Caulfield delight as 10-man Galway edge Cork City
BLOCK: Cian Murphy of Cork City is challenged by Galway's Killian Brouder
A triumphant return for John Caulfield to Cork City, overseeing Galway United’s first win at Turner’s Cross since 1993.
It was the first occasion Cork’s most successful manager had been back at the Cross since his autobiography lifted the lid on the sour end to his five-year spell and offered his take on the club’s demise from double winners to relegation.
Another ex-City figure, winger Ed McCarthy, bagged the only goal eight minutes before a crowd of 4,984 and the visitors held on despite playing the last 40 minutes with 10 men.
Colin Healy stuck with the same starting team that demolished Bray Wanderers 6-0 in last week’s campaign opener, while Galway’s only absentee for the first game was their manager, whose touchline suspension from last season meant being positioned on the gantry above the Donie Forde Stand.
Within two minutes, City were appealing for a penalty. Diego Portillo, one of Caulfield’s two new Spaniards recruited by Caulfield, got in a tangle with Ruairí Keating inside the box but Eoghan O’Shea waved away the claims.
A 15th minute late challenge by Jonas Häkkinen on the other Spanish import, Manu Dimas, incensed former City midfielder Conor McCormack, resulting in a booking and an edge to the contest that would boil over later.
Last week’s hat-trick hero Dylan McGlade almost gave The Shed something to shout about three minutes later when he arrived to connect with Cian Murphy’s right-wing cross. Opting to place his shot across goal into the far corner, it required a block from Conor O’Keefe to prevent a certain opener.
That would mark McGlade’s final involvement, for he soon sank to the turf clutching his knee following what seemed an innocuous challenge. The sight of him hobbling off at this early stage of the season looked ominous for Healy.
A distinct lack of vibrancy had hamstrung Galway’s display for that first third of proceedings but Wilson Waweru mustered their first half-chance by fizzing a 20-yard shot on the turn that whistled wide.
They were more clinical with the next move, a delightful exchange between their two wing backs. Murphy made the running by drifting in from the left undetected and his low cross was scooped into the roof of the net by the inrushing McCarthy from six yards.
Galway’s knot of fans behind the goal were in raptures but City’s faithful nearly found their voice again when Ally Gilchrist’s flick-on from a free presented Murphy with a header from close-range but Kearns turned the attempt around the post.
Five minutes into the second half and Galway lost Waweru for a late lunge on Häkkinen that O’Shea deemed to be worthy of a second yellow card.
That only strengthened Cork’s grip on the game – if only they could take advantage. Chance after chance was squandered, though, with Kearns proving why he was preferred in goal over ex-Cork custodian Matt Connor.
On 66 minutes, he advanced to foil Cian Bargary before Keating saw the rebound blocked. Cork had by then switched to a back three but it wasn’t till the 80th minute that they had the ball in the net. However, Barry Coffey was adjudged to have drifted offside from Coleman’s knockdown.
The two Cians – Murphy and Bargary – were again off-target with late chances before American-born substitute Matt Srbely veered a close-range header wide from James Doona’s free-kick.
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