AFTER getting all three points in the Cork derby, City manager Colin Healy was suitably thrilled with his side’s battling performance. 

They had been two goals up but Cobh Ramblers came back to level the game before Cian Coleman secured victory for the visitors. Healy admits that either side could have won the contest.

"It was a proper derby. I knew it was going to be tough. I keep saying that it is always a tough game down here, and that was no different. 

It was certainly an entertaining game for the fans but not for the coaches. 

But it is a massive three points for us and it could have went either way, it really could have. Cobh had a lot of chances. We had a lot of chances towards the end. We are delighted with the three points.” 

City dashed into an early two-goal lead with Ramblers dropping off but goals from Beineon O’Brien-Whitmarsh and Conor Drinan levelled the game. However, Healy was pleased by the character his side showed to win the game.

“I suppose with the three at the back, and with them having two up front in Beineon and (Jack) Hegarty, you do get space at the back with an extra man and it does allow you to keep the ball, and in fairness to the lads, they can do it.

“We’re looking to see could we get Darragh Crowley in behind and all that kind of stuff. And it is hard here. It is a tight pitch so if you overhit anything it goes out of play or it overruns to the keeper.

“We did okay in the first half, we got some good goals. We gave away a silly goal at a set-play and that is not like us. Obviously, we made a mistake for the second one, and these things happen. 

"I thought the players showed good character to get back into the lead and we got a great goal from Cian Coleman.

“It was a great goal. He was aggressive and he attacked it properly. It was a great goal but we could have had one or two more at the end with Cian Murphy going in and I thought his work-rate was fantastic tonight. He was a real threat up front running in behind and he could have had one or two goals.

“It is unlike us to concede two goals the way we did, especially with the first one. It’s not like us to concede from a set-play but these things happen and we just have to make sure that they don’t happen too often.

“With the second goal; it’s just a mistake by David (Harrington) but he will learn from it and we will move on.

“We had to defend in the last 10 minutes to see out the game but we had one or two chances ourselves to kill it off. We didn’t, we defended well and got the three points."

After opening his scoring account for City in their previous game against Waterford, Matt Healy produced another speculative moment when he scored the game’s second goal. 

“It was a brilliant goal from Matt. It’s brilliant technique and he’s not trying to break the ball when he is hitting it, he is guiding it in. It was something similar to the Waterford goal but just a bit further out. He has that in him.” 

The league leaders are back in action Friday when they take on Longford Town at Turner's Cross.