Shamrock Rovers 1 Cork City 2 | Airtricity League

Shamrock Rovers 1 Cork City 2

Wednesday, 21 October 2009 10:27

Cork City stunned Shamrock Rovers with a two goal double whammy that ended the Tallaght side’s 22 match unbeaten run.

After a day of drama off the pitch, the City footballers let their feet do the talking with a commanding display that deserved the points.

Rovers led through ex-Cork full-back Pat Sullivan’s third minute strike, but they sat back thereafter allowing the visitors to dominate proceedings.

And after holding out for 65 minutes, Billy Dennehy equalised before sub Shane Duggan struck for a brilliant winner.

It all looked so different when with the crowd barely settled, Dan Murray’s headed Ollie Cahill’s cross to the feet of Sullivan and he beat Mark McNulty on his near post.

The big crowd were rapturous, but Michael O’Neill won’t have been pleased by his side’s reaction to the goal as they withdrew into themselves and allowed City to dominate possession.

The Hoops survived without really giving many chances away, but the signs were there that the away side could find a way through as Fahdurim Kudozovic fired into the side netting, Dennehy pulled a shot across goal and Cillian Lordan volleyed over.

Ahead at the break, Rovers started the second half better, but Dennehy fired a warning shot that was too easy for Alan Mannus.

He was finding his range, and he fizzed a superb low effort that the diving goalkeeper turned around the post with a sharp reaction save.

Dennehy was now playing up front, and his pace was causing the hosts’ defence a range of problems and he equalised when the ball broke to him at the edge of the box and when no defender closed him down he sent a low drive into past the despairing Mannus and into the net.

The silence told it’s own story, but things went from bad to worse for the Hoops when after Dennehy had fired over after good work in the box, City punished them on the counter attack.

Neal Horgan won possession in his own area and found Dennehy on the right wing. His mazy run took him past a host of defenders and he laid the ball off to Duggan who cracked a shot off both posts and in.

Finally the hosts pushed for a second goal with real vigour and they were unlucky not to equalise twice, Padraig Amond heading wide from Ross Chisholm’s cross, before another ball from the Scot – this time from a free kick narrowly evaded Darragh Maguire and Sullivan headed over.

With that the chance was gone, and much to the delight of the waiting fans in Dalymount it’s advantage Bohs at the top.

Shamrock Rovers – Mannus; Sullivan, Price, Maguire, Bermingham (Twigg 74); Robinson, Rice (O’Connor 56), Chisholm, Cahill; Baker (Amond 68), Barrett.

Cork City – McNMulty; Horgan, Long, Murray, Murphy; Lordan, O’Halloran, O’Donnell, Lordan, Dennehy; Kudozovic, Cambridge (Duggan 62).

Ref – D Hancock (Dublin).

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