Dundalk 0
Cork City 3
Paul Dollery reports from Oriel Park
THE BATTLE OF Midway played an important role in determining the outcome of the Second World War and tonight’s midway duel at Oriel Park may well have been similarly decisive in this season’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title race.
With champions Dundalk hosting leaders Cork City at the halfway point of the campaign, a hat-trick from Sean Maguire was the difference between the teams as City maintained their unbeaten run in the 17th of their 33 league games this season.
It wasn’t quite as comprehensive as the American victory in the Pacific, but it was certainly comfortable in the end for John Caulfield’s side, who now hold what looks like an unassailable 18-point lead at the top of the table.
Just 16 hours after their team’s 3-1 defeat to Mexico in New Jersey, Ireland manager Martin O’Neill and assistant boss Roy Keane were in attendance at Oriel Park to see Maguire take his league tally for the season to 16.
Having been rested for last weekend’s win against Shamrock Rovers, veteran defender Alan Bennett returned to captain Cork City from the heart of the defence. Johnny Dunleavy reverted to right-back, with Jimmy Keohane pushed back into midfield and Greg Bolger dropping down to the bench.
The Dundalk side also showed just one change in personnel from their victory over St Patrick’s Athletic seven days ago. Robbie Benson started in midfield in place of Stephen O’Donnell, who passed the captain’s armband on to Dane Massey.
Maguire put the visitors in front on 19 minutes after being teed up by Karl Sheppard, but the same passage of play almost had the visitors in front with just 10 seconds on the clock. However, after City went long straight from the kick-off, Maguire’s first-time effort from close range struck the side netting.
Backed by a vociferous home crowd, Dundalk sought to put the Leesiders under pressure early on. David McMillan saw a shot drift wide after latching onto a stray Johnny Dunleavy header in the fourth minute. Nine minutes later, Patrick McEleney played McMillan through with a delightful pass but the Lilywhites’ in-form striker could only steer the ball across the face of Mark McNulty’s goal from a difficult angle.
But City soon settled into the game and assumed a measure of control. Following a scrappy passage of play on the edge of the Dundalk box, Stephen Dooley was able to find Sheppard in space wide on the right. The former Shamrock Rovers attacker sent in a low cross and Maguire was on hand to convert from inside the six-yard box.
From there, Dundalk lost their composure and were frequently careless in possession. Buoyed by Maguire’s opener, City were keen to capitalise. Ryan Delaney forced Gary Rogers to save his header from a Dooley corner, before Sheppard and Gearoid Morrissey both missed the target with long-range attempts.
Dundalk eventually managed to get forward, only for Jamie McGrath to fail to find a colleague with a cross from the left. Just after the half-hour mark, another City break allowed Jimmy Keohane to find Maguire with a cross but the SSE Airtricity League’s leading goalscorer sent his half-volley wide.
Dundalk did have a chance to equalise on the stroke of half-time. After Michael Duffy’s free-kick went out for a corner off the Cork City wall, the former Celtic winger found Dane Massey with his delivery. Despite being unmarked, Dundalk’s stand-in skipper headed wide when he really should have tested McNulty.
City again threatened to score an early goal after the restart but Maguire’s cross was just too high for Keohane. Rogers was then forced to make a good save from Maguire as the frantic pace to this contest continued, but Dundalk soon regained the momentum.
Another good chance was squandered when McGrath turned inside Bennett before poking the ball well wide. McNulty then had to make a save when Niclas Vemmelund got his head to Robbie Benson’s dead-ball delivery.
McNulty was called into action again in the 67th minute as the home fans in the 3,643 attendance started to believe again. After the City goalkeeper pushed Benson’s effort over the crossbar, substitute Thomas Stewart headed narrowly wide from the corner that followed.
However, Dundalk’s progress was halted with 20 minutes remaining thanks to some quick thinking from Johnny Dunleavy. Taking a throw-in from deep inside Dundalk’s half, the City right-back flung the ball at the back of team-mate Sheppard.
When it fell back into Dunleavy’s path, his delivery was perfect for Maguire, who headed past Rogers to put a nail in the coffin of Dundalk’s hopes of a comeback — and quite possibly their reign as champions too.
In the third minute of additional time, the 23-year-old striker — who has been linked with an imminent move to English Championship outfit Preston North End — capitalised on sloppy Dundalk defending to tap into an empty net against the club he couldn’t get a game for just over 18 months ago.
The 2017 season only passed its halfway mark tonight, but surely now this race is run.
Dundalk: Gary Rogers; Sean Gannon, Paddy Barrett, Niclas Vemmelund, Dane Massey; Chris Shields (Stephen O’Donnell, 68), Robbie Benson; Michael Duffy (Ciaran Kilduff, 74), Patrick McEleney, Jamie McGrath (Thomas Stewart, 65); David McMillan.
Cork City: Mark McNulty; Johnny Dunleavy, Alan Bennett, Ryan Delaney, Kevin O’Connor; Conor McCormack; Karl Sheppard (Steven Beattie, 80), Gearoid Morrissey (Greg Bolger, 83), Jimmy Keohane, Stephen Dooley (Shane Griffin, 76); Sean Maguire.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin
