Masters stars in Cork canter
Without a point from their five previous games, Fermanagh needed a win yesterday, as well as a Donegal victory in Limerick, to maintain their slim hopes of avoiding the third tier alive until the final round of fixtures next Sunday.
As it was, their fate was sealed as early as half-time when news of the draw at the Gaelic Grounds was announced over the tannoy. Cork and Limerick will now meet in Páirc Uí Rinn next Sunday to decide who joins them and who has the less painful trip to Division Two.
“We still have to get a draw next Sunday,” said Cork selector John Corcoran. “Limerick drew against Donegal who heretofore had a 100% record so that slightly alters the last game. A draw would do us, whereas they will have to win.”
Adding to the spice next weekend is the fact that the same two teams are set to meet in the Munster Championship, again in Cork, six weeks later.
“If there was nothing at stake it would be a mock battle. It’s not now because Limerick have it in their own hands as well,” Corcoran added. “Division One is gone for both of us, unfortunately, but it promises to be an intriguing battle.”
The same can’t be said of yesterday’s affair. As Corcoran pointed out, it is hard to complain about a performance that yields 1-15 but the win has to be taken in the context of what was a truly awful display from Fermanagh.
The Ulster side managed just a single point in the second 35 minutes and even that came from a free. A shocking statistic, but hardly a surprising one with Cork claiming 80% of possession from kick-outs in the same period.
Bad and all as Charlie Mulgrew’s side were, it would be churlish to dismiss the 10-point contribution of Masters.
“James is worth his weight in gold,” said Corcoran. “He kicked points from all angles but there was some great support play there as well. Once we concentrated on delivering the ball in properly we did well. Michael Cussen did well with balls high and low. He created huge space and no better man than James to take advantage of that.”
Fermanagh looked eager to atone for their 17-point defeat in Dublin last week at the off, opening their account through Mark Murphy after only 16 seconds and stretching their lead to three points after ten minutes.
Their approach work at this juncture was a pretty pattern of short, diagonal passes, a tactic that was in stark contrast to Cork who persisted in dropping high balls on top of Cussen’s head every time they gained possession.
Most of it was aimless stuff, giving the big man little to work with on the few occasions he was able to gain possession. He finally got off the mark with a point on 29 minutes after collecting a measured pass played in to his feet.
By the change of ends, Cork were fortunate to be five points apiece after a dismally poor period of football that paled in comparison with the earlier tussle between Monaghan and Offaly.
Half of the 3,000 crowd had made for the exits by the time the action recommenced and another mass exodus occurred ten minutes later after a five-point blitz from Cork that all but decided the outcome.
“We said at the break that we were by far the better team but we weren’t taking our chances,” Corcoran explained. “We had nine wides and we were overdoing the long ball in. Every time we got the ball in space we came away with something.
“We told the lads to steady down, play like we did against Tyrone and run the ball. We knew the chances would present themselves. The lads knuckled down and we got five points in five minutes and the game was over there and then.”
Until then, the only goal chance either side had engineered was a seventh minute shot by Cork’s Pearse O’Neill which Niall Tinney turned around a post but a green flag was finally raised with seven minutes to go when Cussen fisted a dropping Derek Kavanagh point attempt into the net.
By then, Cork had been able to call ashore the likes of Kevin McMahon, Nicholas Murphy and Kavanagh, all of whom were nursing minor knocks.
Of greater concern will be the loss of Noel O’Leary after only 24 minutes. The right-half back fell awkwardly on his right shoulder before being substituted and the Cork management will learn later this week the extent of the injury.
“It is a blow,” said Corcoran. “He was having a very good league campaign so it’s disappointing for him personally and for the team.”
N Tinney; N Bogue, B Owens, S Goan; S McDermott, S Lyons, P Sherry; M McGrath, D Kelly; T Brewster (0-2, 1f), M Little (0-1), E Maguire (0-1f); R Keenan, M Murphy (0-1), D McKeever (0-1).
Subs: S Doherty for Keenan (46)
P O’Shea; M Prout, M Shields, K O’Connor; N O’Leary, G Spillane, A Lynch; D Kavanagh, N Murphy; C McCarthy, P O’Neill, K McMahon; J Masters (0-10, 4f, 1 ‘45’), M Cussen (1-2), K O’Sullivan (0-2).
Subs: S Levis for O’Leary (26), A Cronin for McMahon (49), D Hurley for Murphy (54), D Goulding (0-1) for O’Sullivan (65), A O’Connor for Kavanagh (65).
J Bannon (Longford).
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