Charlie Lyons ensures Cork City edge dull clash with Athlone Town
SSE Airtricity Men’s First Division
Cork City 1 (Lyons 68)
Athlone Town 0
Good Friday at the Cross promised an evening of penance until a saviour emerged in the form of Charlie Lyons.
A drab encounter was enlivened by the Innishannon native’s first goal for Cork City, rising unmarked to meet Jack Doherty’s near-post corner in the 68th minute.
City still required a spectacular reflex save from Brad Wade in the fifth and final minute of added time, tipping Daniel McKenna’s deflected volley over the bar.
That clinched a fifth clean sheet on the spin and extended the Rebel Army’s unbeaten start to the season in front of 3,084 fans. Their grip on top spot was further tightened with Treaty United’s defeat by Finn Harps, who move second.
Ireland U17 Cathal O’Sullivan returned from international duty in Portugal to replace Niall Brookwell in City’s only change from their scoreless draw in Limerick.
Tim Clancy also made a positional switch between Doherty and Nathan Wood, with the Newport County loanee leading the line until he was hooked at half-time for Cian Murphy.
The visitors brought their own international dimension through German Fuentes Rodriguez, who made his El Salvador debut against world champions Argentina last weekend. They deployed tight man-markers to shackle the central axis of Greg Bolger, Evan McLaughlin, and Doherty, with the latter particularly starved of service by McKenna for long spells.
Josh Fitzpatrick had the beating of his man down the left and the closest thing City had to a first-half shot was a cross from the 18-year-old which proved too hot to handle for Enda Minogue. It rolled across rather than over the line.
Athlone had entered as the Division’s top scorers despite failing to win in their
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