Cork hit serious speed bump with troubling loss as Monaghan take full advantage
PLENTY TO PONDER: Cork manager John Cleary during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Down and Cork at Páirc Esler in Newry, Down. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Cork’s encouraging start to Division 2 of the league hit a major speed bump on the long trip to rural Monaghan on Saturday with John Cleary’s side suffering a convincing and troubling defeat to the Ulster county.
The Rebels had been unlucky to lose out on the win when last in these parts, Down snatching the two points in round two, but there was no quibbling with this one. Monaghan led by as much as 13 points at one stage.
A strong fourth quarter from the visitors massaged the scoreboard and almost introduced the sense of contest to proceedings but, with Colm O’Callaghan seeing red for a second yellow near the end, they never seriously threatened an act of thievery.
“I thought we started quite well," Cleary said. "First few minutes we were happy enough. I know they had a goal disallowed and then a penalty but I did think we were open at the back then too many times and it came from us turning over the ball up the field.
“They broke and got their goals. They have good forwards one-on-one. A very good full-forward line there. We were fighting an uphill battle after that. We won the throw-in [on the restart], got blocked down and then conceded a two-pointer from Rory Beggan who got seven points in the second-half against the wind.
“We made a bit of a fight of it. We had goal chances but we needed one of them to go in towards the end. Overall, we couldn’t have any complaints on the day against a better team. They managed the game better on the day.”
Cork had indeed settled well enough, enjoying plenty of possession and pushing deep into Monaghan territory at pace and on the back of a midfield that, for all their later issues, was claiming its fair share of ball in the kick-out exchanges. Problems soon revealed themselves.
Their fast attacking play began to curdle into a slow gloop, the metronomic succession of lateral passes into the wind betraying their inability to trouble Monaghan nearly enough, and the situation at the other end couldn’t have been more different.
Gabriel Bannigan’s side cut the visitors open easily and often, one pass around or over the last line of defence regularly causing consternation. It led to three first-half goals – and one ruled out - for an Ulster side playing with the wind at its back.
Cork goalkeeper Patick Doyle hadn’t long saved a one-on-one from Stephen O’Hanlon when David Garland was taken down in the area and Jack McCarron found the net with a superbly-taken eighth-minute penalty.
Ten minutes later and O’Hanlon ghosted in behind the defence and learned from his earlier duel with Doyle by burying the chance when played in on goal. A follow-up two-pointer from Sean Jones stretched the lead to nine.
Ryan Wylie contributed to the pain, the defender wandering unmarked towards the Cork back post and finishing to the net when played in by the busy and effective O’Hanlon. The hosts led 3-5 to 0-5 at the break.
Cork’s need didn’t get any less on the restart with Rory Beggan firing over his first two-pointer from a free and Jack McCarron adding half that again from another dead ball. That left a dozen points between them.
Cork’s first score of the second period owed to a free when Monaghan were incorrectly punished for not having three men up. Mark Cronin took full advantage with a two-point kick and Cathail O’Mahony added one when Beggan diverted a goal over the bar.
There was no upsurge in momentum for the team playing catch-up. Not yet.
Beggan nailed another three points from two frees and, when Garland added another from play, Monaghan led by 13 points. It was only then, with 15 minutes to go and Cork looking to their bench, that the visitors began to find a way back.
Cronin’s dead ball skills were crucial in that, the Nemo Rangers man rattling off frees, a two-pointer and a penalty when Mattie Taylor had been dragged down by Beggan. Somehow, they got the gap down to five points inside injury-time, but no more.
R Beggan (0-7, 2 3pt frees, 0-1 free); J McCarron (1-2, 1-0 pen, 0-2 frees); R Wylie (1-0); S O'Hanlon (1-0); C McNulty (0-3); S Jones (0-2, 1 tp); D Garland (0-2);
M Cronin (1-8 frees, 1-0 pen, 1 2pt, 1 2pt free); C O’Mahony (0-2); C Og Jones (0-2, 0-1 free); P Walsh (0-1); S McDermott (0-1); C Cahalane (0-1).
R Beggan; R Wylie, K Lavelle, D Byrne; R O’Toole, L Kelly, S O’Hanlon; G McPhillips, M McCarville; C McCarthy, M Bannigan, C McNulty; D Garland, J McCarron, S Jones.
A Woods for Jones (53); K Duffy for Wylie (55); J Irwin for O’Hanlon (58); B McCaul for McCarron (61); K Loughran for Kelly (70).
P Doyle; S Brady, D O’Mahony, N Lordan; B O’Driscoll, R Maguire, M Taylor; S Walsh, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, T Walsh, C O’Mahony; M Cronin, C Og Jones, S McDonnell.
B Murphy for Lordan (28, head injury); R Deane for O’Driscoll (38); I Maguire for P Walsh (42); E McSweeney for O’Mahony (53); C Cahalane for T Walsh (60); L Murphy for McDonnell (67).
F Kelly (Longford).
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