07-02-13: Cork City (a) 1-1 (HT 0-0) Crowd (1,553)

There was little between the two teams in an uneventful and boring goalless first half. The game did, however start with a bang, as Cork City came within inches of taking the lead after just three minutes, when Ian Turner’s well struck free kick grazed the cross bar, but it was a false dawn as that, apart from a disallowed offside goal from the home side, was all the excitement there was in the first half, but Eric Grimes the Cork-born Leeds keeper had to pull off a good save with two minutes left before the break as Ian Turner shot from distance. Cork City made a total change at half-time and the team that took the field for the second half was: Mark McNulty; Eoghan Murphy, Dan Murray, Kalen Spillane, Jason Forde; Gavin Holohan, Colin Healy, Garry Buckley, Stephen Kenny; Danny Morrisey, Adam Rundle. There was little to spark the enthuisiasm on the crowd until five minutes into the second half, the wholesale changes seemed to have paid off as the home side took the lead a moment of class saw Colin Healy score. Leeds United gave Trialist Mathieu Mansett a fifty-two minute run before he was replaced by Eoghan Stokes and at the same time Luke Parkin also replaced Lewis Walters. There were two more changes nine minutes later when Jake Skelton came on for Alex Purver and Sanchez Payne took over from Patrick Antelmi. The game maintained its tepid atmosphere and the constant stoppages for substitutions did not help the flow of the game. Four minutes later, in the sixty-sixth minute, Leeds sent on Lewis Coyle for Jordan Snodin an with twelve minutes to go they made their final two changes as Afalobi Coker replaced Monty Gimpel and Kalvin Philips came on for Alex Mowatt. The second half had been more notable for the misses rather than the goals, with Lewis Turner shooting over in the sixty-third minute, Cork's Stephen Kenny found it easier to blaze over than hit the target and Leeds' Eoghan Stokes contrived to top that as he blazed high wide and handsome. With seven minutes left on the clock Leeds got the equalizer when substitute Sanchez Payne scored. It came with a good run from Lewis Turner down the right and his crisp cross was hammered home from close range by a composed Sanchez Payne. The home side then had a wonderful chance to regain their lead, when Danny Morrissey bundled the ball over the bar after meeting Stephen Kenny’s superb cross from the right wing, but it was Leeds who were doing the pressing in the final minutes, as they went close again, when first Luke Parkin and then Sanchez Payne sent efforts wide that could easily have hit the back of the net. A 1-1 draw was probably a fair result.