Horan: We’re still a long way off some of the big teams
The Ballintubber man felt Lee Keegan deserved a free when he ran through in the 55th minute but was more disappointed with his side’s display.
When it was put to him that Cork may have pushed Mayo around, he concurred. “I think so. We made a couple of good runs, ran into traffic and we weren’t strong enough to get through or to play it back.
“There were a lot of turnovers and they got a lot of soft frees that way.
“That gave them momentum when we were trying to get back into the game. We have made progress from a strength and conditioning point of view, but we’re still a long way off some of the real big teams so there’s plenty of work to do there too.”
Maurice Deegan’s decision not to award Keegan a free when Pearse O’Neill, already on a yellow card, appeared to touch him on the back was a crucial turning point in light of what happened next — Cork’s second goal.
“It was an important time in the game there was no doubt about that,” shrugged Horan, “but I think over the course of the game Cork probably deserved it. We did not play at the level we can and I am disappointed with that.
“Overall, the game was disappointing and we did not play at the tempo that we can play at.”
