Donegal overcome Cork in the League

CORK 2-7 DONEGAL 1-12

Three players saw red at Pairc Ui Rinn as Donegal came from behind to continue their impressive start to the new season with a 1-12 to 2-7 victory over Cork.

Cork built up a 2-4 to 1-6 half-time lead with green flags from Kevin O'Sullivan and Donnacha O'Connor, who capitalised on a Paul Durcan error.

Donegal's Kevin McMenamin replied with a goal, late in the first half, and the game turned on its head when Cork had All-Star duo James Masters and Nicholas Murphy sent-off during the second period.

The visitors' Brendan Devenney was also dismissed in injury-time, but Donegal were already on their way to the top of the Division 1A standings.

In front of a poor crowd of 2,143 spectators, Billy Morgan's got off to the better start with the talismanic Masters and Ballydesmond clubman O'Connor, who impressed in last month's McGrath Cup title win, leading the way.

However, twice Cork coughed up four-point leads in the first half and their defence looked decidedly sluggish without the presence of Graham Canty, who is nearing his return from his cruciate knee ligament injury, and Anthony Lynch, who was named in the initial line-up but is still yet to make his seasonal bow as he gets over an illness.

In what was a repeat of last year's All-Ireland quarter-final, Cork's attacking lines clicked first and they bagged a fifth-minute goal from O'Sullivan. The Ilen Rovers attacker thumped a shot against the Donegal crossbar, Masters was quickest to react and he fed O'Sullivan who beat keeper Durcan with ease.

The visitors took longer to settle, kicking three wides inside the opening ten minutes but three points on the bounce from Devenney, Christy Toye and Ciaran Bonner, who recovered from a shoulder injury to start, got them within range.

Cork then notched their second goal, with a little help from the unfortunate Durcan. O'Sullivan lobbed a ball into the square which the net minder spilled and the lurking O'Connor bulged the net.

Despite leaking two points to Brian Roper and McMenamin's goal, Morgan's men still led by a point at the break with Masters and Sean O'Brien adding points.

Master's 55th-minute sending-off helped turn the tide in Donegal's favour, although just moments earlier Kevin Cassidy had missed a glorious goal chance, pinging his shot off the post but regathering it to point.

Five minutes later, Murphy was also red-carded by referee Syl Doyle and with Barry Monaghan pacing up from the back to kick an inspiring point, Donegal looked good for the win. But they had to endure 15 scoreless minutes and Devenney's dismissal before Colm McFadden kicked the match-winning point.

Cork: P O'Shea; M Shields, D Coughlan, K O'Connor; N O'Leary, G Spillane, E Cadogan; N Murphy, D Kavanagh; S O'Brien (0-1), P O'Neill, C McCarthy (0-1); J Masters (0-2, 2f), D O'Connor (1-2, 2f), K O'Sullivan (1-0).

Subs used: M Prout for Coughlan (26 mins), D Goulding (0-1) for McCarthy (30), A Cronin for O'Brien (57).

Donegal: P Durcan; T Donoghue, N McGee, K Lacey; E McGee, B Monaghan, B Dunnion; K Cassidy (0-2), R Kavanagh; C Toye (0-2), C Bonner (0-1), B Roper (0-2); K McMenamin (1-2, 2f), B Devenney (0-1), M Doherty.

Subs used: M Hegarty (0-1) for Roper (26 mins), C McFadden (0-1) for Doherty (half-time), P Witherow for N McGee (67), N Gallagher for Bonner (70).

Referee: Syl Doyle (Wexford)