Shelbourne 1
Cork City 1
THIS WAS A fascinating contest, played between two teams with positive intentions who each have the capacity to finish much higher up the table than where they are currently placed.
In the end, the points were shared, Cork profiting from a goalkeeping mistake from Colin McCabe, who failed to gather Deshane Dalling’s left-wing cross, allowing it slip from his grasp and into the net.
That served to cancel out Dayle Rooney’s fourth minute opener yet the goals barely tell the story of this game. For starters, there were the succession of chances Shelbourne created in the second half, Ciaran Kilduff having two low shots in the 63rd and 64th minutes which were impressively saved by Mark McNulty, the first with his feet, the second with his hands.
Then there was McNulty’s stop from Ryan Brennan, a comfortable enough save to look at, but one that also was a reflection of the veteran’s fine positional play. We could go on. Rooney had a 72nd minute header; McNulty had the smarts to be in the right place to deal with it.
Six minutes from time, Jaze Kabia had his chance for glory. Again, McNulty was in the right place at the right time. Four minutes from time, Rooney shot narrowly wide, a minute from time, Aaron Dobbs had his effort stopped by McNulty. It was that sort of night for Shels.
And yet, if this suggests the game was played only on their terms, then you are getting the wrong impression.
Cork were good in so many aspects of the game. Their big striker, Connor Simpson, held the ball up with a degree of composure after he was introduced on 46 minutes. Out wide, Dalling grew in confidence on the back of his goal, his blisteringly quick feet posing problems to the Shels defence.
Yet it was another player, Dylan McGlade, who looked sensational. His control; his range of passing; his energy just made him look like he could go to another level.
In fact, you could say the same about Cork as a team. How they are bottom of the league when they play with such tactical wisdom and technical excellence is bizarre. Yes, they lack experience – and Alan Bennett’s enforced withdrawal with an injury didn’t help – but they retain possession so well.
So, for that matter, did Shels. Their mixture of experience and youth bodes well. Like Cork, they too are tactically smart, their ability to impose a low block of defenders on the edge of their box, providing them with a solid foundation to work from.
Better again, they have the speed and the fitness to do it at both ends of the field. While Cork put together the better passing moves in the second half, it was Shels who created the bulk of the chances. That is a story in itself.
This, remember, is their first year back up at this level. Clearly they are going to stay for a second season when they have the capacity to build on this season and squeeze into the top three. As for Cork, they have a fight on their hands to stay up. This point takes them above Finn Harps and into ninth. The too-good-to-go-down label is the last thing they want as it is more of an insult than a compliment. But if they can sort out those defensive issues then they have a chance not just of staying up but, like Shelbourne, doing something notable next year.
