'The referee got it wrong': Colin Healy not impressed as Cork City lose two-goal lead

Cork City manager Colin Healy: Unimpressed as they lost a 2-0 lead. Picture: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Colin Healy was livid at a refereeing decision which proved the turning point in Cork City’s 2-2 draw at Cabinteely on Friday.

With seven games left, City are eight points adrift of the First Division play-off zone but it ought to be only after they squandered a two-goal lead in the final eight minutes at Stradbrook.

Rebels boss Healy didn’t absolve his young team for contributing to the collapse, sitting too deep in the final stages, yet he was left furious after an aerial challenge on Cian Coleman went unpunished by referee David Connolly.

With the City captain off the pitch receiving treatment, the official instead gave a drop-ball which led to Eoin McPhillips making it 2-1 on 82 minutes. Teenager Ben Feeney nicked a point for Cabo with an 89th minute deflected strike from the edge of the box.

“There should have been a free-kick for their first goal,” said former Ireland midfielder Healy afterwards. “Cian was kicked in the head. Everybody saw it. Cian wasn’t on the pitch for the goal and that’s probably a mistake.

“The referee got it wrong and that can happen.

“We’ve had a few of those decisions go against us throughout the season.” The draw extends City’s unbeaten run to seven but they’ve an uphill task to figure in the mix for promotion.

UCD, who occupy the final play-off spot in fifth, play their game in hand at Cobh Ramblers tonight.

“We just need to keep winning games,” the manager said about their run-in.

“I knew coming into the job at the start of the season that it was going to be difficult.

“We’re starting from scratch again. Look at the squad and a lot of the lads came through the Academy whereas you go back three years ago, we had the likes of Greg Bolger, Sean Maguire and all those “We don’t have those anymore, we have young players coming through.

“There’s an opportunity for them. We’re building and you could see that night.

“They’re good lads, work hard, got good results in the last few weeks but unfortunately we didn’t get it tonight.

“For Cabinteely’s second goal, it’s a good strike but we could have defended it better.

“It happens at every level. You drop back but we need to step up. He (Feeney) got between the lines and had a great shot but we could’ve done better.” Asked about encouraging signs for next week’s visit of Premier Division title contenders St Patrick’s Athletic to Turner’s Cross for an FAI Cup last-16 tie, Healy had mixed views.

“The first half, yeah but the second half, no, because we didn’t see out the game,” he confessed.

“It was disappointing that we didn’t defend the box as well as we could have. We shouldn’t have let it slip.”