Four star Derry City easily see off Cork City

Derry City returned to winning ways thanks to a comfortable win over a disappointing Cork City side.

Two goals in the space of four minutes just before the half-time break from Eoin Toal and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, all but sealed the points for Declan Devine's side and Colm Horgan's own goal in the second half, just summed up Cork's miserable season.

Derry made one enforced change to their side which drew 0-0 with Bohemians, with Grant Gillespie returning from his one match ban, replacing Jamie McDonagh, who missed out through suspension.

As for the visitors they made three changes to their side which drew at home to Finn Harps, with ex-City striker Eoghan Stokes, Alec Byrne and Jake O'Brien all making it into the starting eleven, while Garry Buckley dropped to the bench and Dan Casey and Mark O'Sullivan missed out completely.

Cork had the first shot in anger on four minutes but Daire O'Connor's effort from just inside the box was straight at Derry goalkeeper Peter Cherrie, who easily gathered.

On 12 minutes a Ciaron Harkin right wing cross found David Parkhouse at the back post, but the big striker failed to trouble Cork keeper Tadhg Ryan and headed wide.

Parkhouse was inches away from breaking the deadlock seven minutes later, but the big striker's spectacular long range strike had to be tipped over by a full stretched Ryan.

Cork should have been reduced to ten men on 38 minutes as Stokes, who was cautioned earlier, should have received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Harkin, but referee Derek Tomney didn't even speak to the Cork man.

Derry took the lead three minutes later as Parkhouse's long throw-in from the left was flicked on by Ally Gilchrist and his central defensive partner Toal, diverted the ball home with a clever side footed finish.

The home side doubled their lead just before the break as Conor McCormack gifted the ball straight to Ogedi-Uzokwe, who played a neat one-two with Harkin, before calmly slotting home his 12th goal of the season, high into Ryan’s top left hand corner.

Cork made a double change on 53 minutes with Joel Coustrain and Buckley replacing McCormack and Stokes, as they tried to get some sort of foothold in the game.

That man Buckley nearly got Cork back into the contest just after the hour mark, but his 20 yard strike, which had Cherrie scrambling, flew just wide.

Derry went close to adding a third on 72 minutes as substitute Darren McCauley did well to cut inside from the left hand touch line, before skipping away from Byrne and seeing his long range strike parried away by Ryan.

Cork’s miserable night was summed up on 74 minutes as the unfortunate Horgan deflected the ball into his own net, after Ryan had done well to keep out Ogedi-Uzokwe’s initial close range header.

In the closing stages Karl Sheppard saw his long range dipping effort, which had Cherrie beaten, clipped the top of the bar.

Right at the death Ogedi-Uzokwe should have added a fourth, but Shane Griffin did well to get back and divert Michael McCrudden's cross away from the Londoner.

Deep into stoppage time the Colchester United loanee did score Derry's fourth when he made no mistake firing home past Ryan, after substitute McCrudden’s clever flick had created the chance.

Derry City: Cherrie, Gillespie (Boyce 85). Toal, Gilchrist, Coll; Sloggett, McNamee (McCrudden 79), Malone (McCauley 59); Harkin, Parkhouse, Ogedi-Uzokwe.

Cork City: Ryan, Horgan, Morrissey, Stokes (Coustrain 53), McCormack (Buckley 53), O’Connor, Byrne, Sheppard, Griffin, McCarthy (Bennett 63), O’Brien.

Referee: Derek Tomney (Dublin).