Cork City slump again as Drogheda United edge lifeless affair
Drogheda United’s Jack Stretton battles Kaedyn Kamara of Cork City. Picture: INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Five changes in all for Cork City – Monday night’s goalscorer Seani Maguire among those left out, and a first senior start handed to 17-year-old Brody Lee – but the shake-up did little to change their fortunes. Another away defeat, another flat performance.
Ger Nash’s relegated side slipped to yet another League of Ireland Premier Division loss on the road, beaten by Drogheda United on Friday evening, the contest decided by a fine Jack Thomas header a minute before half-time.
From there, a comeback never truly felt on the cards. City had offered little going forward before the break, and that theme carried through the second half – a weak Alex Nolan free-kick the only effort to register on target.
If there was any sense that these closing fixtures with relegation confirmed might drift into formality, this one in United Park didn’t do much to dispel it for City. Nervy, hesitant, and patchy – both sides looked like they’d rather be anywhere else until Drogheda finally made one count on the brink of half-time.
City’s only real opening of the first-half came early, five minutes in, when Evan McLaughlin’s free from deep dropped to Conor Drinan at the back post. He hooked it back across goal, Kaedyn Kamara waited, but Drogheda smothered the danger.
After that, the home side carried the greater menace. Darragh Markey’s 13th-minute cross found Thomas unmarked in front of goal, but the header was tame and David Odumosu gathered with ease. Eleven minutes later, the pattern repeated – Owen Lambe skipping past Matthew Kiernan down City’s left to find Jack Stretton, whose glancing effort drifted wide.
Drogheda kept targeting that same side, though City eventually steadied. Lambe’s low cross on 34 minutes was hacked away for a corner, and the half looked to be meandering to the break when the opener arrived from the opposite flank – Shane Farrell combining with Conor Kane, whose delivery was perfect for Thomas to rise highest and nod home on 44 minutes.
City made three changes at the break – Freddie Anderson and Josh Fitzpatrick among them – and the latter almost made an instant impression, flashing in a low ball that Drinan nearly reached, only for Drogheda to snuff it out again.
By the hour mark, City had found a little stability – Rory Feely’s defensive work central to that – but they still lacked incision. Their attacks broke down before they could truly test Luke Dennison.
Drogheda continued to look the likelier side to score. Thomas went close on 55 minutes, drilling just wide of the near post, before Conor Keeley’s header forced Odumosu into a superb full-stretch save 10 minutes later.
The best of the lot came on 78 minutes – a long free from Lambe flicked on by Keeley into the path of Dare Kareem, who chested down on the edge of the box and caught it flush on the volley, rattling the post.
Even when Drogheda thought they’d sealed it late on, luck spared City. In the 81st minute, Kane’s dangerous cross forced Fiacre Kelleher into a desperate header that turned the ball into his own net – only for the linesman’s flag to go up and bail him out.
It was another night when City’s lack of invention proved costly. Dennison barely had a save to make, Maguire’s absence up front telling, and Sean Murray’s miscued volley deep into added time summed up the frustration.
Improvement badly needed ahead of the FAI Cup final next month.
Dennison; Kane, Quinn, Keeley, Bolger (Cooper 72), Lambe; Brennan, Farrell (Heeney 83); Markey; Thomas (Davis 83), Stretton (Kareem 67).
Odumosu; Lyons (Anderson HT), Feely, Kelleher; Kiernan, Kamara, S Murray, Crowley (Fitzpatrick HT); Drinan (Lutz 69), Lee (Hanover 79), McLaughlin (Nolan HT).
M Lynch
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