St Patrick's Athletic 0 Cork City 2Widely tipped before the start of the new season as a serious threat to the stranglehold of the Dublin clubs in the league, Cork City travelled to the southside of the capital last night for their fifth game already threatened with being left lagging behind by their major rivals.
Defeats by Shamrock Rovers and, particularly, Waterford earlier this week must have come as jolts to the system down around Turner's Cross but a loss here followed by another to Shelbourne on Monday evening would have left Pat Dolan's men 12 points behind the defending champions with just a sixth of the season completed.
Instead, sweetly taken goals from Michael Nwanko and John O'Flynn were enough to secure much needed points and, one presumes, boost confidence ahead of what should be a more testing encounter in a couple of days.
Had either side proved capable of stringing more than a couple of passes together the opening half might have been up to more.
It may have had its moments, most memorably Alan Bennett's clearance off the line for the visitors and O'Flynn's attempt to lob Chris Adamson from 40 yards, but there were far too many errors for it to develop into a contest of real quality.
Paul Rose probably went closest to opening the scoring during those first 45 minutes, the St Patrick's striker benefiting from a perceptive piece of play by Cameroon international Joseph Ndo that left him with bundles of space to run into as the City defence scrambled across to cover.
He couldn't provide the required finish, though, with Michael Devine blocking an initial attempt to round him and Bennett taking care of the follow-up.
O'Flynn's effort was far more speculative with the under-21 international launching what looked a hopelessly optimistic attempt on goal after his marker had slipped as the pair turned.
This time, however, the goalkeeper didn't cope well with the threat and Adamson must have been relieved to see the ball hop harmlessly wide after allowing what looked a straightforward catch to slip through his hands.
What flowing attacking football the game did produce came from City with Neale Fenn showing neat touches, fine positional sense and a knack for finding a well-placed team mate.
Beside him O'Flynn consistently threatened while George O'Callaghan and Nwanko made a positive contribution.
Until Nwanko's goal the hosts coped well enough at the back, however, with Darragh Maguire and Colm Foley looking far more solid around their own area than their opposite numbers in the Cork side.
At right back the approach of Greg O'Halloran, making his first start of the season, was a little firmer than those inside him but the general uncertainty might well have cost the visitors had Eamonn Collins' frontmen made more of their chances.
They didn't, though and when Fenn fed O'Flynn for the game's second goal 20 minutes from time the game was effectively over.
St Patrick's battled for something, if only pride, through the closing stages but the visitors rarely looked seriously troubled and it only got worse for Collins late on when Kharim El Khebir was sent-off for raising his hand to Colin O'Brien.
ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC: Adamson; Quigley, Foley, Maguire, El Khebir; Fahey, Ndo, Casey (Osam, 82 mins), Dunne (Jones, 66 mins); Rose, Bird.
CORK CITY: Devine; O'Halloran, Bennett, Murray, Murphy; Doyle, O'Callaghan, O'Brien, Nwanko; O'Flynn, Fenn (Sweeney, 91 mins).
Referee: P McKeon (Dublin).
