Sport

O'Flynn inspires Cork

Sligo Rovers 0 Cork City 3: John O'Flynn rekindled Cork City's National League title hopes with a magnificent second half goal…

Wed Sept 13 2006 - 01:00

Sligo Rovers 0 Cork City 3: John O'Flynn rekindled Cork City's National League title hopes with a magnificent second half goal at the Showgrounds last night. O'Flynn got possession in the centre of the field after 76 minutes and raced past several Sligo players before drilling a superb low shot past Sligo goalkeeper John O'Hara for Cork's second goal.

Neale Fenn put the icing on the Cork cake with a crisp 89th minute goal from a free-kick to give them their first win in six outings.

Sligo's hopes received a setback at the start of the second-half when Brian Cash was stretchered off injured to be replaced by in-form striker Paul McKiernan.

Sligo stepped up a gear in the early stages of the second half with Harpal Singh and Darren Mansaram putting the Cork defence under pressure but Michael Devine was equal to anything that eluded his defence. The Cork goalkeeper raced yards off his line to save when McKiernan was allowed acres of space.

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A timely interception by O'Hara denied Fenn after 54 minutes in the visitors' first real chance of the second half.

Earlier, Roy O'Donovan put City ahead in the 10th minute heading past John O'Hara, following a clever cross from Fenn.

Sligo struggled to get past a solid Cork defence early on and their first chance of the game came to nothing when Conor O'Grady ballooned a close range shot over the bar.

Cork responded and Danny Murphy fired over the bar from a free kick from just outside the box on the half hour mark.

Striker Mansaram was one on one with Devine after 34 minutes but the goalkeeper was smartly off his line to avert the danger.

Sean Connors' side posed a threat in the 38th minute when a well-flighted free kick from 35 yards was met at the butt of the post by Michael McNamara whose effort was again cleared to safety by Devine.

However, Mansaram then failed to finish from close range at the opposite post.

SLIGO ROVERS: O'Hara, Peers, Foy, McNamara, Burns, O'Grady, Hughes, Mansaram, Turner, Singh, Cash, Subs: McKiernan for Cash (52 mins). Kudozovic for O'Grady (83 mins).

CORK: Devine, Murphy, Bennett, Murray, O'Brien, Fenn, O'Flynn, Woods, O'Donovan, Gamble, Horgan. Subs: Lordan for Woods (74 mins), Sullivan for O'Flynn (86 mins).

Referee: P Tuite (Dublin)