Hans Mpongo brace ensures Cork City sees off Wexford as unbeaten run reaches 10 games
Joshua Fitzpatrick, Cork City FC in action against Mikie Rowe, Wexford FC, at Munster FA Turners Cross Stadium. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
It wasn't pretty, and it certainly wasn't comfortable, but Cork City did what they needed to do. Hans Mpongo's brace – a goal in either half – saw off Wexford FC at Turner's Cross on Friday night, preserving their perfect home record and extending their unbeaten league run to ten games.
Barry Robson's side were forced to work harder than they have in most outings this season in front of 2,601 at the Cross. A 1-1 scoreline at the break and a disjointed start to the second half forced him to make tweaks, and he went through three different formations across the 90 minutes. His final roll of the dice – the introduction of Ruairí Keating and Harry Nevin along with a shift to a 4-2-3-1 – produced the winner within three minutes.
Keating was the man to get the assist, but it was Seani Maguire’s long ball in that was the catalyst. He launched one over the top that Dylan Hand failed to clear, and Keating snatched possession, knocked it on for Mpongo, and he finished first time into the corner in the 69th minute.
The Leesiders came close on a couple of occasions in the closing stages, but the visitors didn’t do enough to trouble them all evening.
“I thought the first 20 minutes is as good as we've been,” Robson said after the win. “I think the way we moved the ball, we were fast, we were aggressive, we were direct in the spaces.” City’s start to the contest couldn’t have been any better. Greg Bolger’s initial pass found Maguire, who took hold of possession following a mistake from Robert McCourt. Maguire raced forward, played Mpongo through and the Dutchman converted with less than three minutes gone.
The pair continued to threaten in the early stages, Maguire threading another ball through to Mpongo in the eighth minute, but he couldn’t get control of it to convert. After 15 minutes, though, City’s control faded.
“Then we went from probably being the best 20 minutes to one of our poorer as the half went on,” he added. “And they got a goal and for me – as I say to the players – teams will score goals against you, that's football.
“And I thought we let it affect us a little bit, towards the end of the first half. And then the second half we came out and I thought it was a professional performance. I don't think they had a shot on goal without us probably being at our best as well.” Wexford’s first real chance arrived in the 28th minute. Zayd Abada set up Gavin Hodgins, and his shot was met with a save from Conor Brann, but, five minutes later, the visitors would have their equaliser.
City had four chances to clear the danger, and failed to deal with all four. When Conor Drinan miskicked his last clearance attempt, Jamie Wynne gathered and fired into the corner beyond Brann to leave it 1-1.
The hosts returned to their usual 4-4-2 formation, Drinan shifted from left back to left wing-back, while Cillian Murphy slotted into the no. 10 role. Immediately it changed the pace of their attack.
Lyons sent Murphy through on goal, but the 16-year-old was tackled just before pulling the trigger in the 39th minute. He would have another chance before the break, an effort from just outside the box that he connected cleanly with, but it narrowly went over the bar.
On the restart the hosts continued to struggle in taking control of the game, but managed one great chance when Rory Feely chipped one over the top for Murphy, who cut in before curling one at Paul Martin in the 56th minute.
Ten minutes later Drinan slipped Seani through for a strong effort that Martin saved, but by that stage Robson had seen enough.
And once City made the next formation switch, the goal they needed arrived in timely fashion.
Brann; Feely (Keating 66), Kelleher (c), Lyons, Drinan; Murphy, Crowley, Drinan (Bridge 87), Fitzpatrick (Nevin 66); Maguire, Mpongo (Kiernan 86).
Martin; Murphy, Hand, McCourt, Osam; Abada; Rowe (Shuntaro Doyle 70), Hodgins (Ritchie 62), Verdon (Harnett 70), Wynne (Larkin 81); Doyle.
A Patchell (Dublin)
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