Beating Youths!

Pictures courtesy of Tony Tobin and Mick Ring of Blink of an Eye Photography


So another 6 points from 6, albeit hard grafted, against two teams who will be in and around the bottom come the end of the season. That being said, the unbeaten run continues, and confidence is at a high heading into an important phase of the season leading upto the mid-season break.

First it was off to Wexford on the Friday before last, to start the second series of games in the 2011 season. After all the drama of last week, this trip promised to be very tame in comparison. This week, it was just me and the paps, Mr. Donie Forde unable to join us with the arrival of Queenie herself to Cork (and as a side note never have I felt such pride in our city and its people) The drive to Wexford was as quick as I ever remember it, we got out of Mahon handy enough despite the traffic restrictions around the city centre, and with the new Waterford bypass we flew past Hendo's (former) crowd, and were early enough to miss the traffic in New Ross.

After a heart-attack inducing 'Breakfast Bap' and chips with cheese, garlic and bacon it was off to the Wexford Youths complex. Last year we waited around 20 minutes in the rain to get tickets for City's final game of the season, and it seems that Wallace has gotten his house in order (Oh the irony) in the mean-time. The sun shone over Ferrycarrig Park, but offered little heat as a swirling wind ensured another cold evening in the sunny South-East. The crowd was sparse at best, and the travelling contingent made up around half of the total in the ground.

City hit the front foot early on, and carved out their first chance 10 minutes in, Greg through on goal but denied by last year's Youths player of the season Packie Holden in goals. He was there again to deny Davin O'Neill five minutes later, and O'Neill shot over the bar soon after as the Leesiders began to dominate. Cummins, Sullivan, Duggan, O'Halloran and O'Neill all had chances after the half hour mark but City just could not get the breakthrough. It was looking like one of those games just before halftime, when a corner bounced around the Youths box but not one of about five City players could find the finishing touch, as Wexford clung on for their dear lives.

Having battered our opponents and not been able to score, we started to worry at half-time. Surely with our luck it was the Youths that would take the lead. And, well, they did! Mark McNulty made a fantastic save from a Dean Broaders free-kick to continue his fantastic run in the last few matches, but from the rebound Michael Mullen teed up Craig Wall whose shot whistled into the City net. An unthinkable lead earned, and Youths on the way to their first win of the season.

That is for about 20 minutes, when a questionable City goal restored a well-deserved parity. Cummins took out Holden in the air from a cross (With intention to play the ball in my opinion) and the ball sat up for Vinny Sullivan, and the ex-Waterford striker powered his first competitive goal on the half-volley. The Rebel Army continued to threaten, pushing for a winner, with Gearóid Morrissey controlling play, and making mince meat of Broaders on the left hand side.

And there were no complaints when the winner came, Morrissey bursting through the middle and firing an inch-perfect shot underneath Holden and into the bottom left-hand corner. It was no more than City deserved, though coming 5 minutes from time Youths fans still felt agrieved, especially considering the circumstances surronding the first. But it was a good sign from a City side that probably would've lost the same game this time last year.

After that it was Mervue at home, thanks to the combined failings of the FAI and the MFA, kick-off was at a ridiculous 6:30 on a Thursday afternoon. On a Thursday due to the Wales v Northern Ireland, Carling 'Nations Cup' wooden spoon (!!!) decider, and at half six because the floodlights at Turners Cross hadn't been sorted out despite having been broken for the best part of a fortnight. Both the Derrynane and St. Annes end closed because of the lack of numbers. (City lost an estimated 800 off the gate, while the official attendance for the Wales/NI game was 529, you can't spell FAIlure without....)

Despite that we did our best to create some atmosphere, and City once again absolutely dominated right from the very start. Graham Cummins could've dug a hole and hid himself away after firing over from about 2 yards out, how he managed to do it nobody will know, not least himself! Cummins was the divisions top scorer last year though, and soon made amends, poking home a finish from inside the box to score his 8th league goal so far this season. Then it became the Eoin Martin slapstick show, first the Mervue 'keeper fell over trying to clear his lines, only a last ditch tackle denying O'Neill from an almost certain goal. Then he dropped a long ball right to the feet of Davin, but again he couldn't convert (Another player who was having a shocker funnily enough) Graham Cummins almost profited from Martin's blunders twice, and twice had the ball in the back of the net. Only to be ruled out for first an inexplicable handball, and then offside. 'Lets pretend we scored a goal!' belted out from the shed. Nothing dampening our spirits despite all that was going against us.

It needed a shocker to ensure City's left winger would get his name on the scoreboard. O'Neill completely scuffing his shot, but somehow the ball inexplicably bounced over Martin and into the back of the net. At this point Martin had the confidence of a cow in a slaughter house, and any effort near the netminder had a chance of going in. By half time City had the game wrapped up, Danny Murphy crossing for Morrissey who showed Cummins how to do it by tapping the ball home from 3 yards.

The second half was un-remarkable, besides Cummins completely mishitting the ball from 6 yards with an open goal abegging, and lest I forget the handbags between Johnny Glynn and Tommy Dunne which saw the former sent to the stands for added time.

Next Monday it's off to stab city (Limerick, pardon me!) in hope of another three points over Munster neighbours, or at least to keep the unbeaten run going, 14 now since the pre-season loss against Sligo in Musgrave. (We'll choose to forget about Carrick United!)

Adieu,
Kev