Walsh goal the catalyst as Cork secure crucial win over Kildare
KEY COG: Brian O’Driscoll of Cork scores a point. Pic: James Lawlor, Inpho
A second Cork win of the spring. John Cleary’s charges continue their climb away from the foot of the Division 2 table.
For now, they’ve climbed out of the relegation zone and closer to their desired March destination of mid-table, Sam Maguire-guaranteeing safety.
For Kildare, a fifth successive defeat leaves them rooted to the bottom of the second tier. They are not yet relegated. Control of their own fate, though, is now in other’s hands.
Victory in their final two games might not be enough. They appear to be beyond saving this spring.
If Maurice Shanley’s injury-time goal above in Ederney last Sunday was the definition of timely, it found very stiff competition here to hold its entry from fellow Cork corner-back Tommy Walsh.
In the fourth minute of first-half injury-time and with struggling Cork four behind, Kevin Flahive intercepted a Daniel Flynn handpass intended for Ryan Houlihan on the 20-metre line.
The hosts broke at once. Off went Matty Taylor. He carried possession across halfway before offloading to Tommy Walsh who had sprinted ahead and inside the cover.
Walsh still had so much to do, not least with three white shirts falling on top of him, but credit the Kanturk defender for managing to find the net.
It was a goal that offered Cork a road back into a contest where, up to then, they had shown such a surprising lack of urgency given what was at stake. It was a goal that, ultimately, broke Kildare.
Walsh’s goal formed part of an unanswered 1-4 in the 10 minutes either side of half-time. Indeed, between the 35th minute of the opening half to the 52nd minute, they outgunned Glenn Ryan’s side 2-8 to 0-2.
From five behind to seven in front. 2-12 to 2-5.
Their second goal, on 52 minutes, was finished superbly by Conor Corbett. It was a third quarter where Cork feasted on turnovers.
Brian Hurley, Corbett, and Chris Óg Jones all profited and pointed from outstanding work by their colleagues out the field. Brian O’Driscoll and Colm O’Callaghan, both of whom kicked three from play, mixed the best of both.
A converted Kevin Feely penalty on 53 minutes brought Kildare back within four, 2-12 to 3-5. Cork's response cancelled it out. Three-in-a-row from O’Callaghan and Jones restored the seven-point difference.
Bar the green flags on either side, it had been a first half of very little else. For two teams at the foot of Division 2, this should have been a fixture wearing championship clothes. Instead, it was pedestrian and passive.
Cork could have had the first goal of the contest on four minutes. A Kildare mistake presented an empty goal. Brian O’Driscoll, from 30 metres, saw his effort hop off the crossbar for a white rather than green flag.
Four minutes further on, Daniel Flynn ingenuity to keep the ball in play along the South Stand sideline and later a Flynn assist teed up Alex Beirne for a Kildare major.
Not alone was it Kildare’s first goal of the 2024 league, it was their first goal in league or championship since the Sam Maguire round-robin game against Roscommon on June 18 of last year.
It was, in sum, only their second goal in nine games across league and championship.
All the Kildare buses came in the first half. The visitors had a second goal on 23 minutes. Daniel Flynn provider turned finisher. The winless and pointless Lilywhites now 2-2 to 0-3 in front.
Kevin Flahive and Chris Óg Jones both kicked points to narrow the gap, but Cork’s colourless challenge was on life support until Walsh’s injury-time goal gave it a meaningful pulse.
They trailed 2-3 to 1-5 at half-time. They were in front within three minutes of the restart.
That pulse was racing by the finish. Cork have Meath (away) and Armagh (home) to come. They are two games they’ll attack with confidence raised and pressure lessened.
C Corbett (1-2); T Walsh (1-0); C O’Callaghan, B O’Driscoll, C Óg Jones (0-3); B Hurley (0-2); R Maguire, K Flahive (0-1 each).
K Feely (1-6, 1-0, 0-3 frees); D Flynn (1-1); A Beirne (1-0); N Kelly (0-2, 0-1 free).
C Kelly; K Flahive, D O’Mahony, T Walsh; L Fahy, R Maguire, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; E McSweeney, M Cronin, B O’Driscoll; C Óg Jones, C Corbett, B Hurley.
S Meehan for R Maguire (26); R Deane for McSweeney (HT); S Powter for Cronin (52); S Sherlock for Hurley (58); D Buckley for Corbett (68).
M Donnellan; R Burke, M O’Grady, R Houlihan; J Sargent, E Doyle, P McDermott; A Masterson, K O’Callaghan; L Killian, A Beirne, S Farrell; K Feely, D Flynn, N Kelly.
B Gibbons for Masterson (42); C Bolton for Killian (44); S Ryan for Doyle (50); S McCormack for Beirne (52); B Byrne for Sargent (67).
D Gough (Meath).
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