Cork City 2
St Patrick’s Athletic 3
Stephen Barry reports from Turner’s Cross
ADAM MURPHY snapped St Pat’s losing streak to give Jon Daly the upper hand in the battle of interim managers at Turner’s Cross.
With Tim Clancy and Colin Healy both departing during the week, it was the Saints who produced a two-goal second-half comeback to move up to fifth while inflicting a fifth consecutive loss on the home side.
New City sporting director Liam Buckley, taking the reins against his former club, and Daly each made four changes.
Pat’s were without the red-carded Eoin Doyle, while City were deprived of Ally Gilchrist and Aaron Bolger through suspension.
Jimmy Corcoran was restored between the posts in the only unenforced change for the hosts and he made an immediate impression, advancing to save from Mark Doyle within a minute.
He was beaten five minutes later, not that he could’ve done much. Pat’s picked up on a poor clearance, Anthony Breslin drove an enticing ball across the goalmouth, and Conor Carty slid in to finish.
But City turned the game on its head with two goals in the space of six minutes. Tunde Owolabi was causing chaos and he bundled in Ethon Varian’s deflected cross with his left knee.
Then, moments after Jake Mulraney cracked the City crossbar and Corcoran made a follow-up save from Doyle, a half-cleared throw-in was headed into the bottom corner by Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh from the 18-yard line.
Both sides were there for the taking at the back. In the space of a minute, Mulraney shot inches wide before Owolabi beat Dean Lyness to a long ball but took a touch too many, allowing John-Alan McGrath to make a recovering tackle to protect the open goal.
Pat’s were back level after the break when Mulraney shrugged off Josh Honohan and cracked a stunning strike to the top corner.
Both sides sought to tighten up at the back as Pat’s denied City any chance of significance in the second half.
Meanwhile, Pat’s took both opportunities that came their way, with the winner coming with 10 minutes to play.
Chris Forrester’s fine pass from halfway split the City defence wide open and half-time-sub Murphy beat Corcoran to the punch and the points.
CORK CITY: J Corcoran; K Čustović, C Coleman, J Honohan (G Walker 85); D Crowley, M Healy, J O’Brien-Whitmarsh, B Coffey, E Varian (D Krezic 66); T Owolabi (C Murphy 76), R Keating.
ST PAT’S: D Lyness; S Curtis, N Lewis (A Murphy h-t), JA McGrath, A Breslin; J Lennon, V Kreida (B McCormack 81), C Forrester (T Timmermans 84); J Mulraney (S Atakayi 71), C Carty (T Lonergan 71), M Doyle.
Referee: E O’Shea.