Cork leapfrogged over Galway into fourth place in the Eircom Premier table, as record signing Jamie Mulligan broke his duck at Turners Cross yesterday.

But it was veteran Pat Morely who opened the scoring, ten minutes into the second half, steering the ball home from close in after Greg O'Halloran had done well to return Ollie Cahill's overcooked cross.

Just four minutes later, Mulligan got his name on the scoresheet for the first time in Cork colours after Morley and Niall Horgan had done the donkey work.

Even with their all-Barbadan international strike force of Eric Lavine and Llewellyn Reilly, Galway failed to make much impression on a secure Cork rearguard, with debutant goalkeeper Michael Devine having little to do.

Cork City: Devine, Horgan, O’Donoghue, Daly, Coughlan, O’Halloran, Cahill, Gaughan, Herrick, Morley, Mulligan.

Subs: Moore for O’Halloran 82 mins, Caulfield for Morley 86 mins

Booked: Gaughan 28, Devine 81

Goals: Morely 55, Mulligan 59

Galway United: Forde, Ryan, Keady, Morgan, O’Connor, Silke, Fortune, Sheridan, Crossley, Lavine, Reilly.

Subs: Murphy for Morgan 10 mins, Malee for Ryan 31 mins, Keogh for Reilly 67 mins

Referee: D O’Hanlon (Waterford)