Cork City pay tribute to Jerry Harris with Alzheimer Society of Ireland the big winner
The Cork City team 2005, 2011 and 2017 league winners who played in the Jerry Harris testimonial match at Turner's Cross Picture; Eddie O'Hare
CORK CITY Football Club came together on Sunday afternoon for a highly enjoyable testimonial match in memory of the late, great Jerry Harris, sponsored by club patron Brian Lennox.
The score wasn’t the most important thing at Turner’s Cross - although try telling that to the City Legends who won 5-3 on penalties after the game finished 3-3 - but it was about honoring the memory of a Cork football icon and raising money for charity in the process.
The Harris family were in attendance and before the game got underway, they stated their delight about the event and that the proceeds would be donated to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland.
There were plenty of household names watching from the stands such as current City players David Harrington and Cian Coleman, Chelsea legend Bobby Tambling, Johns Herrick and Meyler, whose sons were involved, and Rob, Marian, and Cathal Heffernan.
It had been billed as the clash between the Cork City Legends and the Cork City Internationals but the official team sheet declared it as the 1992/93 League and 1998 Cup winners versus the 2005, 2011, and 2017 League winners.
Dave Barry was in charge of the former and he lined his players up in a bold 4-4-1-2 formation with the officials not realising they were playing with 12 for the entire match.
They made the most of the extra player as they dominated the opening exchanges with David Meyler showing that he could do a job in Colin Healy’s current City side as he ran the show from midfield.
But Graham Cummins showed that he should stick to writing articles for the Echo as he squandered a number of good chances in the first period of 20 minutes.
Perhaps Cummins was just waiting until he was attacking the Shed before getting on the scoresheet as he expertly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner in front of the famous end at the beginning of the second quarter.
That made it 2-0 as Gerry McCabe had earlier opened the scoring from the penalty spot after City women’s manager Danny Murphy had handled the ball inside the box - despite claiming it struck his face - but it would be 2-2 by half time with George O’Callaghan and Conor O’Grady tapping home from close-range.
Greg O’Halloran’s team started the third quarter brightly - aided by Denis Behan joining Stephen Bermingham in goal - and they soon completed the comeback when O’Callaghan’s low drive beat his former teammate Mick Devine.
But Meyler made it 3-3 straight from the kick-off to the fourth quarter which sent this game to penalties where his team emerged victorious 5-3 in the shoot-out.
Anthony Buckley, Anthony Kenneally, Colin O’Brien, Cormac Cotter, Damien Delaney, David Ludzik, David Meyler, Davin O’Neill, Derek Coughlan, Fergus O’Donoghue, Gerry McCabe, Johnny Glynn, Kelvin Flanagan, Liam Murphy, Mark Herrick, Mick Conroy, Mick Devine, Noel Mooney, Ollie Cahill, Paul Bowdren, Stephen Napier.
Alan Bennett, Alan Carey, Billy Woods, Brian O’Callaghan, Colin Healy, Cillian Lordan, Conor O’Grady, Danny Murphy, Darren Murphy, Dave Hill, Dave Rodgers, Denis Behan, George O’Callaghan, Graham Cummins, Ian Turner, Joe Gamble, John O’Flynn, Kevin Murray, Mark McNulty, Neil Horgan, Paul Deasy.
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