Cork City Close to First Division Title After Win Over Wexford
Cork City will have to wait at least another week to get their hands on the First Division trophy, but only just.
A 2-0 win over Wexford in front of 2,556 at Turner’s Cross dragged them to within two points of an immediate Premier Division return, yet the real twist came 250 kilometres away. UCD’s wild 5-4 victory over Finn Harps, sealed by an 89th-minute winner from Hugh Smith, kept the title race mathematically alive and the champagne firmly on ice.
Murphy and Maguire deliver, title stays in the box
On Friday, Seani Maguire called 17-year-old Cillian Murphy “the star player in the whole league this year.” Twenty-four hours later, the teenager backed it up.
After a cagey first half, Murphy struck within minutes of the restart. Niall O’Keeffe sliced Wexford open with a sharp pass that matched Maguire’s clever run in behind. The former Ireland international didn’t snatch at it. He checked, picked his moment, and rolled a pull-back into Murphy’s path. One deft touch, 1-0, Turner’s Cross finally exhaling.
Murphy wasn’t finished. With 16 minutes left, he won a corner, then whipped it onto Maguire’s head. The striker’s movement again shredded Wexford’s defensive shape and he nodded home from close range for his third goal in three games, and his 11th of an injury-hit season. It was as simple as finishes come, but it carried the weight of a year’s frustration.
The silverware didn’t follow, but the message was clear: Cork City are almost home.
Wexford threaten, Brann stands firm
The night began on a sombre note with a minute’s silence for Tom Bolger, father of City midfielder Greg. When the whistle went, it was Wexford who settled quicker.
Mikie Rowe found space down the right and drove low at goal, forcing Conor Brann into a strong early save. Jake Doyle then timed his run to spring the offside trap, only for Brann to race out and block again. The visitors’ back five, reshaped with Liam Doyle and Ryan Butler in for the suspended Max Murphy and absent Robbie McCourt, looked comfortable in the opening half-hour.
At the other end, City’s threat was initially blunt. A direct ball finally produced their first clear sight, Ruairí Keating testing Paul Martin with a strike that the Wexford keeper batted away. From there, Cork began to squeeze.
Under the new time-wasting directives, Martin was booked by referee Daryl Carolan for lingering over a goal kick, and the resulting corner sparked a scramble that he had to clean up himself. City’s sixth corner of the half almost brought the breakthrough, Ryan Ritchie relieved to see Martin bail him out after he nearly diverted into his own net.
Half-time arrived with the game goalless, Cork on top but still waiting, and word filtering through that both Bray Wanderers and UCD had surrendered early leads. By the interval, UCD were behind. Turner’s Cross could sense an early coronation.
Murphy and Maguire had other ideas for the second half. So did UCD.
UCD’s nine-goal chaos delays Cork’s party
As Cork took control in the second period, all eyes kept drifting towards the UCD–Finn Harps scoreline. It became almost impossible to keep up.
Finn Harps led 2-1 at the break after a breathless first half in Belfield. Charles Akinrintayo had given UCD an early lead, only for Shaunie Bradley and Oran Brogan to flip the game with two quickfire goals.
The Students roared back. Luca Cailloce and Louis Dignam both found the net to restore UCD’s advantage, only for Gavin McAleer to drag Harps level at 3-3 with just under 20 minutes left. Three minutes later, Dignam struck again, this time from a viciously hit free-kick from distance, to make it 4-3.
Still it wouldn’t settle. On 79 minutes, Max Hutchinson made it 4-4 with the eighth goal of an anarchic contest. Just as Cork fans were readying title songs between glances at their phones, Smith pounced in the 89th minute to win it 5-4 for the home side.
The title didn’t change hands. It just edged a little closer.
City in control, Wexford left adrift
Back in Cork, once Murphy broke the deadlock, the result never truly looked in doubt.
Maguire’s header for 2-0 killed any lingering Wexford belief, though the visitors did threaten to make a game of it late on. Zayd Abada’s cross forced Brann to tip over, while Hans Mpongo’s mazy dribble at the other end teed up Joe Aidoo, who thumped just wide.
Wexford, who started brightly, left Turner’s Cross still stuck in eighth place, seven points off the play-offs with seven games to go. Their season is not over, but the runway is shrinking fast.
Cork, by contrast, are almost at cruising altitude again. Maguire, back in the starting XI for the first time since June after a couple of scoring cameos off the bench, looks sharp. Charlie Lyons’ inclusion added steel at the back. The spine is hardening just when it matters.
Bray hopes ended, play-off race tightens
Elsewhere, Bray Wanderers’ faint hopes of automatic promotion were finally snuffed out. Their 2-1 defeat away to Athlone Town mathematically ended any chance of catching Cork.
Endri Mustalli had given Bray an early lead, but Athlone hit back. Will Smith levelled before half-time and Peter Grogan struck just after the hour to condemn the visitors to a second straight defeat in the midlands.
In Cobh, Longford Town and Cobh Ramblers traded punches and points. Longford struck twice in three minutes before the break through Dean Williams and Aaron Doran, only to see the hosts claw back a draw. Dara McCormick pulled one back shortly after half-time and Jonas Cohen Stjernberg levelled with 20 minutes remaining.
Both sides remain in the play-off places, in fourth and fifth, but Athlone and Kerry FC are closing fast after wins of their own. The scrap beneath Cork is tightening by the week.
For City, though, the equation is simple. They head to Bray next week with a chance to finish the job. The champagne is still in storage. It may not be there much longer.
