Behan wins cup for Cork City

Cork City 1 Longford Town 0

Denis Behan won the FAI Ford Cup for Cork City with a sublime second-half goal in dreadful conditions of driving wind and rain before a crowd of just 10,000 at the RDS.

City's topscorer struck for the only goal of the game on 59 minutes as, fittingly, the best move of the match brought its only goal.

Skipper Dan Murray's ball over the top put John O'Flynn away and his excellent cross was powered to the net by Behan with a classic diving header.

Cork should have added to their winning margin late on, but were guilty of two dreadful misses.

Behan might have got a second on 81 minutes but missed a real sitter as be blasted against the bar from Leon McSweeney's cross when it seemed easier to score.

Liam Kearney then scampered away down the right to pull the ball back for O'Flynn who shot off the bar with only Shay Kelly to beat.

Relegated Longford finished with ten men as right-back Pat Sullivan was sent off for a bad foul on Leon McSweeney on 89 minutes, his second booking.

The win was no more than Cork deserved as Longford, who had the strong wind at the backs in the first half, created precious little throughout.

Dessie Baker sliced wide before Town's best chance arrived on 15 minutes when Jamie Duffy got on the end of a long diagonal ball from Damien Brennan to bring a super save from Cork keeper Michael Devine.

Cork slowly got into it and had a couple of chances just past the half hour mark.

Kearney chipped narrowly wide while Sullivan executed a superb tackle on Behan as the City striker was about to pull the trigger, having been played through by Colin Healy.

Though the wind died a little after the break, Cork dominated the second half as they used the ball better to get their reward with Behan's winner just before the hour mark.