard.

But, in the 11th minute, with their first attack of the game, it was City who almost opened the scoring, Maguire carrying the inevitable goal threat as he danced his way across the face of the penalty area before unleashing a low drive which Ciaran Nugent did well to turn one-handed around the post.

But just four minutes later, the Galway ‘keeper was left red-faced after Maguire nipped in to prevent him clearing and then, having prodded the ball towards the goal, won the race to the line to finish to an empty net.

Within a minute, the visitors came close to getting back on level terms after a fine solo run by former City man Gavan Holohan ended with the midfielder steering his shot just wide of Mark McNulty’s post.

With the hard-working Maguire a constant menace and Stephen Dooley increasingly influential, an increasingly dominant Cork threatened to increase their lead on more than one occasion but when the half-time whistle came there was still just the one goal separating the teams.

The home support didn’t have to wait long for that lead to be doubled however as, in the 53rd minute, Ryan Delaney claimed his first goal for Cork, heading home a Dooley cross.

But though there was cause for concern among the majority in a crowd of 3,335 when Maguire was forced out of the action with what appeared to be a hamstring issue on the hour mark, his departure didn’t end City’s quest for more goals, the impressive Dooley adding a third with a delightful lob over the stranded Nugent in the 64th minute before substitute Connor Ellis kept his cool to finish off the scoring with almost the last kick of the game.

But much as faithful were left purring about the goals, another clean sheet will also have pleased manager John Cauflield, as City kept up their perfect start to the new season.

Cork City:

McNulty; Beattie (Campion 78), Bennett, Delaney, O’Connor; Keohane, Morrissey (Ellis 81), Bolger, McCormack, Dooley; Maguire (Sheppard 61)..

Galway United:

Nugent; Horgan, Grace, Folan, Ludden; Melody (Faherty 72), Cawley, Holohan (Devers 85), Devaney; Murray, Cunningham (Byrne 72) Referee: Paul McLaughlin (Donegal)