UCD 0-4 Cork City
WHILE IT WOULD be easy for Cork to become distracted by matters elsewhere, all they can do is take care of their own business and hope that other results go their way. A fifth consecutive win ensures they remain level on points with leaders Dundalk as the title race enters its closing stages.
John Caulfield’s side remain locked at the summit of the SEE Airtricity League with the Lilywhites and they rarely looked like fluffing their lines against lowly UCD. First-half goals from Ross Gaynor and Billy Dennehy put the visitors firmly in the driving seat before Garry Buckley created further daylight between the sides with a brace after Samir Belhout had been sent-off.
“We’re coming for you,” the large travelling contingent sang at full-time and on this evidence, the considerable head of steam Cork have built up over the past few weeks will be difficult to halt. A title showdown on the last day of the season remains a possibility.
For UCD, their woes continue. Six consecutive defeats has left them haplessly floundering towards submersion. They still have their heads above water but only just. A trip to the Brandywell in the penultimate round of fixtures is an ominous task but they need to find points from somewhere.
A bright start, during which they looked to push their opponents onto the backfoot, provided their hardened supporters with a cause for optimism, but the game was lost within 10 first-half minutes.
As much as their lack of firepower in the final third has contributed to their perilous slide, it’s been an inability to stay compact and rigid at the back that has been the most costly for UCD. Dennehy gave them a forewarning with a low drive that shaved the outside of O’Donnell’s upright, after drifting infield off his wing unmarked.
Minutes later, Gaynor was given just as much time and space and he made the Students pay with an arrowing thunderbolt.
UCD lost their discipline thereafter. As much as they directed their ire at the officials, they only had themselves to blame. Douglas clumsily felled Dunleavy, after the Cork captain had embarked on a rambling run from deep, beating Ian Ryan in the process.
Dennehy made no mistake from the spot to register his 11th goal of the campaign. He’s now scored in all three fixtures against the Students this term.
Aaron Callaghan, with nothing to lose, rolled the dice by bringing Conor Cannon off the bench at the interval in search of a route back into the game. He hadn’t legislated for Belhout’s petulance, however.
Two bookings in the space of three minutes put an abrupt end to any hopes of a UCD comeback, however unlikely it may have been. A rash kickout at John Kavanagh was closely followed by a late challenge on the same player, giving Padraigh Sutton little choice but to brandish a red card.
Cork reinforced their dominance through two close-range efforts from Buckley, as UCD sank deeper into the mire. They remain one point ahead of Athlone but it’s hard to know where they’ll find the points required in the final two games.
Cork, meanwhile, have no such problem but it may not be enough.
UCD: Conor O’Donnell; Hugh Douglas, Ian Ryan, James Kavanagh, Gareth Matthews; Chris Mulhall (Timmy Molloy, 75’), Robbie Creevy, Robbie Benson, Ayman Ben Mohamed (Conor Cannon, 45’); Gary Burke (Colm Crowe, 64’); Samir Belhout.
Subs not used: Niall Corbet, Sean Coyne, Mark Langtry, Daniel Tobin.
Cork City: Mark McNulty; John Kavanagh (Josh O’Shea, 75’), Dan Murray, Darren Dennehy, Ross Gaynor; Garry Buckley, Johnny Dunleavy, Colin Healy, Billy Dennehy (Liam Kearney, 70’); John O’Flynn, Mark O’Sullivan (Dave O’Leary, 79’).
Subs not used: Cillian Morrison, Michael McSweeney, Rob Lehane, Kevin O’Brien.
