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CORK CITY 2 TRALEE DYNAMOS 1

Newcomers to the Newstalk League of Ireland A Championship Tralee Dynamos were the visitors to Bishopstown last Saturday for an entertaining tie on a fantastic day for football.

Both sides went into the game missing key players. Tralee’s keeper Wayne Guthrie, brother of Galway United central defender Shane, didn’t make it through the warm up due to a combination of a trapped nerve and a shoulder injury, while City were without a number of players, most notably striker Paul Deasy.

Tralee, hoping to recover from an opening day 1-0 defeat in the competition to Sporting Final, raced out of the blocks and should have been two up in the opening ten minutes, Chris Kerns firstly denied by Gary Philpott before the unfortunate Eoin Cassidy blocked a goalbound Maurice O’Rahilly drive with Philpott stranded. City gradually fought their way back into the game against their physically bigger opponents however, and Rob Waters was unlucky not to opening the scoring on 17 minutes when he collected a poor clearance from Timmy Cotter only to see his shot rebound to safety off of the post. Waters turned provider six minutes later, when he played a wonderful ball to set Craig Duggan free only for Cotter to atone for his earlier error with a fine save. Theo Diggins and Chris Kerns both had further chances for Dynamos before the break, but it was City who would finally break the deadlock with the last kick of the half. Craig Duggan collected the ball on the left wing and played an inch perfect ball into the path of the on-rushing Ian Turner who blasted the ball home.

Tralee replaced their keeper at half time when Cotter, who had been struggling with a thigh injury, was replaced with Damien Diggins, but City failed to test the replacement early on, as both midfields cancelled each other out. Tralee created the clearer chances though, and got a deserved equaliser on 70 minutes. Gavin Walsh was booked for a foul close to the half way line, and the resultant free kick caused havoc in the City area before Brian Fitzgerald headed the ball past Philpott, with Eoin Cassidy possibly getting the final touch on the line.

Tralee continued to press for a winner, but the introduction of Kevin Long to shore up City’s midfield would prove to be the turning point on 80 minutes. In the resultant shuffle, Craig Duggan was moved wide out right, and two minutes later it was his superb ball that found Rob Waters by the byline. His cross found Stephen McCarthy, whose sliced shot was headed home by Eoin Forde for what would prove to be the winner.

It was tough luck for the Kerrymen who held the bulk of possession for much of the game, but for the win was the perfect tonic for City following their opening day 1-1 away draw with FC Carlow.

Cork City: Philpott, Lynch (Long, 78mins), Turner, Walsh, Clancy, Waters, Kilcommons, Forde, McCarthy, Duggan, O’Sullivan. Subs: Murphy, Tong, O’Driscoll

Tralee Dynamos: Cotter (D. Diggins, ht), O’Mahoney, Fitzgerald, O’Rahilly, T. Diggins, Sugrue, McIntyre, Cassidy (McHugh, 83mins), Kerins, Duggan (Quirke, 70mins). Subs: Crotty.