MATCH REPORT: Cork City 1-0 Longford Town (AET)

Longford Town conceded a last gasp extra-time goal to agonisingly lose one-nil to ten-man Premier Division Cork City in the Extra.ie FAI Cup first round clash at Turners Cross.

Town boss Daire Doyle made five changes from the side that beat Athlone two-nil in the league on Saturday night. Luke Dennison, Joe Gorman, Karl Chambers, Matthew O'Brien and Aaron McNally all started with Lee Steacy, Mick McDonnell, Dean Zambra, Lido Lotefa and Dylan Hand all making way.

The visitors created the first opportunity of the contest in the fifth minute. Aaron McNally ran down the left and pulled the ball back to striker Rob Manley who teed up Aodh Dervin, but the dimunitive midfielder fired over the Cork bar from the edge of the box.

Cork City's first chance came three minutes later when midfielder Henry Ochieng unleashed a thirty yard shot that flashed narrowly wide of the Town post.

Within a minute, the home side almost breached the Town rearguard as Daire O'Connor charged down the right wing and his low cross picked out striker Cian Murphy, but his sixteen yard effort was saved by Town stopper Dennison.

On thirty-three minutes, Cork keeper Liam Bossin was called into action, saving a Rob Manley shot from a tight angle on the right with his feet.

The first good chance of the second-half was in the seventy-fourth minute and it was the Town that almost took the lead. Dervin delivered a good ball down the left wing to McNally whose superbly floated cross reached substitute striker Aaron McCabe, only for his rising shot to be brilliantly tipped over by Cork keeper Bossin.

Cork were reduced to ten men on seventy-seven minutes when centre-back Graham Cummins received his marching orders for a last man foul when he pulled back Town's other substitute striker Callum Warfield.

Longford came agonisingly close to the lead goal on eighty-six minutes when Warfield ran at the Cork defence and played in McCabe on the right side of the Cork box, and his low, crisp, diagonal shot flew past the despairing dive of Bossin only to sail inches past the far post. 

Cork almost snatched a last gasp winner in normal time when McGlade's dangerous run from the left resulted in him cutting the ball back to Coleman but his shot was brilliantly saved low. 

Just as the game seemed destined for penalties,Cork's tricky substitute winger Ricardo Dinanga easily outpaced Town's drained centre-half Gorman, he cut inside, ran into the box, and sold a great dummy that left Gorman on the floor and Dinanga rifled an unstoppable shot to the roof of the Longford net for the winner.

Cork City: (3-4-2-1) Bossin, Olowu, Cummins, Kevin O'Connor, Bargary, Coleman, Ochieng, Hurley, Daire O'Connor, McGlade, Murphy. Substitutes: Fleming for Bargary (half-time), Holland for Daire O'Connor (70 minutes), Dinanga for Hurley (76 minutes), Slevin for Murphy (90 minutes), Bennett for Olowu (112 minutes)

Longford Town: (4-2-1-2-1) Dennison, Elworthy, Joe Manley, Gorman, Chambers, O'Brien, Dervin, Verdon, Grimes, McNally, Rob Manley. Substitutes: McCabe for Grimes (60 minutes), Warfield for Rob Manley, Zambra for Verdon (66 minutes), Barnes for Elworthy (79 minutes)

Referee: Ray Matthews