Cork City

[ForzaForth]

Even though Wexford conceded the equaliser relatively late on, Youths will probably be happy enough to take a point back down the N25 after a decent game in Turner's Cross tonight. Youths began with one change from the team that started against Bray with Graham, Craig, Gary, Lasty, Ryan, Aidan, Hopper, Lee, Eric and with Spot and Danny up front. For whatever reason, Cork were poor in the first half hour or so - looking sluggish, disinterested and lacking any penetration against Graham Doyle in the Wexford goal who had little to do. In the first minute, Eric Molloy got a good shot away for the Youths, but McNulty in the Cork goal got behind it well. Three minutes later, Danny Furlong had an effort on target but McNulty was able to push it away. Then on 15 minutes, with Wexford having had most of the play, a corner by Wexford eventually fell to Eric Molloy just outside the box,and he shot low past McNulty through a crowded penalty area with his left to put the Youths one up. Cork then started to wake from their torpor, and Maguire had a shot just wide and Sheppard had a header just over the bar from a corner. Spot Murphy had a volley for Wexford which went two yards wide midway through the first period. With seven minutes to go in the half, Wexford's Craig McCabe picked up a yellow for giving a whack to Kevin O'Connor of Cork when Graham Doyle was called into serious action for the first time with a scrambling double save at his near post with three minutes to go in the half. With Sheppard doing well down Cork's right, there seemed to be a mighty gap between him and any other Cork forward anytime he got the ball. 1-0 to the Youths at half-time.

[ForzaForth]

While Graham Doyle had had a quiet first half in the Wexford goal, his second half display was a man-of-the-match effort as Wexford tried hard to defend a one goal lead. On four minutes, Cork had a free header at the far post but it was sent wide beyond the other post.Midway through the second half, Doyle pulled off a wondrous save to deny a point-blank header by Sean Maguire. Two minutes later, Graham pushed over his own bar another Cork header which was going in. Then, with 23 minutes gone, a Cork effort on goal hit the underside of the crossbar but stayed out. Marky O'Sullivan had come on for Cork by this point, and he stretched very hard to reach a Cork cross from the right but could only manage to steer it wide of the left post with 20 minutes to go in the match. Andy Mulligan then came on in place of Ryan Delaney for the Youths when, with five minutes to go, and with Cork applying all the pressure, a cross to the far post was headed home by O'Sullivan to get Cork the equaliser and a share of the points. Late substitutions for Wexford were Danny Ledwith and Conor O'Keeffe while the ref also flashed yellows to Eric Molloy for time-wasting and Lee Grace for Wexford and O'Sullivan for Cork for something confrontational between the two.

[ForzaForth]

Best for Wexford were Graham Doyle in goal, while Hopper Kenny and Lee Grace battled hard in midfield against Greg Bolger who pulled all of the strings for Cork. Was also impressed with Sean Maguire for Cork although he probably had to play a bit too much with his back to goal. For Wexford, they may have sat back a bit too much in the second period to try to defend the slender one-goal lead, but it nearly worked for them on the night. 1-1 at full-time.