Cian Coleman stunner secures share of points for City

Cork City unable to register win over Treaty United this season.

Fri, 04 Oct, 2024 - 21:57

Stephen Barry, Turner’s Cross

SSE Airtricity First Division: Cork City 1 (Coleman 77’) Treaty Utd 1 (Lynch 3’)

Cian Coleman’s cracking volley kept Cork City’s unbeaten home record rolling even if the First Division champions couldn’t register a first win of the season over Treaty United.

Despite sliding back to eighth place, the Shannonsiders remain the one side City couldn’t master this season as these Munster rivals settled for a fourth consecutive draw.

A crowd of 1,767 turned out for a game played in constant rain which served as a prelude to Saturday’s orange warning.

Lee J Lynch was fit again to start for Treaty and immediately made his presence felt. His outside-the-box strike had Brad Wade diving to his right.

Moments later, Lynch reloaded and took fire again. This time, his carbon-copy 25-yard attempt rippled the net for his second goal since joining from Coleraine in July.

However, it was an early night for the dangerous midfielder as he hobbled off soon after.

Seani Maguire led the City response but when he got a shot on target, it fell into Corey Chambers’ breadbasket.

Treaty should’ve doubled their lead from a corner-kick scramble but neither centre-back could finish, with Evan O’Connor surprised to see his shot ricochet off of Matthew Kiernan and away to safety.

Lee Devitt almost chipped Wade and the captain came close again on the half-hour with a header that nicked the post. Wade then saved smartly to deny substitute Nikodem Kozlowski.

Chambers came up with a pair of clutch saves to keep Treaty ahead into the break, soaring to stop from Malik Dijksteel before pawing away a deflection off of Richkov Boevi.

The first big chance of the second half ended with Maguire’s head in his hands after steering wide from Ruairí Keating’s pullback.

Dijksteel fired off target before teeing up Maguire, whose drive was saved by Chambers’ legs.

Tim Clancy replaced three-quarters of his midfield on the hour mark and the chances continued to flow against a retreating Treaty.

Chambers gathered from Maguire and Kiernan and rebuffed Dijksteel before Clancy called on David Dunne for his debut. The 15-year-old winger was building on Ireland call-ups and a trial with Real Sociedad in the past two months.

In the 77th minute, they were level. Evan McLaughlin’s corner was met by Coleman’s rasping strike which rocketed into the top corner.

McLaughlin and Dunne whizzed shots over the bar before the over-worked Chambers limped off with five minutes to play.

His deputy Michael Dike saved from Josh Fitzpatrick before Trpimir Vrljicka’s effort pinballed behind at the other end. Again, nothing to separate them.

CORK CITY: B Wade; J Fitzpatrick, C Coleman, C Lyons, M Kiernan; C Bargary (C O’Sullivan 61), S Murray (G Bolger 61), A Healy (E McLaughlin 61), M Dijksteel (D Dunne 74); R Keating, S Maguire.

TREATY UNITED: C Chambers (M Dike 85); C Horgan, E O’Connor, R Boevi, O O’Reilly; S Healy (D Tarmey 85), C Conroy; Y Mahdy (M Walsh 69), L Lynch (N Kozlowski 15) (A O’Halloran 85), L Devitt; T Vrljicka.

Referee: J Moore.