Derry City manager Peter Hutton now under severe pressure after a two-nil home defeat to Cork
DERRY City slumped to another home defeat tonight with a 2-0 loss to Cork City at the Brandywell (kick off 7.45 pm).
The Candystripes went into the break with the honours even giving faint hope of a point or even three against the second-placed Cork side.
But second-half goals from Karl Sheppard on 58 minutes and a Billy Dennehy penalty three minutes from the final whistle stretched the home side’s run without a win to nine games.
Derry City now have just 15 points from 17 games in the SSE Airtricity Premier League Division heaping more pressure on manager Peter Hutton.
Aaron Barry was sent off for conceding the penalty for a foul on Sheppard as Derry finished the game with ten men.
Philip Lowry went close to giving Derry the lead in a lack lustre first half but his close-range header was saved by Cork ‘keeper Mark McNulty.
McNulty had to make another save on 37 minutes when he did well to get his right boot to Mark Timlin’s low strike.
Billy Dennehy’s 25 yard free-kick had Gerard Doherty scrambling across the Derry goal, but the ball flew just over the crossbar.
Cork spurned an easy opportunity to take the league when Sheppard and Mark O’Sullivan both failed to connect with Darren Dennehy’s downward header.
Derry striker Patrick McEleney, who is being linked with a move away from Brandywell, missed an opening to take the lead on 55 minutes.
Three minutes later, Sheppard made the home side pay with the opening goal after finding himself in space inside the Derry penalty box.
McEleney and John O’Flynn went close at either end before Cork added a second on 87 minutes from the penalty spot after Aaron Barry brought down O’Flynn inside the box.
The Derry defender was shown a straight red card and Billy Dennehy made no mistake with the spot-kick.
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