Late flurry sees Cork City past stubborn Finn Harps
Ruairí Keating helped Cork City get back on track with a win in Donegal. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
A 3-0 win, and one that very much flattered Cork City in the League of Ireland First Division on Friday night.
There wasn’t much between the teams as both sides struggled to create at Finn Park, but the Leesiders got over the line in the end, courtesy of Joel Bradley Walsh’s own goal and a couple of late hits.
Ultimately, the result is the only thing that mattered. Threats of a slide have been quashed, and City got themselves firmly back on track, as they gear up for home games on Monday and Friday.
“There are bits that we need to get better at,” Barry Robson said after the win over Finn Harps. “We are trying to do that, don't get me wrong.
“We need to remember where we're at. I think we're back to 17 points clear. We need to race to the finish.”
They certainly did that against Harps, though it took a lot longer than Robson would have wanted for City to finally get the breakthrough.
Substitute Niall O’Keeffe fed Darragh Crowley with an excellent threaded pass in the 68th minute, and while Crowley’s squared ball was intended for Ruairi Keating, it clipped Bradley Walsh and went into the net on its way.
City came close again in the 73rd minute when Cillian Murphy drove a good ball into the box, and while Hans Mpongo shot from a couple of yards out, Lorenzo Piaia made a stellar point-blank save.
The hosts lacked the punch they needed to get the goal back, and City punished them for it in the 89th minute.
Crowley dispossessed Tony McNamee, Keating picked up the loose ball and played a one-two with Seani Maguire, before dispatching low into the corner to kill the game. Cillian Murphy broke through for the third goal two minutes later and took it well, but it was especially pleasing for Robson to get Maguire back on the pitch.
“Yeah, listen, he's still going to take time to get up and running, don't get me wrong,” Robson added.
“That's his first appearance for us again. We've got a game on Monday coming.
“We're starting to get a couple of players back again, which is good. The more good players we've got, it's the first time in a good while we've managed to have some players fit again. Brilliant to have him back, Keats on the score sheet again, Cillian on the score sheet again.
“I think [it was] a really good performance, totally professional. I don't even think they had a shot on goal, I think we did well tonight. I know over the last couple of games we've lost goals.
“Our counter-pressure was so good and we went forward rather than back where we retreated a few times.
"We stopped their transitions tonight, we worked on that more last week. That got us really back into the groove again.”
It was very much a low-key first half, with play interrupted three times in the opening 24 minutes to deal with injuries, and Harps’ Conor Tourish would be forced to give way to Josh Cullen after 20 minutes.
The only real moment of the half came from Crowley, who forced a brilliant save from Piaia with a long-distance strike in the 33rd minute. The only test Finn Harps put together in that period was a free-kick from Bernardo Monteiro that was awkward for Brann to deal with.
But on the restart, Cork City were far sharper, and they would eventually find a way through.
Piaia; Coyle, Hutchinson, Tourish (Cullen 20 inj), Walsh; McNamee, Brogan; Priosti (McAteer 69), Harkin, Lumingo (Bosakani 53); Monteiro.
Brann; Feely, Kelleher, Lyons; Fitzpatrick (Maguire 59), Bolger (O’Keeffe 58), Crowley, Drinan; Mpongo (Nevin 80), Keating, Murphy.
A Patchell (Dublin)
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