Seanie brace puts one hand on the title

📷 KBD Photos

It's the final stretch of the season for Cork City as they steam towards the First Division title, and it was Longford who stood in their way on Friday night. City came into the match knowing that a win would give them a chance of winning the league in the UCD bowl the following Friday.

City were coming off of a Derby win down in Queenstown, with a late Ruairi Keating goal sinking Cobh and taking the three points back to Turners Cross. City sat sixteen points clear of second placed UCD heading into the match with Athlone in third, eighteen points adrift of the league leaders. Tim Clancy made three changes to the side that left it late in Cobh, with Jack Doherty, Cian Coleman and Evan McLaughlin returning to the starting eleven, replacing Matt Kiernan, Sean Murray and Charlie Lyons

Longford on the other hand were entering this fixture at the other end of the table, sitting bottom of the league on eighteen points, four points behind ninth placed Kerry. Longford are on a rather poor run of form as of recent, with their last win coming at the beginning of July, and the club having picked up just one point in the last five. But since Wayne Groves took over at Bishopsgate back in May, Longford have looked sturdier and seem to have a bit of structure back to their play.

City lined up with a very attacking 4132 formation that saw City name just one natural midfielder (Greg Bolger) in the starting lineup in a bid to create more chances. The changes showed just three minutes in. Cian Coleman found Ruairi Keating with a pass from defence, Keating had dropped deep and flicked it in behind first time for Jack Doherty to chase. Doherty ran through one on one but leant back a bit too much and put his effort over the bar.

City’s change in tactic made them much more free flowing going forward, but equally made them look slightly more shaky at the back.

City went close to taking the lead seventeen minutes in. Greg Bolger dinked a quick free kick from the right over the Longford defence, which found the head of Seani Maguire. Seani directed his header towards the back post, but Longford keeper Harry Halwax was at full stretch to keep it out.

Maguire once again was close to putting his side in front just two minutes later. Jack Doherty received the ball in the middle of the park, before finding Seani with a brilliant ball over the Longford defence. Seani received the ball on the right hand side of the box with Longford defender Viktor Serdeniuk on his left shoulder and angled a low shot towards the left hand corner, with his effort barely trickling wide of the goal.

But, as I mentioned a minute ago, City were looking a bit more open at the back than usual, perhaps due to the absence of Charlie Lyons. Whatever it was, Longford took full advantage of it twenty minutes in. The midlanders hit City on the counter, with Bastien Hery picking it up in midfield and finding Daniel Norris on the left. Norris played a one two with Ross Fay, before Norris took one touch and then fired a left footed effort low past Brad Wade into the bottom right hand corner to give the visitors a surprise lead.

The hosts wasted no time at all and levelled the game just four minutes after going a goal down. Niall Brookwell found Evan McLaughlin out wide on the left. McLaughlin sent a brilliant cross into the box which found the head of Ruairi Keating, who beat Harry Halwax to the ball and nodded it home to level up the game.

It was an open affair at Turners Cross, with the drama continuing with ten minutes to go in the half. Shane Elworthy picked up the ball on the right hand side for Longford and swung a cross in towards Daniel Norris, who was seemingly bundled over by Darragh Crowley. I’m not totally convinced it was a foul to be honest, but referee Declan Toland was and so he pointed to the spot. Francis Campbell stepped up to take it and sent Brad Wade diving with a stutter step, before slotting it into the opposite corner to help Longford regain the lead.

Longford almost got a third right at the end of the half, with Bastien Hery whipping a free kick on Dean O’Shea’s head, but O’Shea sent his glancing header just wide, so the half ended with Longford one to the good.

Tim Clancy made a change at half time to try to bring some defensive stability into his side, with Charlie Lyons being introduced to replace Niall Brookwell. Despite it most likely being Clancy’s sub, he wasn't on the sideline to oversee it, as Clancy seemed to have been sent to the stands for the second half, possibly for protesting the first half penalty.

The substitution did seem to work, with City looking more solid defensively in the second half. Despite this, Longford had a golden chance ten minutes into the half. Basiten Hery played a lovely ball over the top of the City defence to send Francis Campbell bombing down the right hand side. Campbell sent a ball across the box to Daniel Norris who had an empty goal to aim at. Norris got on the end of the ball but somehow Darragh Crowley slid in just in time to get enough of a touch on the ball to keep it out.

This incident seemed to flip a switch in City, who immediately started upping the tempo and searching for an equaliser. It didn't take much searching. With half an hour to go, Malik Dijksteel and Darragh Crowley linked up on the right wing, with the latter swinging a cross towards the box. The cross flew over the head of everyone before falling towards Evan McLaughlin, who caught it on the volley and sent it across goal. Evan’s attempt found Seani Maguire, who was on hand at the goal line to flick it past the Longford players on the line to once again level the game.

The game began to slow down, as both teams went in search of a winner, with neither team wanting to be the one to concede it. 

The bout blew open with three minutes to go in normal time. Dean O’Shea, having already been booked, went late on Darragh Crowley and brought the full back down. Declan Toland decided enough was enough and sent O’Shea trudging down the tunnel, much to the delight of the Shed. The buzz of belief began to spread.

City started knocking on the door more and more, until Longford just couldn't take it anymore. Cian Bargary went marching down the right wing in the last minute of the game and delivered a dangerous ball bouncing across the box, which was met by the right boot of Seani Maguire, who managed to flick it towards the bottom left corner with Harry Halwax rooted to the spot. Pandemonium ensued around Turners Cross.

Longford had done well to hold onto what they had earned themselves, but Seani Maguire had won it for City right at the death. Seani and Keating were two players that this Cork City side had been sorely missing prior to the two rejoining. Two players that could win you a game on their own are two players that help you win leagues, and survive seasons.

City were quite sloppy defensively at times early in the game, with there seemingly being a Charlie Lyons shaped hole in the backline. His introduction into the fray made the hosts a lot more compact and harder to break down. City did look infinitely better going forward, with the hosts creating plenty of chances and on another day they would have scored five or six.

I thought Longford did very well to put up a fight to City, especially in the first half. They took advantage of City’s early struggles at the back and capitalised with two goals. Unfortunately for Longford, they just lacked the quality to see the game over the line, despite Bastien Hery being unplayable for Longford in the middle of the park.

Hery was up there, but my Man of the Match has to go to Seani Maguire. Maguire was absolutely brilliant for City up top. He got himself a brace and on another day could have got himself three or four with some of the chances he got. Maguire oozed quality throughout and he and Keating seemed to gel really well together up top. Two quality strikers that have levelled up this side since their arrivals.

City can now win the league and confirm their promotion back to the top flight with a win away to UCD next Friday night at 7.45pm. Longford on the other hand will hope to take this encouraging performance back to Bishopsgate where they face Bray Wanderers on the same day.