MATCH ANALYSIS
Daire Walsh
THEY remain mathematically in the running, but with just five games left to play and a six-point gap to close, last night’s surprise 4-2 defeat to Bohemians may well have ended Cork City’s Premier Division title hopes for 2018.
Just seven days out from the visit of arch-rivals Dundalk to Turner’s Cross, City were expected to maintain their push for back-to-back crowns.
The Gypsies weren’t prepared to be a footnote in the latest saga between the two clubs, though, and they stunned City with a stunning display of attacking football.
The damage was done in the opening period, when Bohs exploited their opponents’ defensive frailties in a devastatingly ruthless fashion. In addition to being six adrift, City have played a game more than Stephen Kenny’s Lilywhites.
This means that, even if Cork manage to pull a result out of the fire on home soil next week, they will require favours from other teams in order to remain top of the pile.
The occasional misstep aside, Dalymount Park had proven to be a happy hunting ground for City in recent seasons. You have to go back to July 25 2014 for the last time they tasted defeat in a league fixture at the north Dublin venue, when current City full-back Steven Beattie was on target for Bohs in a 2-0 victory.
Yet, in spite of the 30-point gap that separated them in the table, it was Bohs who were arguably the form team heading into the game.
Including a 1-0 triumph over Peterhead in the second round of the IRN-BRU Cup last Saturday at Balmoor, they had registered six straight successes in all competitions. In comparison, City’s post-Europa League performances had been decidedly mixed.
Although they comfortably overcame the challenges of Maynooth University Town and Longford Untied in the FAI Cup, a 2-1 defeat to Sligo Rovers on August 31 was preceded by a frustrating home draw with St Patrick’s Athletic.
Indeed, given the ‘must-win nature of the tie, it was understandable that there was some nerves within the City ranks. However, it was a real shock to the system for their travelling supporters when they fell 3-0 behind inside the opening half-hour.
The return of former Republic of Ireland defender Damien Delaney for his second spell at the club has been a bonus for John Caulfield in the second half of the season, but it was a breakdown in communication between the towering defender and Peter Cherrie that inadvertently handed the initiative to the hosts.
There appeared to be little danger when Delaney picked up possession close to the left-hand touchline, even if Gypsies striker Dinny Corcoran ensured an easy pass out of defence wasn’t an option.
The ex-Avondale United youth star instead opted to pass the ball back to Cherrie – but with the City netminder out of position, his overhit ball drifted into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. This was the first goal Bohs scored in this fixture since May 2015 and they were eager to make up for lost time.
Though both sides set up in identical 4-2-3-1 formations, Bohs proceeded to dictate the play with their high energy levels and controlled aggression. There achieved a perfect balance in attack, where the physicality of lone striker Dinny Corcoran dovetailed superbly with the pace and trickery of Daniel Kelly, Keith Ward and Kevin Devaney.
Cutting inside off the right-wing, Kelly glided past the challenges of Aaron Barry and Delaney before doubling his side’s lead with an unstoppable left-footed drive.
He subsequently showed that he is equally adept on his right foot moments later, after a through-ball by Keith Ward (who toiled effectively between the lines) left him one-on-one with Cherrie.
With their title aspirations hanging by a thread, City needed to get some kind of foothold in the game. They had an aerial advantage over their opponents for much of the contest – and Beattie’s 36th-minute delivery on the right-flank was powerfully headed home by the ever-dependable Graham Cummins.
They needed to shore up their defence if they had designs on executing a season-defining comeback, however, and Derek Pender subsequently linked up with Devaney for a well-worked fourth in first-half stoppage-time. Heading for a sixth league loss of 2018, the City management introduced Conor McCarthy for a struggling Delaney on the restart.
While there wasn’t a drastic alteration to the City approach, greater attacking urgency provided them with a pathway back into contention in the 57th-minute.
After swapping wings with Barry McNamee, Karl Sheppard produced an inch-perfect cross on the left-hand side for Jimmy Keohane to head past a helpless Shane Supple.
While it wasn’t exactly a case of ‘game on’, there was now a sense of anxiety amongst the Bohs faithful. Further chances ensued for City in an often frantic final-quarter, most notably a glancing header by Gearoid Morrissey that floated inches wide of the target.
A third goal for City would have heralded a gripping finale to an already engrossing affair. As it was, City couldn’t bridge the two-goal gap and consequently slipped further behind Dundalk with the finishing line very much in sight.