Derry City 1 Cork City 2:Cork City continue to find the Brandywell a happy hunting ground. On this occasion, however, they would admit that Derry City could have been out of sight by the half-time whistle.

The home side squandered a number of glorious first-half chances and Cork punished them when equalising with their first chance of the match in the 45th minute.

Having opened brightly, the home side should have broken the deadlock in the fifth minute but Gareth McGlynn's volley failed to hit the target.

Derry's persistence eventually paid off six minutes later when Killian Brennan deservedly volleyed his side into the lead following a Kevin Deery cross.

The home side continued to force the issue but striker Kevin McHugh missed two glorious chances in as many minutes and, two minutes before the break, fellow front man Mark Farren squandered another superb opportunity following a defensive error.

As always seems to happen, Cork restored equality just before half-time when Denis Behan latched on to Ollie Horgan's cross and, while the striker appeared to miss-hit his effort, the ball looped into the net over the head of debutant goalkeeper Dave McEwan.

Derry continued to drive forward after the break and on the hour a Ruaidhri Higgins cross found the head of the unmarked McGlynn who directed the ball wide for what was a terrible miss.

Cork made Derry pay again when Liam Kearney's corner was palmed out by goalkeeper McEwan and when Joe Gamble returned the ball into the danger area John O'Flynn forced the ball over the line from close range.

DERRY CITY: McEwan; Deery (McDaid, 82 mins), Oman, McCallion, Hargan; McGlynn , Higgins, Martyn, Brennan; McHugh, Farren.

CORK CITY: Devine; Horgan, Murray, O'Callaghan, Woods; McSweeney, O'Brien, Gamble, Kearney; Behan, O'Flynn (Softic, 65 mins).

Referee: D McKeon (Dublin).