REBEL YELL
Morrissey boomer sees off Lilywhites
AMOMENT of magic from Gearoid Morrissey with half an hour to go earned Cork City the points as they opened up some daylight between themselves and Dundalk.
As Daniel Cleary’s header looped invitingly in Morrissey’s direction on the edge of the box, the Cork midfielder adjusted his body with a quick swivel of his hips to get himself in prime position.
Even with Jamie McGrath sprinting from his blind spot on the left, Morrissey maintained his composure to connect with the sweetest of leftfooted volleys.
Before Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers had a chance to react, the ball was in the net and Morrissey was wheeling away in celebration in front of the Shed End.
It was the defining moment of the game, the piece of decisive class which pierced through the monotony of the previous hour.
Even in April, and with so much football yet to play, the final whistle was greeted with joyous abandon from the raucous home support. Cork held on and are now ahead of their great rivals who, just for good measure, have tasted defeat for the first time this season.
Cork are three clear with a visit to Shamrock Rovers on Monday and that’s what John Caulfield was already focusing his attention on.
‘It’s just another three points,’ he said. ‘Rovers will be an unbelievably tough game, it’s a quick turnaround. It’s all about moving on to the next game now.’
Stephen Kenny felt it was a game his side didn’t deserve to lose and rued that there wasn’t enough football played, but Cork proved once again that they have become masters of the fine margins.
The winner came at a point when Dundalk came close to going in front twice, and it was Caulfield’s recognition of the visitors’ increased confidence that led to the introduction of Garry Buckley 60 seconds before Morrissey’s strike settled the game. The midfielder replaced Jimmy Keohane and instantly offered more of an attacking threat by breaking into the box and side-footing a shot off the bar which led to Cleary’s panicked clearance in the direction of Morrissey.
He was the calmest man in the place as he sent Turners Cross wild with celebration. They continued as the players left the pitch at the final whistle as Dundalk were unable to find a way through for an equaliser with Robbie Benson’s wild snap shot in the final 10 minutes the closest they came.
Considering Cork had not conceded a goal at home in the league and Dundalk’s defence had yet to be breached on their travels, it was to be expected that both would start solid and organised.
Combine that with an inability to create in the final third and it made for a dour opening 45 minutes.
There may have been a lack of ingenuity or rhythm to any sort of passing game from both sets of players but it wasn’t a totally lifeless affair. There were enough crunching tackles, niggly individual battles and cross words between those on the benches to keep the tension simmering.
It never quite reached boiling point, even if Sean Gannon’s fourth-minute yellow card for a crunching late tackle on league debutant Danny Kane threatened to provide an early spark.
Cleary did hit the post with a glancing header from a Michael Duffy corner at the midway point in the first-half and the former then curled a shot inches wide just after the halfhour mark, but other than that the only points of note were some hefty challenges and the fall-outs which resulted.
Centre back Cleary was involved in a rigorous battle with Cork striker Graham Cummins and it tells you all you need to know about their exchanges that they were carried out almost exclusively in the air.
And that’s where Morrissey plucked a bit of magic from to send the champions back to the top. CORK CITY: McNulty; Horgan, McLoughlin, McCarthy, Kane; Sheppard, Morrissey, McCormack (c), Keohane (Buckley 58), McNamee (Cummins 80); Cummins (O’Hanlon 87). Scorer: Morrissey 59 Booked: Keohane 51 DUNDALK: Rogers, Gannon (Folan H/T), Hoare, Cleary, Massey (c); Mountney (Connolly 82), Shields, Benson, McGrath (Murray 66), Duffy; Hoban. Booked: Gannon 5 Referee: N Doyle (Dublin)