Dundalk 2

Cork City 1

Niall Newberry reports from Oriel Park

IT’S FOUR WINS on the bounce for Dundalk in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, but that doesn’t even begin to tell the tale of tonight’s drama in Oriel Park.

Second-bottom Cork City, who ended this match with just nine players, looked as though they were going to bag just a third win of the campaign, thanks to Tunde Owolabi’s goal.

However, Scotsman Cameron Elliott’s first-ever goal for The Lilywhites, an acrobatic effort in the 94th minute made it 1-1, before Patrick Hoban, in the style of Sergio Aguero, made it 2-1 at the end of what was an enthralling eight minutes of additional time.

HOBAN!! ABSOLUTE SCENES!#LOI | #DUNCOR pic.twitter.com/FgrZlAVLtD

— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) May 12, 2023

The first opening fell Cork’s way, with Owolabi forcing Nathan Shepperd to save, before a Keith Ward left-field corner was tipped over by Jimmy Corcoran at the opposite end.

The Rebel Army took the lead on 19 minutes through Owolabi, who after being slipped in by Ruairi Keating, calmly rounded Dundalk goalkeeper Shepperd before finishing.

As the hosts looked for a leveller, Ward had a cross from the left headed well over by Hoban, but Cork could have doubled their lead when a Matthew Healy set-piece, also from the left, was met by Josh Honohan’s head as Shepperd had to save once more.

Ryan O’Kane was Dundalk’s most creative outlet in the first half, and he found Alfie Lewis, whose close-range attempt was kept out by Cork netminder Corcoran before the resulting corner, taken by O’Kane, was headed off target by Hoban, who lost his marker.

O’Kane was in the thick of the action again as the half neared its closure, flooring Ethon Varian before his cross was crashed off the crossbar by the head of skipper Hoban.

Cork had chances to make it 2-0 before the break, with another Healy free from the left side being met by the head of Honohan and kept out by Shepperd, while Keating, after being set up by Healy, got in ahead of Hayden Muller before hitting the side-netting.

The Lilywhites had a good chance to level just before the hour-mark, when a neat exchange between Ward and Archie Davies afforded the latter a free attempt on goal, but Dundalk’s ‘player of the month’ could only plant straight into the arms of Corcoran.

Cork were reduced to 10 players three minutes from time, with Honohan picking up a second yellow card after he cynically pulled down Dundalk substitute Elliott.

And then came the drama – a Daniel Kelly cross was brilliantly finished by Elliott four minutes into stoppage-time, before Cian Coleman was given a straight red card for what was a truly disgraceful foul on Paul Doyle, resulting in ugly scenes in the dugouts.

Incredibly, Hoban clinched the three points for Dundalk in the 98th minute of play, after latching onto a Darragh Leahy header before finishing into the bottom corner.

Dundalk: Nathan Shepperd; Archie Davies, Hayden Muller (Cameron Elliott 67), Wasiri Williams, Darragh Leahy; Connor Malley (Paul Doyle 76), Alfie Lewis (Daniel Kelly 76); Ryan O’Kane, Keith Ward (Johannes Yli-Kokko 67), Rayhaan Tulloch (John Martin 49); Patrick Hoban

Cork City: Jimmy Corcoran; Josh Honohan, Cian Coleman, Kevin Custovic; Darragh Crowley, Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh (Aaron Bolger 76), Matthew Healy, Barry Coffey, Ethon Varian (John O’Donovan 68); Ruairi Keating, Tunde Owolabi (Cian Murphy 85)

Referee: Damien MacGraith

Attendance: 2,389.