FAI Cup Report: Cork City 4 - 0 St Patrick's Athletic

See pictures from this game by Michael P Ryan here.

Cork City ran out with a convincing victory over last year’s Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup champions St Patrick’s Athletic. Goals from Gary Buckley (2), Mark O’Sullivan and Billy Dennehy sealed a convincing win for City.

Tonight’s televised fixture was the star game of this round, but with the game being live on tv the crowd wasn’t as big as one normally expects in Turners Cross.

City started the brighter of the two sides and were nearly in front on four minutes when a quick Liam Miller free kick found Karl Sheppard but Brendan Clarke got down to push it out for a corner.

At the other end Conan Byrne should have done much better when a defensive lapse left him one on one with Mark McNulty but the weak shot beat McNulty only for Alan Bennett to get back and clear the ball off the line much to the relief of the Shed end.

Thirteen is an unlucky number and City were unlucky not to open their account on that many minutes when Gary Buckley’s low shot was saved by Clarke into the path of Mark O’Sullivan only for the ex-Avondale players shot to be ruled out for offside by the linesman. City was now having a good period of play and on twenty minutes Colin Healy saw his shot from the edge of the box deflected out for a corner.

But that was as good as it would get for City in the opening period as Pat’s grew more into the game and were unlucky not to go ahead on the half hour when Chris Forrester’s cross found Byrne who headed the ball across the goal to Aaron Greene but the header was blocked on the line by Alan Bennett hitting off Mark McNulty on the way to safety. Minutes later James Chambers thought he had broken the deadlock when his header went past McNulty only for Dan Murray to clear the ball, once again, to safety.

The Inchicore side were now spraying the ball around through Greg Bolger and Chambers as City were struggling to hold onto possession for any significant amount of time.

With half time approaching both sides had further shots with Bolger chipping over from 30 yards on 43 minutes and then O’Connor nearly finished off a well worked training ground routine from a corner following Gary Buckley’s deflected shot.

City came out a different side in the second half and took the lead inside the opening three minutes when John Kavanagh was fouled on the edge of the box allowing Ross Gaynor’s free kick find Buckley at the back post and he bundled it in past Brendan Clarke.

The second came five minutes later when O’Sullivan dispossessed Lee Desmond only to smash it into the net from 25 yards. City were now playing with a flair that had been missing in the previous two games and Colin Healy then  embarked on a long run down the wing before paying the ball off to Sheppard but Clarke was equal to his effort.

On 65 minutes City went further ahead as Ross Gaynor’s shot was blocked by Clarke only to fall to Buckley who scored his second of the night.

Pat’s tried to get back into it soon after with Chambers seeing his free from the edge of the box deflected wide for a corner.

The last goal came through Billy Dennehy – with the former Shamrock Rovers winger making his first appearance in a City jersey since the home leg against KR Reykjavik. Sheppard got onto a breakaway shot and with Desmond closing in on him he passed to Dennehy to tap home to seal a very comprehensive victory.

Cork City: Mark McNulty; Michael McSweeney, Alan Bennett, Dan Murray, Kevin O’Connor (John Kavanagh 45, Billy Dennehy 68); Colin Healy, Liam Miller; Karl Sheppard, Gary Buckley, Ross Gaynor; Mark O’Sullivan (Liam Kearney 75).

Subs not used: Alan Smith, John O’Flynn, Billy Dennehy, Danny O’Connell.

Yellow Cards: Murray (32), Healy (41).

St Patricks Athletic: Brendan Clarke; Ger O’Brien, Jason McGuinness, Lee Desmond, Ian Bermingham; Greg Bolger; Conan Byrne (Sean Hoare 65), Killian Brennan (Jamie McGrath 54), James Chambers, Chris Forrester; Aaron Greene (Morgan Langley 83).

Subs: Conor O’Malley, Sam Verdon, Darragh Markey, Jack Bayly.

Yellow Cards:  O’Brien (53), Chambers (79).

Referee: Paul McLaughlin.

Attendance: 1,778.

Extratime.ie Man of the match: Colin Healy (Cork City).