Cork City 1
Dundalk 2
DUNDALK MADE CORK City pay for a slack second-half showing with a late winner from substitute John Martin to arrest the hosts’ four-game winning streak.
It arrived when Ryan O’Kane’s cross was met by a rusty touch from Cian Bargary on his return from injury. He deflected the ball back into the danger area where Martin arrowed a header into the net.
Further Cork frustration will come from the source and timing of the first goal direct from an O’Kane corner just before the break.
While back-to-back wins have lifted the Lilywhites back into fifth in a congested race for Europe, City slip back into ninth but just two points behind Drogheda United and Sligo Rovers heading into the mid-season break.
City’s best early jabs came from the industry of their strikers harassing Dundalk defenders.
Matt Healy was full of touches of class conducting the midfield orchestra and he started the move for City’s opener. Kevin Čustović’s clever run exploited space down the right and his pacey cross was turned into his own net by Gibraltar international Louie Annesley.
Healy’s creativity almost saw the lead doubled when he kept the ball in play to square for Tunde Owolabi. His first effort was blocked by Nathan Shepperd’s quick reflexes and he couldn’t get enough on his second before Shepperd recovered to gather on the line.
Healy’s loan spell is up at the end of the month but having been released by Ipswich Town, making his stay permanent will be top of Liam Buckley’s list of priorities.
For all their pressure, City were struck by a bolt from the blue in the 44th minute when O’Kane’s dangerous delivery from a corner deceived everyone and travelled untouched to the net.
City’s momentum was broken and they never recovered it after the resumption.
John O’Donovan had to make a goal-preserving block to deny O’Kane after the ball bobbled across the six-yard box but the winger would provide the spark for another late winner against City.
CORK CITY: J Corcoran; J Honohan, C Coleman, A Gilchrist; K Čustović, M Healy, A Bolger, J O’Donovan (D Krezic 81); B Coffey (C Bargary 81); R Keating, T Owolabi (C Murphy 84).
DUNDALK: N Shepperd; A Davies, A Boyle, L Annesley, D Leahy; D Kelly (R Tulloch 58), G Sloggett, J Yli-Kokko (C Malley 58), R O’Kane (P Doyle 89); P Hoban, C Elliott (J Martin 78).
Referee: R Hennessy.
Stephen Barry reports from Turner’s Cross