Hans Mpongo nets three as Cork City respond in style with win over UCD

Cork City 3 UCD 1 

Five days after being pulled at half time against Kerry at Mounthawk Park, Hans Mpongo headed over to the Shed End at full-time, and had his three pump-fists met with three loud cheers, as the City fans offered up the applause his performance deserved in their 3-1 win over UCD on Friday evening.

His hat-trick was the highlight but it was an excellent team performance, and an important response as City regained their place at the top of the table.

“I'm really pleased for him,” Barry Robson said after the game. “He's been working hard and he's getting in the right areas, doing the right things and you can see that. I was pleased for the players tonight.

“I thought there was a period for 25-30 minutes in the second half I thought we were really good. I thought we were brilliant. The first half was a bit tentative, obviously because maybe the players were feeling it after the last week we had.

“But that's football, it’s full of ups and downs and you can’t get emotional with that. Plus, you're coming up against a team that was unbeaten in seven or eight. So it was always going to be a difficult game, but I thought we really showed our professionalism.” 

The hosts had led early after Mpongo converted the rebound from Seani Maguire’s penalty miss, but the Dutchman would add two more excellent poaching efforts in the second half.

Harry Nevin – who worked tirelessly all evening – raced down the flank before squaring it across goal, and Mpongo floated in at the back post to tap home in the 60th minute.

With the energy knocked out of the Students, the Leesiders got in for their third in the 80th minute, as Bolger’s long delivery was headed on by Maguire, right for Mpongo to head to the net.

UCD had several chances late on, Raggett saw a header flash wide and Charles Akimrintoyo saw an 86th minute effort met with a point-blank save from Conor Brann.

In the end, the hosts would see their clean sheet slip right at the death, Ciaran Behan’s shot palmed by Brann, and straight into Raggett’s path for a 92nd minute consolation goal.

“First half we were okay, and then I thought we'd come out second half, made a few tactical tweaks and we ran over the top of them and we started creating chances again,” Robson explained. “We really looked free flowing and we kind of got back to, it's weird to say, it was like the Cobh game.

“We played the exact same but we just never took our chances, but we took our chances tonight and that's what, it's probably been our Achilles heel this season.

“They were well-worked goals. Good players doing the right things. I think they came with a real freedom at the start of the game. They came and they tried to play a bit, we pressed them and all that and then we started to work some more things out and I think we got stronger and stronger and stronger as the game went on.” 

City couldn’t have asked for a better start to the contest, though. In front of a crowd of 2,187, their lowest home attendance so far this season, Michael McCullagh fouled Darragh Crowley inside the box with less than 50 seconds played, and Daryl Carolan pointed straight to the penalty spot.

Seani Maguire’s initial effort was saved by Dara Kavanagh, but Mpongo was there to convert the rebound and give City the early lead.

But even as the hosts went a goal up, the ‘Usher Out’ chants that had begun with accompanying banners before throw-in continued, as fans in the Shed End expressed their frustration. Those chants would surface again after the final whistle.

Mpongo was busy for City in the opening period, he set up Maguire for a chance headed wide in the 25th minute and then teed up Cillian Murphy for another opportunity in the 32nd minute, but Luca Cailloce got a strong foot block in.

Louis Dignam almost sent Hugh Smith through for an opportunity but Rory Feely – on his return from injury – intervened to hook it away before the pass reached its intended target.

CORK CITY (4-2-3-1): Brann; Nevin, Kelleher, Feely (Kiernan 79), Drinan; Crowley, Bolger (Bridge 84); Fitzpatrick (O’Keeffe 79), Murphy (Murray 79), Mpongo; Maguire (Keating 84).

UCD (4-2-3-1): Kavanagh; O’Regan (Bolton 87), Holohan, Lennox, L Cailloce; Wells (Ogbonna 75), Dignam; McCullagh (Morley 59), Behan, K Cailloce (Akimrintoyo 60); Smith (Raggett 75).

Referee: D Carolan (Louth)