Shamrock Rovers 0-1 Cork City

Cork City, the club with rumoured debts of €800,000 and facing possible receivership in the coming weeks, have progressed to the next round of the Ford sponsored FAI Cup. The leagues best run club provided the opposition on Friday night but that fact mattered little as the Leesiders put aside their off field problems and ground out a narrow one nil win at Tolka Park.

Rovers were the better side until midway through the first half when Cork got their act together and, on balance, the first forty five minutes were pretty even.

Cork keeper Mick Devine had to come to the aid of his defence after ten minutes, when Owen Doyle went unmarked in the box from a corner. Just as Doyle connected with his head, Devine punched the danger away. Play progressed and Amond turned Joe Gamble twenty five yards from goal as if he weren’t there – but the Cork defence regrouped and were quick to intercept when Amond looked for Doyle on the edge of the box. Devine had a lucky escape a few minutes later, when he fluffed his clearance of a back pass. The ball came to Sean O’Connor, forty yards from goal, but he passed up the opportunity to go for goal.

Doyle then got in between the Cork centre back pairing of Dan Murray and Pat Sullivan, but was adjudged to have used his hand to help bring the ball under his control – otherwise he would have been in for a shot on goal from eighteen yards.

A minute later the young striker got a shot at goal when he pulled away to the left hand side of the box. Cutting inside, and opening his body up, he went looking for the far corner of the net, but was to find instead the outside of the far post, with Devine well beaten.

That was to be Rovers last real opening of the half. Alan Mathews introduced Cillian Lordan on Cork's right flank in place of Darren Murphy – and Cork immediately looked a better balanced side. With twenty five minutes gone Cork nearly took full advantage of a poor defensive header by Aidan Price. Denis Behan played in John O'Flynn on the right hand side of the box, and his powerfully hit near post volley forced Barry Murphy to concede a corner.

Stephen Rice made an important challenge on Gamble just as the Irish International looked as if he was about to burst into the Rovers penalty area. Murphy was in action again a few minutes later. He saved well from a twenty five yard free kick, and then had to keep out Liam Kearney’s low volley.

Ten minutes before the interval Behan and O'Flynn combined again to good effect. Behan pulled away from his marker and intelligently picked out his strike partner with a downward header back in the direction from which the cross came from. O'Flynn did everything right, but Murphy made a fantastic point blank save. Right on the stroke of half time Behan sent a diving header, from a Neale Horgan cross, inches wide of the upright.

Rovers nearly caught Cork cold at the beginning of the second half. Tadhg Purcell battled well, and won back possession in midfield. He progressed goalwards before picking out the run of Amond. Amond shot first time, but his effort from fifteen yards went high and wide.

Ten minutes into the half Cork were awarded a dubious corner on the right. Danny Murphy took it short to Kearney, before Murphy received back and whipped in a deep cross. Behan had moved away from his marker, into space at the back, and when the ball came his way he made no mistake with a first time finish from eight yards - his shot may have taken a slight deflection before crossing the line.

Rovers had a great chance to draw level just five minutes later – but Amond shot straight at Devine after Doyle had played him in with a smart first time pass. Rovers spent the rest of the game pushing for a goal, but for all their possession they failed to create another clear cut opening. Cork’s defence held firm – helped in no small amount by Gamble and Colin Healy sitting in front and protecting.

Indeed it was the visitors that came closest to scoring the games second goal. Healy broke free on the right and went for goal from just inside the box, when perhaps he had team mates better positioned in the centre. On the opposite wing Kearney weaved his way into the box, turning Maguire all too easily- but his shot from eight yards hit the side netting.

Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy; Ger O'Brien, Aidan Price, Darragh Maguire, Simon Madden; Tadhg Purcell, Danny O'Connor, Stephen Rice, Sean O'Connor; Padraig Amond, Eoin Doyle (Robbie Creevy, 79).
Subs not used: Robert Duggan, Pat Flynn, Darren Stapleton, Corie Treacy.

Cork City: Michael Devine; Neal Horgan, Dan Murray, Pat Sullivan, Danny Murphy; Darren Murphy (Cillian Lordan 24), Joe Gamble, Colin Healy, Liam Kearney (Darragh Ryan 90); John O'Flynn (Lawrie Dudfield, 41), Denis Behan.
Subs not used: Mark McNulty, Timmy Kiely, Sean Kelly, Alan O'Connor.

Referee: Dave McKeon.