Cork City 0 - 6 West Brom
Credit:
Nicolas Anelka scored a classy hat-trick as an experimental Cork City side were comfortably beaten 6-0 by a full strength West Brom at Turner’s Cross on Tuesday night.
This mid-season friendly was billed as the big return of Shane Long to Leeside with the Tipperary man captaining West Brom for the night, but fellow striker Anelka stole the show with his silky skills captivating the 2,371 in attendance.
Cork included former favourites Liam Kearney and Ray Lally in an unfamiliar starting line-up, both players having recently returned from Australia.
It was City’s second game in two days and caretaker manager Stuart Ashton clearly had one eye on Friday’s hugely important league clash with Bohemians as he rested a number of first team regulars, although there was a place for Colin Healy as he continued his return to fitness.
There were chances for both sides in an entertaining first half but it was the Premier League side who took the lead in the 25th minute when Dorrans whipped in a dangerous cross from the right that Anelka managed to chest in at the front post.
City should have been level just before half-time when, first, Andy O’Connell rose well in the box to meet Daryl Horgan’s cross from the right but Ben Foster was equal to his header, then Ciaran Kilduff had a golden opportunity after he intercepted the keeper’s attempted throw to Steven Reid but with only the keeper to beat the striker blazed over.
That chance was a wake-up call for the Premier League side and they immediately made it 2-0 down the other end when Scottish international Graham Dorrans clinically curled in from the edge of the box.
Both sides were given warm applause after a riveting first half that ended 2-0 to West Brom but could so easily have been 1-1.
West Brom were quickest out of the traps for the second half and were four up before City knew what hit them.
Anelka scored the third, his second, in the 46th minute when his first time effort curled perfectly into the top corner and Shane Long made it four soon after on his return to Leeside as he cut in from the left before firing a low shot into the far bottom corner.
It was 5-0 just past the hour when Anelka completed his hat-trick after he calmly slotted past Dave Ryan – the goal set up by another penetrating run from Long.
City had their first chance of a one-sided second half when referee Anthony Buttimer awarded a penalty after Goran Popov clumsily felled substitute Rob Lehane in the box but striker Andy O’Connell went for power, too much power, and the ball flew over the crossbar.
Dorrans completed the scoring on 73 minutes when he raced clear of the Cork defence, past Ryan and tapped into an empty net.
Cork City: Dave Ryan (David Browne 77); John Kavanagh (Alan Browne), Eoghan Murphy, Kalen Spillane, Ray Lally (Jason Forde 75); Daryl Horgan (Stephen Kenny 56), Brian Lenihan (Gearóid Morrissey 85),Colin Healy (Shane Duggan 46, Darren Murphy 77), Liam Kearney (Jason Abbott 75), Andy O’Connell (Anthony McAlavey 77), Ciaran Kilduff (Rob Lehane 56).
West Brom: Ben Foster (Boaz Myhill 65); Steven Reid, Gareth McCauley (Liam Ridgewell 65), Craig Dawson, Goran Popov, Graham Dorrans (Kemar Roofe 77), Youssouf Mulumbu, Claudio Yacob (James Morisson 45), Chris Brunt (Saido Berahino 65), Nicolas Anelka (Billy Jones 77), Shane Long (Markus Rosenberg 65).
Referee: Anthony Buttimer
Attendance: 2,371
Extratime.ie Man of the match: Nicolas Anelka (WBA).
