Cork City Football Club made it two away draws out of two as they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Athlone Town at Athlone Town Stadium on Saturday night.
On balance, City were probably the better side but, Davin O’Neill’s 41st-minute penalty apart, they couldn’t break down a dogged home side which had to play the closing stages with 10 men and injury time with nine after the sendings-off of Des Hope and Kevin Williamson.
Craig Duggan and Cathal Lordan linked well in midfield for City, with Dave Rogers again solid at the back while new signing Uros Hojan looked promising and was very good in the air.
Early on, things were fairly slow, Athlone’s Austin Skelly having a chance only to shoot across the face of Mark McNulty’s goal, Robbie Farrell unable to get on the end of it, while a minute later Davin O’Neill had a similar effort only with a more wayward shot.
With Cillian Lordan screening the City defence in a 4-5-1, the game was an even affair in midfield, both sides cancelling each other out for most of the opening stages.
Shane Duggan played a lovely pass to put Graham Cummins in on 15, but he was denied by a great tackle by Des Hope, but it was at the other end that the shots were, Mark Noland and Skelly both testing McNulty.
Slowly however, City began to get on top, playing some nice ball in midfield, but without really testing Chris Bennion in the home goal, coming closest on 32 when Cummins tried to backheel a shot after Duggan crossed, but the ball was cleared.
Athlone then forced a series of corners, McNulty having to save well when Robert Benson met a Richie O’Hanlon delivery on the volley at back post.
From the next corner though, Athlone took the lead. Gareth Kenna’s kick was only cleared back to him, and his attempted cross caught everybody out and looped over McNulty.
City were only behind for five minutes however. Duggan met Cathal Lordan’s cross from the right with a header and was wide, but referee Rob Rogers had seen Hope push Cummins and pointed to the spot, booking the Town defender and Davin O’Neill converted the penalty despite Bennion getting his hand to it.
With the sides having turned around level, Robbie Farrell thought he had handed the initiative back to the home side five minutes into the restart, but his looping header from an Eoin O’Shea cross was better by a superb one-handed save by McNulty.
From that corner, the goalkeeper had to clear before Farrell could prod home after a scramble but City regained the upper hand and Cummins was unlucky on the hour when Bennion saved from him after a Duggan corner and the ball was cleared.
Cummins had another chance not long after though he shot well wide under pressure from Benson, and then with 12 minutes left the home side thought they had taken the lead again.
After Hope headed on a Bennion kickout to Skelly, he picked out sub Noel McGee with a great cross and he beat McNulty with his first-time shot, but the offside flag had gone up before the ball got to McGee.
Athlone were then forced to play the last eight minutes with 10 men, Hope given a second yellow card after a foul on Duggan, and Cathal Lordan forced a good save from Bennion with the resultant free from the left.
Despite pressing hard, City couldn’t find a second and it got worse for Athlone when Kevin Williamson saw red in injury time for his foul on Graham Cummins. The nine men held out however and it finished level.
ATHLONE TOWN: Bennion; Nolan, Hope, McCarthy, O’Shea; O’Hanlon, Kenna, Benson (Relihan 90), Williamson; Farrell (McGee 65), Skelly.
CORK CITY FORAS CO-OP: McNulty; Turner, Mulcahy, Rogers, Hojan; O’Neill, Cathal Lordan, Cillian Lordan, Duggan, Heffernan (Forde 80); Cummins.
Referee: Rob Rogers.
Attendance: 882.
