LEAGUE OF IRELAND PREMIER DIVISION Drogheda Utd 0 Cork City 1HAVING BEEN watched by a couple of Reading coaching staff in midweek, Dave Mooney clearly continues to interest the Championship outfit; Steve Coppell was at United Park yesterday to see the former Shamrock Rovers and Longford Town striker score a penalty to move his side to within two points of the top of the Premier Division table.
Coppell's appearance at the game coincided with reports over the weekend that the Reading boss is prepared to offer around €500,000 for the 23-year-old striker who, despite having been the league's leading scorer and player of the year last year, failed to secure a sufficiently attractive offer from an English club prior to signing for Cork City just before the start of the season.
Since then he had scored 19 goals in 24 games for the southerners and yesterday's second-half spot-kick made it 20 in four different competitions. It was clearly enough to prompt a visit by Coppell, although as he left the ground shortly before the end he refused to comment on whether he would bid for Mooney.
The goal was the high point of Mooney's day after he earned a somewhat soft penalty by pushing the ball past Graham Gartland and then stumbling as the centre back mistimed his challenge.
He had passed up a couple of half chances as well as one good one late in the first half, when he cut inside from the left to beat Shaun Maher but sent a curling shot wide of the right-hand post.
"He's disappointed with aspects of his performance out there today and feels he should have scored another goal but I thought he did well to get the penalty and then score it so I certainly think he's done all right," said Alan Mathews City's manager.
Mathews, who confirmed he expects a deal to be done with Sunderland for 19-year-old midfielder Dave Meyler in the coming days, refused to put a price on Mooney, insisting his preference is to keep him at Turner's Cross.
But he acknowledged the club would find a substantial offer hard to turn down and cited DJ Campbell's move from the Conference in England to Birmingham City for around €1 million last year as the sort of transfer City might look to if they have to name a figure.
The defeat was a major setback for Drogheda, who had battled hard while struggling to carve out clear chances in a disappointing game. To make matter worse, Shane Robinson was forced off at half-time with a medial-ligament injury that will keep him out of Wednesday's Champions League game in Estonia and for a month or so beyond.
Paul Keegan is also a doubt for the Levadia game after getting a dead leg at Dalymount last week.
"Hopefully he'll make it," said Paul Poolin, "because if he doesn't we'd really be in a bit of trouble."
United's best chance yesterday came late on when Declan O'Brien headed a Shaun Williams cross well over.
Doolin conceded his side had struggled in front of goal: "We didn't create anything in either half really but then they didn't manage too much either . . . It's a disappointing result but we just have to pick ourselves up now ahead of the European tie."
DROGHEDA UNITED:Connor; Byrne, Maher, Gartland, Cahill; Baker, Hughes (O'Brien, 71 mins), Robinson (Tambouras, half-time), Ristila (Williams, half-time); Zayed, Kuduzovic.
CORK CITY:Devine; Horgan, Sullivan, Murray, Danny Murphy; Lordan, Darren Murphy, Healy, Kearney; Mooney, Behan.
Referee:D Hancock (Dublin).
