Drogheda Utd - 0 Cork City - 1 A Colin T O'Brien strike in the 61st minute at O2 Park last night was sufficient to consolidate Cork's third place in the Premier Division.

Cork made all the running in a disappointing first half. George O'Callaghan was narrowly wide with a strike in the 24th minute and on the half hour Kevin Doyle lifted the ball over goalkeeper Gary Rogers but wide of the post.

Drogheda's first chance came five minutes before the break when Andy Myler's shot was stopped superbly by Michael Devine.

Just beyond the hour O'Brien found space in the Drogheda box to stab the ball home. Cork almost doubled their lead three minutes from time when Denis Behan's header hit the post. The home side almost equalised two minutes from time when Declan O'Brien's free from 30 yards was tipped away by Devine.

DROGHEDA: Rogers, Gray, O'Connor, Lynch, Molloy, Cronin (Connor 88 mins), Gallagher (Gollogley, 62 mins), Flanagan, Quinn (O'Brien, 62 mins), Myler, Tierney.

CORK CITY: Devine, Coughlan, Murray, O'Brien, O'Halloran, O'Callaghan, Woods, Doyle (Behan 75 mins), Horgan, Murray, Kearney (Bennett 90 mins).

Referee: Ian Stokes (Dublin).