Derry City's poor run at Cork City continues

IT was another bad night at the office for Derry City, as they suffered their sixth league defeat in eight games.

Once again poor defending cost them and the encounter at Turners Cross was over after just 50 minutes, as the champions had already racked up three goals, in fact they should have been out of sight by half-time.

The defeat means Derry have only secured one league win 27 attempts at the Leesiders venue.

Although early-on Derry keeper Gerard Doherty had denied Jimmy Keohane and Dan Seaborne made a super tackle to block Barry McNamee's goal-bound effort, it was the visitors who should have went in front.

Amazingly despite the terrible score-line, it was Derry who had the first clear cut chance of the game on 18 minutes but Ronan Hale blazed over with the goal at mercy, after Jamie McDonagh's teasing centre had found the striker unmarked inside the six yard box.

That missed opportunity came back to haunt Derry, as Cork took the lead a minute later Garry Buckley side footing home from close range, after Karl Sheppard had created the opening.

Cork fired home a second on 34 minutes as Graham Cummins did well to hold off Gavin Peers, before feeding the ball off to Keohane, his low stinging drive from the edge of the box eluded Doherty and found the bottom corner.

On 38 minutes, Derry went close to getting back into the game but Cork keeper Peter Cherrie, with a little help from Steven Beattie, somehow keep out Peers' header and Seaborne's follow-up effort.

Just before the break another superbly timed run by ex-Derry midfielder McNamee, saw him ghost into the visitors' penalty box, he cut the ball back to an unmarked Cummins, but his low strike was cleared off the line by a back-tracking Darren Cole.

Cork did add a third on 50 minutes as Cummins again turned provider this time he found a unmarked Buckley, who gleefully slide the ball home from three yards.

On 63 minutes a McNamee right wing corner was kept alive by Sheppard and Damien Delaney was on hand to head home his first goal for the club, since joining from Crystal Palace.

Cork's goalscoring ended six minutes from time as substitute Ronan Coughlan clipped the ball over Doherty, after the Derry keeper could only parry out Beattie's initial effort.

Cork City: Cherrie, Beattie, Delaney, McLoughlin (Barry 69), Griffin; Buckley, McCormack; Keohane, McNamee, Sheppard (Sadlier 76); Cummins (Coughlan 67).

Derry City: Doherty, Cole, Peers (Toal 56), Seaborne; McDonagh (McDermott 56), Splaine, McEneff, Shiels, Fisk (Delap 67); Hale, Roy.

Referee: Mr Robert Hennessy.