Cork City 1
Derry City 3
Stephen Barry reports from Turner’s Cross
DERRY CITY DIDN’T produce their best but their greater cutting edge was more than enough to get their title aspirations back on track.
It was a vital, confidence-boosting win at Turner’s Cross, their first in four lifting them back into second, five points behind Bohemians.
Cork City remain stuck in ninth. Despite some early promise, their hopes of a response to their defeat away to UCD were punctured under the weight of goals either side of half-time from Ronan Boyce and Michael Duffy, on his first start of the season.
The game was briefly paused late in the second half after a number of bottles were aimed in the direction of Derry keeper Brian Maher before it was announced that the match “would be abandoned if any more missiles were thrown onto the pitch”.
Colm Whelan, just on during that break in play, ended it moments later with Derry’s third before Tunde Owolabi sniped a stoppage-time consolation goal.
The early signs were positive from the Rebel Army, with an opening show of front-foot energy that had Derry stuck in gear in front of 3,307 fans.
They had five corners in-a-row, three shots, and two (increasingly hopeful) handball appeals inside 20 minutes. Cian Coleman’s header was the most consequential of those efforts, connecting with Matt Healy’s deep cross and sending Maher scrambling to tip over.
At the other end, their air of defensive solidity didn’t last into the second quarter.
A zig-zagging Boyce run that pierced their defensive shape too easily seemed to spook their fragile confidence. Even though his effort was pulled left and wide, it sent them into retreat and invited Derry to advance.
Their breakthrough would come in the immediate aftermath of another Cork chance. Healy had a dangerous half-volley blocked by Cameron McJannet and from the rapid counter, the visitors won their fourth corner.
Duffy’s whipped near-post delivery was added to by Boyce and arrowed into the far bottom corner.
A third City handball appeal appeared to carry more weight than those that came before it but when Derry snared their second goal shortly after, it was all too straightforward.
Ben Doherty beat a man deep on the left and slipped the ball to Duffy, whose low shot squirmed under Jimmy Corcoran’s dive.
It was an unusual senior debut at Turner’s Cross for hometown lad Adam O’Reilly in the Derry midfield. He was yellow-carded after a tangle with Aaron Bolger, with the Cross faithful baying for harsher punishment, and from that Healy free, Ruairí Keating’s header forced Maher into a fine save.
The Derry stopper was beaten moments later when Barry Coffey redirected Jonas Häkkinen’s ball over his head but it bounced off the crossbar to safety.
Another quick Derry break ended it. Ryan Graydon was twice denied by Corcoran and O’Neill’s follow-up shot was blocked but Whelan provided the quality finish.
Owolabi made his case for a start off the bench, testing Maher with a swerving shot before beating him with a late low finish.
CORK CITY: J Corcoran; J Honohan, C Coleman, A Gilchrist, J Häkkinen; A Bolger, M Healy; C Murphy (D Krezic 51), B Coffey (T Olowabi 78), E Varian (J O’Brien-Whitmarsh 76); R Keating.
DERRY CITY: B Maher; R Boyce, S McEleney, C McJannet, B Doherty; A O’Reilly, S Diallo; R Graydon (B Kavanagh 85), O O’Neill (M Ward 85), M Duffy (C Whelan 74); C Kavanagh (C Coll 74).
Referee: R Harvey.