from eleven-a-side.com
Shelbourne 2-1 Cork City
A late Stephen Geoghegan winner saw Shelbourne come from behind at Tolka Park last night and dispel Cork City to a dismal third defeat on the bounce.
The massive incongruence in Cork’s home and away form continues: City have a 100% record at Turners Cross, but remain without a win on their travels almost three months into the season.
That statistics will have to change - and fast - if the Leesiders are to maintain any sort of challenge on the Premier Division title, which even at this early stage appears to be slipping away from them. They now lie a full eight points behind leaders Bohemians after last night’s results.
John O’Flynn, the shining beacon of Cork’s season and the player on whose slender young shoulders will now be placed the burden to drag them back into contention, gave Cork the lead just before the half-time break, finishing off a swift counter-attack involving a thrown pass from keeper Michael Devine and a long diagonal pass from winger Billy Woods.
O’Flynn got on the wrong side of Shels’ stand-in defender Jim Gannon and slotted past the recalled Steve Williams for the opener.
Gannon made amends when diving to head home the deep inswinging corner of former Cork hero Ollie Cahill 13 minutes after half-time, and Stephen Geoghegan drove a dagger through Cork hearts when a scuffed shot found the net through a all of bodies in the 88th minute. Geoghegan, so often the Shels saviour, had missed several decent opportunities prior to his dramatic winner, which sends Shels to third palce in the table, ten points behind runaway leaders Bohs.
Shelbourne: Williams, Heary, Crawley, McCarthy (Prenderville, 9), Gannon (Doherty, 84), Houlihan, D Byrne, S Byrne, Cahill (R. Baker, 71), Roberts, Geoghegan.
Cork City: Devine, Carey, Daly, Bennett, O’Halloran, CT O’Brien (Mulconry, 74), Reynolds (C.P. O’Brien, 89), O’Grady, Woods, O’Flynn (Mulligan, 85), O’Callaghan.
Referee: John Feighery (Dublin).
