Wexford Youths 2 - 1 Cork City

• James Phelan
• Sun, Oct 31 2010


Wexford Youths ended their season on a high when they beat Cork City 2-1 at Ferrycarrig Park thanks to an own goal from Cillian Lordan and a second from Danny Furlong. Cork pulled a goal back late on as Gavin Kavanagh scored and they also had substitute Eoghan Lougheed sent off in second half stoppage time.

It was a fairly dull encounter in the south-east as both sides had little to play for in the final game of the Airtricity Division One season.

Gary Sheahan started extremely lively for the Wexford Youths and was giving full-back Neal Horgan a torrid evening. It was Cork who had the first chance of the half however when Graham Cummins nicked the ball off Shane Nolan and found himself clear on goal on the right hand side of the pitch. The former Waterford United striker tried the spectacular and his shot went horribly wide after just 7 minutes on the clock.

Cork found themselves feeding off scraps for the entire first half and it didn’t go down well with their large travelling contingent. City dominated the possession, but it was the Youths who carved out the best chances of the first half.

On 17 minutes a high ball into the Cork box wasn’t dealt by George O’Callaghan and Cillian Lordan. Ben Ryan latched onto the loose ball and played a neat to the feet of Danny Furlong from inside the box. Furlong couldn’t adjust his feet in time and blasted the ball over the bar of Mark McNulty.

The Youths did get another chance to go in leading at the break just on the stroke of half-time. With 43 minutes played a hopeful ball was played into the Cork penalty area. The ball somehow came towards the direction of Kevin Rowe, but the young winger scuffed his shot hopelessly wide much to the relief of the Cork defenders.

Finally the second half burst into life as Graham Cummins hit the crossbar with a long range effort in the 46th minute. Cork were then awarded a penalty in the 51st minute when Neal Horgan was taken down in the Youths box by a combination of Chris Kenny and Gary Sheahan. Cummins stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, but his shot was saved low to the left by Packie Holden.

Cork were made to regret their missed chances as the Youths took the lead in the 56th minute. A low cross from Ryan was deflected into the Cork goal by Lordan. City were desperate to grab an equaliser at but they were further punished by the home side five minutes from time. Danny Furlong latched onto a weak back pass to the Cork keeper McNulty and Furlong slotted the low underneath him.

The away side did pull one back in stoppage time through Gavin Kavanagh, but it wasn’t to be.

Wexford Youths: Holden 9; McCurtin 6; Nolan 5 (Kenny ‘22nd); Russell 5; Kehoe 7; Dempsey 6(Broaders 5 ‘42nd); Ryan (Miller 5‘81st); Yelverton 7; Furlong 7; Sheahan 7; Rowe 6

Cork Cork City Foras Co-op: McNulty 6; Turner 6; Morrisey 6; O’Neill 7; Duggan 6; Cummins 6; O’Callaghan 6 (Spillane 6 ‘73rd); Lordan 6 (Cambridge 6 ‘73rd); Kavanagh 6; Horgan 6; Barrett 4 (Lougheed 5 ‘9th)

Referee: J McKell

Man of the Match: Packie Holden: Great save for the penalty and made countless other saves to give his side the points.