Cork City beat Athlone Town 3-2 in the First Division's 26th round of matches on Sunday. The result keeps the hosts top of the table with 68 points from 30 games.
R. Keating opened the scoring in the third minute and added a second just past the half-hour mark. H. Mpongo levelled things for Athlone Town before P. Grogan restored Cork's advantage with two strikes in the second half. To be fair, the match was decided in those brief windows when the ball found the net.
J. Farnham came on for Cork in the 46th minute, followed by C. Lyons at 53 minutes. Athlone Town brought on W. Smith for J. Kehir at 69 minutes, and S. Brennan replaced himself at 75 minutes — a substitution that drew a booking. By then the game had settled into its rhythm.
Cork City dominated possession at 71 per cent and created more chances, landing 4 shots on target compared to Athlone Town's 6. The visitors tried to work through the middle but found no answer to the home defence. Three shots went wide for Cork while six missed the mark for the away side.
The five yellow cards scattered through the second half showed the intensity, with S. Brennan and J. Kehir both cautioned in the 69th minute. S. Maguire picked up the last booking in the 86th minute.
Cork City's victory extends their lead at the summit to 28 points over seventh-placed Athlone Town. The hosts have won 21 of their 30 games and cannot afford another slip if they want to maintain their position.