Derry City 2
Cork City 0
Simon Collins reports from the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium
FIVE TIMES FAI Cup champions Derry City strolled into the quarter-finals of the FAI Cup with a comfortable victory over 10-man Cork City at Brandywell.
Will Patching’s 11th-minute penalty set the Candystripes on their way to victory against the Leesiders who came into the match with confidence after extending their lead at the top of the First Division to seven points.
It was a potential banana-skin tie for Ruaidhri Higgins’ troops but when Cork City midfielder Ruairi Keating was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Mark Connolly five minutes into the second half, the match was over as a contest.
Former Forest Green midfielder Sadou Diallo rubber-stamped victory for Derry with his first goal for the club on 71 minutes as he guided the ball into the bottom corner from close range.
Derry marched into the last eight of the competition and with their league title hopes all but ended with 10 matches to go, they’ll be intent on bridging a 10-year gap since their 2012 victory over St Pat’s.
Higgins, Michael Duffy, Patrick and Shane McEleney were all involved in that cup-winning team and the Brandywell club will be hoping to mark that special anniversary with another Aviva Stadium appearance at the end of the season.
Higgins named an unchanged team from the team held 1-1 by Drogheda in their last outing as the Foylesiders looked for a cup reprieve and an end to a three-match winless run.
And it was clear from the outset that Derry were taking the challenge of an in-form Cork City side seriously.
Despite dominating possession early on, it was Cork who registered the first shot on target as Keating timed his run perfectly, nodded the ball beyond the last man before striking on the half volley from 20 yards but Brian Maher was well placed to save comfortably on four minutes.
At the other end, Patrck McEleney received the ball from Patching in space on the left side before drilling his right-footed shot narrowly wide of the far post.
Derry were continuing to apply pressure and moments later, McEleney again found space on the edge of the penalty area but his first time strike curled wide of the opposite post.
The home side were awarded a penalty on nine minutes when Graydon got his head to McEleney’s clipped ball through the middle and when James Corcoran came to claim he brought the City winger crashing to the ground.
Match referee Gavin Coffer pointed to the spot and Patching, who missed his last spot-kick against Shamrock Rovers at the Brandywell, buried it into the top left hand corner to give Derry a deserved lead.
Corcoran was equal to Patching’s next effort on target, this time from 25 yards as he dived low to his left to save the Englishman’s left footed strike.
Cork were penned deep into their own half and on 24 minutes Duffy was afforded space inside the penalty area and he cleverly guided his effort towards the far corner but it struck the outside of the post.
The Rebels were under sustained pressure and Duffy tried his luck again but his right footed strike was safely gathered by Corcoran.
It was a one-sided first 45 minutes but with just the one goal separating the teams at the break there was still much to do for the Candystripes.
Derry started the second half with real intent and, five minutes after the restart, Cork were reduced to 10 men after Keating was harshly shown a straight red card for a challenge on Connolly.
Five minutes later, Derry almost took advantage as Dummigan’s dangerous cross from the right was met by the head of McEleney who burst into the six-yard box but his header was straight into the hands of the Cork keeper.
Goalscorer Patching limped off injured on the hour mark and was replaced by Dundee United loanee Declan Glass who netted a hat-trick in the first round victory over Oliver Bond Celtic.
Glass was brought down on the edge of the Cork penalty area offering Duffy an opportunity to open his account for the season but the winger’s curling free-kick sailed just wide.
Derry doubled their advantage on 72 minutes when Dummigan’s strike was blocked by Gordon Walker and fell kindly to Diallo who poked the ball into the bottom corner for his first goal since arriving from Forest Green last month.
Diallo came close to adding a second from long range in stoppage time but his effort hit the side netting.
It mattered little as Derry cruised into the next round.
Derry City: Maher; Dummigan (Boyce 78), Connolly, McJannet, Coll; Graydon (Kavanagh 70), Diallo, McEleney (Thomson 78), Duffy; Patching (Glass 61); Akintunde (McGonigle 70); Subs Not Used – Lemoignan, S. McEleney, Lafferty, Porter.
Cork City: Corcoran; Walker (O’Mahony 73), Honohan, Coleman, O’Connor; Bargary (Kargbo 58), Bolger, McGlade (Doona 58), Keating, Srbely (Crowley 59), Coffey (Britton 73); Subs Not Used – Harrington, Gilchrist, Healy, Hakkinen.
Referee: Gavin Coffer
FAI Cup second-round results
- Derry City 2-0 Cork City
- Galway United 2-3 UCD
- Lucan United 0-2 Bohemians
- Wexford 2-3 Dundalk (AET)
- Bonagee United 0-4 Shelbourne