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Cork City manager John Caulfield (file pic). Donall Farmer/INPHO
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Magnificent goalkeeping display frustrates City but super-sub O'Sullivan ensures Leeside stalemate

Wexford Youths seemed set to claim all three points on Leeside thanks to Graham Doyle.

Cork City 1

Wexford Youths 1

WEXFORD YOUTHS LED for 71 minutes at Turner’s Cross on Friday evening, but Cork City sub Mark O’Sullivan’s late goal ensured that they took a point.

Having gone ahead through Eric Molloy in the 15th minute, the visitors repelled what their hosts threw at them for most of the second half. With captain and goalkeeper Graham Doyle in outstanding form, it looked like it would be a night of frustration for City, who didn’t help their cause with some wayward shooting.

After Doyle had done brilliantly to deny Seán Maguire and sub Ian Turner midway through the second half, Maguire then had a shot hit the cross bar from a cross by another sub, Steven Beattie. Karl Sheppard, a yard out, looked set to equalise but great pressure from Lee Grace saw the ball go over the bar.

That looked to be the clear signal that the points were heading east, but City didn’t give up and were eventually rewarded. When Sheppard’s cross from the left took a slight deflection, the ball fell perfectly for O’Sullivan, who was loitering at the back post.

Mark O'Sullivan Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

Buoyed by the equaliser, City might even have stolen a win but Doyle denied Maguire in injury time and a point was the least that the Youths deserved. In the first half, they were far better and Aidan Friel, Paul Murphy and Danny Furlong all had chances before Molloy’s deflected shot beat Mark McNulty after Craig McCabe had kept the ball alive following an overhit corner.

Coming up to half-time, City improved and it took a double-save from Doyle to deny Maguire and Sheppard. He would continue to be a thorn in the Rebel Army’s side, but O’Sullivan had the final say.

CORK CITY: Mark McNulty; John Dunleavy, Eoghan O’Connell, Kenny Browne, Kevin O’Connor (Steven Beattie 45); Gearóid Morrissey (Mark O’Sullivan 70), Greg Bolger; Karl Sheppard, Garry Buckley, Stephen Dooley (Ian Turner 61); Seán Maguire.

WEXFORD YOUTHS: Graham Doyle; Craig McCabe, Gary Delaney, Stephen Last, Ryan Delaney (Andy Mulligan 83); Eric Molloy (Conor Ledwith 90), Chris Kenny, Lee Grace, Aidan Friel; Paul Murphy (Conor O’Keeffe 90), Danny Furlong.

Referee: Tomás Connolly (Dublin).

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