UCD 0
Cork City 1
THE TESTING SEE Airtricity League schedule means the hurdles come thick and fast but leaders Cork City cleared the latest fence with relative ease, despite playing an hour with 10 men, to move three points clear at the summit with a narrow 1-0 win over UCD at Belfield.
Darren Dennehy’s first-half dismissal, for a rash tackle on Cillian Morrison, tipped the game in the hosts’ favour but they failed to make full use of their numerical advantage as brother Billy’s early strike proved decisive despite a late UCD rally.
Substitute Michael Barker went close to rescuing a point for the Students in the closing stages but was denied twice by City ‘keeper Mark McNulty as John Caulfield’s side safely negotiated their latest assignment to collect their first win on campus since 2008.
The visitors started the game positively and were in the ascendancy from the outset and got their reward after just six minutes. John Kavanagh’s initial effort from the right was parried by Conor O’Donnell to Dennehy, who fired home from eight yards via Mark O’Sullivan who seemed to be standing in an offside position.
UCD’s protestations fell on deaf ears but it was the visitors who were irate with referee Padraigh Sutton shortly after. Morrison robbed Darren Murphy in midfield but was chopped down by Dennehy thirty yards from goal and was given his marching orders by Sutton, a decision which incensed the travelling contingent.
Aaron Callaghan’s side were impotent in attack and out-muscled in the central areas and never looked like rescuing anything from the game until the final few minutes but it was too little too late as they slipped to their fourth successive reversal in the league.
The Students have been hampered in recent weeks with injuries and suspensions ruling out Ayman Ben Mohamad, Tomas Boyle and Dean Clarke, all of whom watched on from the stand, and played the opening exchanges with 10 men as Robbie Creevy received attention for a nasty head wound. They never really organised themselves thereafter and were cut open far too easily on numerous occasions.
The marauding Kavanagh was afforded acres of space on the right and he needed no second invitation to test O’Donnell before the onrushing Dennehy did the rest to slot home his sixth goal of the season, although that may be changed if O’Sullivan’s intervention proved decisive.
Cork City: Mark McNulty, Brian Lenihan, Dan Murray, Darren Dennehy, John Dunleavy, John Kavanagh, Darren Murphy (Liam Kearney 61), Gearoid Morrissey, Billy Dennehy, Garry Buckley, Mark O’Sullivan.
Substitutes: Colin Healy, Andy O’Connell, Kevin Mulcahy, Dave O’Leary, Rob Lehane, Matt Gledhill, Liam Kearney.
