Josh Fitzpatrick's stunner sees Cork City end long winless run
Cork City's Joshua Fitzpatrick celebrates with his teammates and the fans after scoring his side's first goal. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady.
A first league of the Ger Nash era – earned by Josh Fitzpatrick’s first goal of the season - presents a sliver of hope for Cork City in their relegation battle.
Facing a Galway side suffering their fourth defeat on the spin must be factored into confidence levels, particularly as Sligo Rovers can reestablish the 11-point buffer if they beat Shelbourne on Saturday.
At least, however, it ends a 15-match wait since April 21 for a City league win. All three this season have been home.
It also lifted the mood around the venue that wasn’t subject to protests that had been floated in midweek.
A crowd of 2,092 was still disappointing, especially as it seemed bloated by stay-away season ticket-holders.
Cathal O’Sullivan’s devastating ACL injury forced Nash into at least one change and that was the extent of it, as Alex Nolan came onto the wing.
He’d gone within inches of snatching victory against Sligo with a shot that crashed off the underside of the crossbar at 2-2.
That woe was compounded by Sligo counterattacking to grab the winner, 60 seconds resulting in a potential five-point gap expanding to 11.
Sligo are looking upwards at Galway rather than behind them but City’s sole direction was ending their miserable winless sequence.
All it required was upgrading last week’s powerful first hour into a 90-minute performance, an art they’d failed to sniff, never mind perfect, in almost five months of the season.
Clearly, the form of demonstration being mooted in midweek manifested in a boycott of some sections and anyone proposing to make their feelings known by entering the stadium late would have missed an early opener.
In their parlous state, City don’t mind how goals are sourced but more pleasing was the it stemming from a flowing move.
Two experienced campaigners, Seáni Maguire and Evan McLaughlin, were involved in the build-up towards a younger pair.
Matty Kiernan resumed his place in the team after completing his Leaving Cert and deserved an A-Plus for breaking from left-back to support to attack.
His layoff to Fitzpatrick was neat but more effective was his run to take Galway full-back Jeannot Esua with him.
That created a gap for Fitzpatrick to furrow into from the left and unleash a 25-yarder which arrowed beyond Brendan Clarke into the far corner.
City were on top and Fiacre Kelleher appealed for a penalty on 10 minutes when he was shoved in the box attempting to connect with a free-kick.
Concerns accompanied him getting back on his feet clutching his stomach and the captain lasted only another 18 minutes before making way for Freddie Anderson.
Galway had four ex-City players, as well as Corkman David Hurley in their team, and one of those on a Turner’s Cross homecoming, Jimmy Keohane, spurned their first chance on 17 minutes by firing over from a rehearsed short-corner.
David Odumosu’s injury meant a second game on the spin in goal for Conor Brann and he denied Esua’s header five minutes later.
Galway are unapologetic about their penchant for set-piece artillery and it almost worked five minutes before the break. Keohane’s lofted free-kick was connected with by Horgan but Brann again repelled the glanced header.
Patrick Hickey’s interval introduction offered a new dimension for the visitors and he caused havoc with his physical threat.
He’d strayed marginally offside when finishing on the hour and was fractionally inaccurate with a shot 10 minutes later that whistled past the far post.
Seven minutes of stoppage-time, including a goalmouth scramble beyond it, caused anxiety but it soon gave way to relief.
It was a win that came at the end of a bruising week. Football took a back-seat for Nash’s pre-match conference on Thursday as the majority of time was devoted to him backtracking on comments he’d made around the Sligo defeat.
From a stance of claiming he would have involved Malik Dijksteel had he been available emerged a different version of events. It soon became evident not was what portrayed and the Dutchman, who doesn’t fit into that window-to-window bracket of player Nash derided, could have featured.
Dijksteel waited until his transfer to St Mirren was hastened to decry falsehoods, stressing his desire to have made his swansong last Friday.
Overall, it marked an unpleasant episode the manager could easily have avoided.
From making a virtue on the eve of the game of players ‘not thinking about their next move’, explaining Dijksteel’s absence at his behest might have attracted comment but not in the credibility scale it descended too.
Another mess the rookie manager for himself was highlighting the presence of 10 Irishmen in his team. He had the wherewithal to acknowledge his gaffe on Thursday but it was another example of naivety when there was no need to raise origin. His subsequent explanation had a warbled ring to it too.
Nash gained popularity among the home faithful for concise early proclamations about the spirit he sought to restore in the team – fielding a team the county would be proud of.
Noble words from a man who made a point of stating his intention to reside in Cork – a thorny topic around his predecessor – and his decision to start the reign ahead of his official date by entering the dressing-room at half-time at St Patrick’s Athletic was applauded.
It was only in the week of a 4-1 humbling at Shamrock Rovers that the reality of management bit. A social media picture showing a rump of senior players in a Cork City pub on the night Sligo Rovers sent them bottom wasn’t a good luck.
Nash soon had to field questions about culture within the camp. His language altered too, using unacceptable to describe both the defensive errors and a red card for Charlie Lyons. The defender was still club captain at that stage but was soon replaced by newcomer Fiacre and hasn’t appeared since. His three-match suspension expired ahead of Friday night’s encounter although Nash did confirm he was injured afterwards.
City have 10 games left to produce a survival miracle but it remains to be seen if this upturn, like the Easter Monday victory over Waterford billed a resurrection, has longevity.
One thing for certain is that Nash will know when, and with whom, to pick his battles. Many lurk.
C Brann; H Nevin, F Kelleher (F Anderson 28), R Feely, M Kiernan; D Crowley, E McLaughlin; A Nolan (C Lutz 62), K Nelson (K Kamara 62), J Fitzpatrick (B Couto 90+2); S Maguire.
B Clarke; J Esua, G Buckley, R Slevin, B Burns (A Piesold 86); C Horgan (P Hickey 46); J Keohane (V Border 73), D Hurley, E McCarthy (A Bolger 57); S Walsh, D McGuinness (K Brouder 72).
Aaron O’Dowd (Dublin).
2,092.
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