Rebels stave off Sligo’s late rally

CORK showed their style first, then their substance to dethrone All-Ireland JFC holders Sligo at Croke Park and march through themselves to this year’s final.

The stats will show that Niall Kelleher’s Rebels led from the first minute of this semi-final tie, when Brian Coughlan opened the scoring, and were good value for their victory. They led by 0-9 to 0-1 after 24 minutes and enjoyed a comfortable seven-point advantage at half-time, dominating all sectors of the pitch.

But as events unfolded it wasn’t surprising to hear Kelleher admit: “I always hate a half-time lead like that,” because, unfortunately for Cork, his fears proved well founded.