Ward's wonder goal
Young David Ward was the goal-scoring hero as Dundalk chalked up their second win of the season to get off the
bottom of the Eircom First Division table at St Colman’s Park yesterday. Ward struck the game’s only goal just on half-time to condemn Cobh to their second successive defeat after their five-goal mauling away to Bray Wanderers last weekend.
Dundalk were rugged and aggressive in the approach and outbattled Cobh in midfield. Cobh lacked punch up front again and once Donal Golden limped out of the action with an ankle injury after just 14 minutes, the home team lost their main goals threat.
Dundalk’s match-winner stemmed from a David Crawley free kick inside his own penalty box that dropped invitingly in the Cobh penalty area. Ward won possession, held off John Murphy’s despairing challenge to poke the ball wide of the advancing John Donegan and the ball went into the net off the far post despite Tommy Cregoe’s valiant effort to keep it out of the net.
Cobh’s John Donegan was the busier goalkeeper in the first half. Derek Delaney was close to a lead goal after just ten minutes when he stabbed the ball past Donegan from another Crawley free kick but the ball rolled just wide. Then he saved well from Brian Honan after 20 minutes and held a Brian Morris-Roe free kick on the half-hour after Cobh elected not to put up a defensive wall.
Ward (19) was a livewire in attack throughout and he was close to breaking the deadlock after 31 minutes when he set-up Honan on the far edge of the box but Donegan stood up well to block away his close range drive.
Cobh, to be fair, were disrupted by the first half injuries to striker Donal Golden and right-winger Liam O’Connor (shoulder) who were replaced by Paul Coughlan and Michael Cashman respectively in the ninth and 40th minutes.
"This was exactly the result we wanted from today’s game. It was always going to be difficult to come to Cobh and win. It was a great win in the circumstances as we had six out today," said Eviston.
"I had a young team out there today but they certainly did the business for me. They are only learning the ropes to be honest. It’s three points for us though and that’s something we can build on now."
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