Derry City midfielder and talisman Barry McNamee was a big miss tonight in Cork
CORK City powered past Derry City this evening to remain top of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division.
After such a good start to the new season, manager Kenny Shiels had warned that with the good times came the bad times.
And tonight in Cork, it was a bad result but the Candy Stripes are still recovering from losing their ‘Captain Courageous’ Ryan McBride who suddenly a fortnight ago.
Sean Maguire notched his eighth league goal in as many games as Cork City marched on to their eighth consecutive league victory after a powerful 3-0 victory against Derry City.
Cork opened the lead 35 minutes in with Garry Buckley’s second consecutive goal to leave them ahead at the interval.
The hosts then doubled their lead in the 55th minute, as another defence-splitting ball by John Caulfield’s side saw Karl Sheppard the beneficiary, keeping his composure in front of the expectant 5,275 to roll the ball through a helpless Doherty’s legs.
This City team seem unstoppable this season, and continued their best start to a league season in 19 years 10 minutes later; Derry had several chances to clear their lines, and were punished with the cruellest of deflections that allowed Maguire to swivel his hips and smash the ball into the far corner.
Before the game the Rebel Army paid their own tribute to the late Candystripe captain Ryan McBride by the presentation of a City jersey with his name and number on the back, as the visitors left the field following the warm-up to a warm applause from the home side.
Cork City came in with a starting XI unchanged in their last three while in contrast Kenny Shiels had to manage without the services of leading goalscorer Rory Patterson and talismanic midfielder Barry McNamee, though newly crowned captain Gerard Doherty passed a late fitness test.
Doherty has been a star performer at the Cross in recent meetings, and a fantastic smother denied Maguire early on following his skilful turn and flick past Connor McDermott. The netminder then showed excellent feet to get across and tip over Kevin O’Connor’s curling free-kick.
However the former Northern Irish international was left helpless as Derry native Stephen Dooley’s incisive run saw him cut the ball back into the path of the onrushing Garry Buckley from the byline for the midfielder’s second goal in as many games.
After the break an awkward bounce almost caught out Mark McNulty in the City net between the second and third City goals, but a rare scare in a consummate home performance.
Buckley, Morrissey, O’Connor and a returning Steven Beattie had opportunities to add further scores as John Caulfield’s team simply overpowered a Derry side coming into the game in second place.
McNulty had to stay alert late on though, as the Ballincollig native matched Aaron McEneff’s thunderous strike with a spectacular tip onto the bar, keeping his 101st Cork City clean sheet intact.
Next up for Derry is a trip to Donegal on Friday, April 14, to play their home match at Maginn Park against North West rivals Finn Harps (kick off 7.45 pm).
Cork City: M McNulty; J Keohane, A Bennett, R Delaney, K O’Connor; C McCormack, G Morrissey (C Ellis 81); K Sheppard (S Beattie 76), G Buckley, S Dooley (S Griffin 84); S Maguire.
Derry City: G Doherty; L Schubert (M Timlin 61), A Barry, C McDermott, D Jarvis; H Monaghan, N Low, A McEneff; M Kennedy, N Boyle (J Daniels 61), R Curtis.
Referee: R Harvey (Dublin).
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