CORK CITY substitute Davin O’Neill came off the bench to fire his side to a single goal victory over Wexford Youths in the FAI Ford Cup Fourth Round at Ferrycarrig Park.

 

O’Neill’s goal just three minutes after his introduction provided the game’s only goal in the 73rd minute of a scrappy encounter.

City were desperately unlucky not to open the scoring in just the fifth minute when an excellent left-wing cross by Danny Murphy landed at Ian Turner’s feet and his powerful strike smashed down off the underside of the crossbar.

Wexford’s Tom Elmes had a decent shot on the turn that drifted narrowly wide less than a minute later but it was a long time before either side threatened again after that attempt.

Vincent Escude-Candau had a golden chance to break the deadlock on the half hour when he ran through onto a Shane Duggan pass and lobbed the stranded Packie Holden. The ball drifted inches wide of the open goal.

Three minutes later the Frenchman got his head to a left wing cross by Derek O’Brien but he headed wide from eight yards out.

It was Escude-Candau who burst through again just on half-time but this time his flick past the onrushing Holden ended up hitting the sidenetting.

The home side suffered a blow six minutes after the restart when Dean Broaders was penalised for a foul on Ian Turner at the edge of the box and referee James McKell deemed it worthy of a spot-kick.

Given his failure to take his earlier chances it was probably not enormously surprising that Escude-Candau was thwarted in his attempt to convert the penalty. Holden made a decent save low to his left.

Holden then made a top class stop to keep out an O’Brien header on the hour after good work by Turner on the right flank for Cork.

After all that domination but failure to score, City were almost rocked 60 seconds later when Elmes connected with a low cross from the right. His effort from ten yards out lacked venom but City keeper James McCarthy still did well to save with his feet.

Graham Cummins and Ian Turner each had shots over the bar before substitute O’Neill finally found the net in the 73rd minute. The striker cut through the middle and produced a powerful strike past the exposed Holden.

Danny Furlong was unlucky not to nick an equaliser for Youths in the 76th minute when he burst through only to see his lob drop the wrong side of the Cork left upright.

Graham Cummins should have killed the game off in the 79th minute but he headed wide from six yards out.

To compound matters for the home side they had Broaders dismissed two minutes into injury-time for pulling back Danny Morrissey as he burst through on goal.

WEXFORD YOUTHS: Holden; Ashton, Broaders, Kehoe, Malone (Yelverton 79), Kinsella (Grincell 66), Furlong, Wall, Vickers, Walshe (Mullen 79), Elmes.

CORK CITY: McCarthy; Horgan, Spillane, Kavanagh, Murphy, Turner (D Morrissey 91), G Morrissey, Duggan, O’Brien, Escude-Candau (O’Neill 69), Cummins (Sullivan 80).

Referee: James McKell (Tipperary)