Bohemians 0 Cork City 1

EVA Mangan struck a majestic 74th-minute goal at Dalymount Park on Saturday afternoon to guide Cork City towards a richly-earned victory over Bohemians in the SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division.

Following defeats to defending champions Peamount United and Galway United in the opening two rounds of the competition, this result now gets City up and running in the 2024 league and their manager Danny Murphy will hope that his charges can now push on from here.

There was considerable encouragement for the Leesiders coming into this contest as goals from Dorothea Greulich and Colleen Kennedy O’Connell helped them to earn a commendable 2-2 draw with Wexford Youths in Group B of the All-Island Cup at Ferrycarrig Park seven days earlier.

Bohs had opened their own All-Island Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-0 triumph at home to Linfield and on the back of these positive displays, both teams played with plenty of energy during the early exchanges. Yet aside from Mangan clipping the outside of the post from a corner on the left, and Kiera Sena lashing over from a short free-kick by Mangan, scoring opportunities were generally scarce in the opening quarter at the Phibsborough venue.

The visiting team did suffer a setback when Ellie O’Brien was carried off with an injury on 22 minutes, Aoibhin Donnelly took over from her in the City attack – but the visitors were perilously close to breaking the deadlock shortly after her withdrawal.

Having received the ball in a deep position as a result of hesitancy from Bohs goalkeeper Rachael Kelly, Mangan turned sharply on the edge of the box and her firm strike subsequently shook the woodwork before drifting behind for a goal kick.

While the Gypsies responded to this let-off by becoming more of a threat in the final third of the pitch, City netminder Clodagh Fitzgerald remained relatively untroubled and it ultimately proved to be a scoreless opening period in north Dublin.

Although there might have been an expectation that the visitors were going to come under increased pressure, it was actually City who were the more dangerous side on the resumption. After her close-range header had been saved by Kelly moments earlier, Kennedy O’Connell almost got on the end of an enticing Laura Shine cross in the 51st minute.

There was now a sense that the game was there for the taking and even though they had reason to be wary of the Gypsies attack, City deservedly edged in front with 16 minutes of normal time remaining.

Sizing up the target from an acute left-hand angle, the ever-excellent Mangan magnificently curled a shot towards the far corner of the net that left Kelly with no chance in the Bohs goal.

There were some nervous moments for the City in the dying stages of the play as the Gypsies desperately searched for an equaliser – eight minutes of stoppage time also kept their travelling supporters on tenterhooks – but Mangan’s unstoppable finish was enough to secure all three points for the Leesiders.

BOHEMIANS: Rachael Kelly; Ciara Smith (Sarah Power 60), Lisa Murphy, Tiegan Ruddy; Lynn Craven, Fiona Donelly, Aoibhe Brennan, Katie Lovely (Abbie O’Hara 75), Shauna Carroll (Aoibhe Fleming 75); Savannah Kane, Alannah McEvoy.

CORK CITY: Clodagh Fitzgerald; Alix Mendez, Niamh Cotter, Heidi Mackin, Kiera Sena; Dorothea Greulich (Barrett Edison 86), Orlaith O’Mahony; Laura Shine (Erin O’Brien 82), Eva Mangan (Jesse Mendez 86), Ellie O’Brien (Aoibhin Donnelly 22); Colleen Kennedy O’Connell (Aoife Robinson 91).

Referee: John Sconnie Walsh.