Cork City 1 St Patrick’s Athletic 1

Cork City began life under new manager John Caulfield with a draw after the 10 men of the home side held out against champions St Patrick’s Athletic at Turner’s Cross last night.

With City leading at half-time after Garry Buckley’s goal shortly before the interval, they found themselves pegged back early in the second period as Christy Fagan headed an equaliser for St Patrick’s.

When home captain John Dunleavy was dismissed for a second booking midway through the second period, the hosts were up against it but they more than deserved the hard-earned point.

Despite having to line out without late withdrawal Killian Brennan, the champions began brightly, with Keith Fahey looking as if he had never been away.

He dictated the tempo in midfield despite the hosts’ best pressing efforts and in the 13th minute Pat’s should really have taken the lead.

After a nice Conan Byrne over the top caught the Cork defence unawares, Chris Forrester had a relatively easy chance but his effort was off-target.

Gradually, though, Cork began to assert themselves in midfield and weaved together some very nice patterns.

Incisive break
Colin Healy had a half-volley not far wide from Brian Lenihan's pass and then Billy Dennehy's low cross was just too far ahead of Buckley after a swift, incisive break.

On 39 minutes, only a Ken Oman intervention prevented Anthony Elding getting on the end of Liam Kearney’s cross, but Cork were firmly in the ascendancy now.

After Elding was fouled on the edge of the area, goalkeeper Brendan Clarke needed to push Billy Dennehy’s free kick around the post, but the goal came from the subsequent corner.

From Healy’s delivery, captain John Dunleavy got the faintest of flick-ons and though Oman kept the ball out, Buckley was there to head home.

The opening stages of the second half brought little in the way of goalmouth action though Pat’s were generally on top.

In the 56th minute, they drew level when Lee Lynch’s cross from the right found Fagan unmarked and he did well to head past Mark McNulty from 10 yards.

By that stage, Cork had amassed five yellow cards – four in the first half – and it was almost inevitable that one yellow would become red and so it proved when Dunleavy picked up another caution for what the referee deemed persistent fouling.

UCD 0 Bohemians 3

Well-taken goals from Paddy Kavanagh and Dinny Corcoran helped get Bohemians’ season off to the ideal start at the UCD Bowl. And Jason Byrne rowed in with a late third off the bench to continue his record quest.

Soon on the back foot after a bright start, UCD could have been three down within 20 minutes. Kavanagh flashed a 25-yard shot wide on 11 minutes before crossing for Karl Moore to plant a volley on the turn off a post five minutes later.

Craig Walsh then burst through on goal as UCD goalkeeper Conor O’Donnell had to be brave to save at the midfielder’s feet.

Bohemians duly deserved their lead when it came on 35 minutes. Not surprisingly it came from Kavanagh, as the best player on the pitch in the first half collected Moore's pass to cut in from the left and curl a delightful right-footed shot to the top corner of the net from outside the area.

Miscued
UCD had a bit more about them from the start of the second half and Robbie Benson miscued in front of goal from Gareth Matthews's cross.

But terrific feet from Corcoran, who turned adroitly in the area, before shooting home off the far post on 63 minutes, sealed Bohemians’ deserved victory.

Substitute Byrne added the gloss with a diving header on 87 minutes after O’Donnell had brilliantly parried away a drive from Steven Beattie.

Limerick 0 Bray Wanderers 0

hane Duggan’s tenure as Limerick captain got off to a dramatic start at Thomond Park when he was sent off with 21 minutes remaining of a contest that failed to sparkle.

The ex-Cork City player and Limerick native was shown a yellow card after 13 minutes and then saw red when referee Kevin O’Regan ruled that he deliberately dived.

And Bray’s David Cassidy joined him when he, too, was shown a second yellow 12 minutes from the end.

Referee O’Regan could have had as many notes as a journalist because in addition to the two red cards he also flashed five other yellow cards.

Bray will be happier with the result but Limerick will rue not taking full points from a game which they were expected to win before an attendance of 1,307.

In a largely uneventful opening 20 minutes Limerick also had Patrick Nzuzi yellow-carded and David Cassidy was also carded.

Scoring chances were few and far between with Adam Hanlon and Jake Kelly both shooting over for the visitors before Limerick’s first chance came after half an hour but Shaun Kelly shot straight at goalkeeper Shane Redmond from a pass by Jason Hughes.

Limerick substitute Val Feeney struck a Bray defender with a strong shot after 65 minutes.

Limerick had a chance four minutes from the end but a good tackle by Adam Mitchell denied Rory Gaffney as a draw was a fitting result.

Drogheda United 4 Dundalk 1

Nine-man Drogheda United began the new campaign with an emphatic victory over Dundalk at United Park last night in what was a repeat of last term’s heated FAI Cup semi-final.

Drogheda suffered a blow after only ten minutes when goalkeeper Michael Schlingermann was injured and was replaced by David Ryan.

Dundalk’s best chance of the first half came on 20 minutes, when Daryl Horgan’s delicate lob shaved the upright.

After 30 minutes an Eric Foley free-kick found the head of Paul Andrews, whose point-blank header drew a reflex save from Peter Cherrie.

Just eight minutes later, Foley found the top corner with a rasping 25-yard free-kick to give Drogheda side the lead.

After the half-time whistle, Drogheda's Phillip Hughes and Simon Kelly of Dundalk – both substitutes – receiving red cards following a large melee in the tunnel area as the players departed the pitch.

Volley
Drogheda doubled their lead after 49 minutes when captain Gavin Brennan's back-post volley bounced into the ground and looped over the advancing Cherrie.

On 54 minutes, the game was over as a contest as Michael Daly’s cross-cum-shot found Declan O’Brien lurking on the six-yard box and he fired home to make it 3-0

Patrick Hoban threw Dundalk a lifeline when he headed home sub Darren Meenan’s cross from the right.

But O’Brien struck again on 68 minutes to complete the scoring, stooping low to head home from Brennan’s free-kick. Drogheda captain Brennan saw red late on following a wild lunge at Stephen O’Donnell.