Wexford Youths 1 - 2 Cork City

• Brian de Salvo
• Sat, May 21 2011


It’s been a hard day’s night for Cork with the Queen of England at large in the city centre in the morning and Wexford Youths failing to doff their caps to their betters in the evening.

Youths have lost all of their homes games this season; Cork City haven’t lost any, home or away. If this had been a boxing match it would have been banned as a mismatch. But by the final whistle Cork were grateful for the points, the better side, maybe, but benefactors of an equalising goal that should have been ruled out for what looked like a foul on home keeper Holden.

But the initial drama came before the kick off with both home strikers Dave Grincell and Danny Furlong relegated to the bench amid rumours of Furlong leaving Wednesday’s training session early. Big under 19 international Darragh Walshe led the line with Muzzy Mullen and Ben Ryan pushed up on the flanks. And the home side started brightly enough with Wall and Ryan getting inconsequential low crosses in from the left.

But with the visitors playing a high line and McNulty an alert sweeper/keeper behind his back four it didn’t take long for Cork to gain control of proceedings although there was a anxious moment when McNulty chested the ball down outside his area and almost gifted possession to Wall before clearing.

On the quarter hour Davin O’Neill got through on the left and Wexford keeper Packie Holden did well to hang on to hold deflected drive. Three minutes later it was squeaky bum time in the home goalmouth as Murphy’s corner skimmed across it and O’Neill shot wide. The home defence, with Wolfe unable to deal with O’Neill and central defenders Keogh and Kehoe struggling with the powerful visiting strike duo of Cummins and Sullivan in the air, looked porous, the unease spreading to Holden who inexplicably punched a cross he could easily have caught and then was beaten to Morrissey’s free kick from the right by Cummins who headed wide.

But it wasn’t all one way traffic with Kavanagh forced to bring Walshe down after the Youths number nine had beaten him in the air. Cummins restored the balance by skipping past Keogh and pulling the ball back from the dead ball line but behind Sullivan who could only head wide. In a moment of pinball panic in the Wexford defence moments later, Holden effected a good block with his feet and the sides went in for the half time interval level.

Grincell replaced Walshe in the Wexford attack for the re-start but Cork almost scored within thirty seconds from a disputed corner on the right with Holden making a fine leap to claw away Sullivan's header from under his bar for Kehoe to complete the clearance. And it was Youths who scored.

It started with fine work from Mullen to unsettle Horgan into fouling him. Dean Broaders free kick forced McNulty to a full length save but Mullen was first to the loose ball and from his layoff Craig Wall scored, the keeper getting a hand to his low drive but only succeeding in diverting the ball further into his net. With only two second half minutes played you felt the goal had come too early for Youths.

But when the equaliser duly arrived it was controversial. Packie Holden went up for a cross from the left but could only palm the ball away as he was clattered in the air by Cummins. Sullivan was the benefactor, hitting the loose ball home with Holden lying prone on the turf holding his face.

Furlong had finally been unleashed to join the fray with just over ten minutes remaining but it merely served as a cue for City’s winner when an unforced error put City on the front foot. The ball was switched to Gearoid Morrissey who hit a low drive sweetly past the advancing Holden. Youths response was a Furlong free kick which brought a conventional save from McNulty with two minutes remaining. The enigma of Wexford Youths quest for home points continues as Cork grind out the promotion points at the other end of the table.

Wexford Youths: Packie Holden; Anthony Wolfe (Danny Furlong 79), Karl Keogh, Martin Kehoe, Dean Broaders; Patsy Malone, Craig Wall, Ben Ryan; Muzzy Mullen (Shane Nolan 52), Darragh Walshe (Dave Grincell h/t), Ben Ryan.
Subs not used: Kevin Rowe, Eoin Kinsella.

Cork City: Mark McNulty; Neal Horgan, Gavin Kavanagh, Kalen Spillane, Danny Murphy; Gearoid Morrissey (Vincent Escude-Candau 68), Greg O’Halloran, Shane Duggan, Davin O’Neill; Vinny Sullivan , Graham Cummins.
Subs not used: Ian Turner, Stephen Mulcahy, James McCarthy, Kieron Kinneally, Jamie Murphy.

Referee: Phil Caschero

Attendance: 170 (estimated)