Cork City hit Treaty United for four in second-half rout
Hans Mpongo, Cork City, dribbles past Steven Healy, Treaty United during their First Division clash at Turner's Cross. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Two drastically different halves of football, but a blitz in the latter act led by Cillian Murphy and Hans Mpongo fired Barry Robson’s side to a 4-0 victory, sealing a seventh consecutive First Division win and extending their lead at the top to 15 points on Friday evening.
And it seemed very unlikely after the first-half showing where the hosts were so far off the pace.
“Pace and urgency and that's what we normally have as a team,” Robson said after the win. “It's not like us. Sometimes you're not going to play so well but I thought our distances, passing forward, running forward, speed, urgency – none of it was there.
“We looked disjointed. It's not like us. Then we got them in at half time, spoke to them, sorted a few things out and then the real Cork City came out.
“Listen, sometimes you get that in 45 minutes but we went from being so below what I expected us to absolutely some unbelievable stuff and I’d just [want] a bit more consistency in that.”
They had started the second period in a much more threatening manner, and by the 52nd minute they had found the opener at Turner’s Cross in front of 2,105. It was an Mpongo assist to a Ruairí Keating finish, with the Dutchman’s cross placed perfectly for Keating to head to the corner and net his fifth goal in four games.
“He’s learning, he's still learning on the job,” Robson remarked. “We kind of get carried away with him too much. We put a lot of work into him.
“He's listening to exactly what we're saying and if he keeps doing that, he was a player when I first came here, he wanted to come short to the ball and do this, do that. Now we're getting him to use his electric speed. This is where you're going to hurt players.
“This is where you're going to do it. This is what's going to terrify defences and he's starting to do that now.”
Once they had hit the first there was a sense that Treaty weren’t going to find a way back, and any doubt around that was shut down when the hosts added their next goal four minutes later.
Commencing with a Murphy tackle, he won possession broke past one defender, then retained possession despite the challenge of another, before threaded it through sweetly to Mpongo, and he drilled it into the top corner.
The Dutchman would get his brace in the 62nd minute, topping his earlier exploits of a left-footed assist by going and scoring with it, as he finished to the net from close range following an excellent layup from substitute Matthew Murray.
The third strike guaranteed the seventh straight win and drew another display of footwork from Mpongo, who decided to break out the moves and put on a show for the Brazilian guests in attendance.
City could have added a fourth two minutes after when Murphy slipped through again. He aimed his shot across goal toward the far corner, but it came off the post, and though City failed to convert the rebound, his chance would come.
After 84 minutes, Murphy got the goal his performance certainly merited, striking sweetly into the corner from just inside the box.
It was a result that didn’t exactly look likely after the first 45. Treaty United had spent the opening 30 in control and City sorely lacked rhythm. But, as has been the case for many of City’s opponents in the First Division this season, they couldn’t capitalise when they needed to.
The Leesiders’ best chance in the first half hour didn’t even materialise into a shot. Greg Bolger hooked away a weak Treaty corner kick up ahead to Murphy, but under pressure from two defenders, he would end up losing out to Robbie Lynch before he could get within range.
Mpongo put the pressure on again just before the break after a good pass from Murphy, but despite the liveliness the hosts still lacked end product. Charlie Lyons came close with a headed effort in the 54th minute, but City wouldn’t have to wait much longer for their breakthrough.
Brann; Drinan, Lyons (Downey 70), O’Connor, O’Keeffe; Crowley, Bolger (Bridge 66); Mpongo, Maguire (Murray 60), Murphy; Keating.
Fitzpatrick; R Lynch, Nwankwo, B Lynch; Byrne (Yoro 68), Murphy, Healy (Ohin 64), Manning (Conroy 64), Oyenuga (Lawlor 64); Curtis (Layne 83), Feeney.
M Lynch (Galway)
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