14-man Cork hold off Royal fightback to make it four wins out of four
HANGING ON: Adam O’Neill has a shot blocked by Luke Fahy. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
There is no point at all in playing this down. While we won’t make any grand pronouncements regarding promotion and a first return to Division 1 after 10 years away, you just cannot overstate the importance of this Cork victory.
Reduced to 14 men when Ian Maguire saw straight red with 14 minutes remaining, and playing into a notable breeze, John Cleary’s side held on in desperate fashion. It finished with Luke Fahy denying Adam O’Neill a winning goal in the seconds before the hooter.
The ensuing Páirc Uí Rinn eruption was a rare and wonderful occurrence where the county’s footballers are concerned.
A fourth straight victory of the campaign. Closer Cork inch to a land they’ve craved but fell well short of over the past decade.
Seán McDonnell’s third of the afternoon shoved Cork’s lead out to six, 1-22 to 1-16, on 58 minutes. Meath arrived with the next four scores. An Eoghan Frayne two-pointer and three white flags from Ciarán Caulfield, Jack O’Connor, and Jack Flynn reduced the gap to the minimum. And still there were six minutes remaining.
The hosts were now firmly ensconced in hanging on territory.
Chris Óg Jones lifted the siege. His point on the counter stretched their lead out to two. The clock, momentum, and on-field manpower was still against them.
Somehow, they got there.
Of Meath’s many regrets, including at least three second-half goal chances not taken, they will rue their decision not to take aim when a controversial two-point free was given against Steven Sherlock. Their decision to play short was baffling. Seán Meehan snuck in a hand and forced the turnover.
Caulfield’s attempted leveller from outside the arc fell dangerously into the hands of Adam O’Neill late in the final minute. It was his altercation with Maguire that saw the Cork midfielder sent off. He was not to further torment the hosts. Luke Fahy’s block preserves Cork’s winning start to Division 2.
A barnstorming first-half outdid itself in the four minutes before the half-time hooter. End-to-end without pause.
In a single passage, Meath encroached closer and closer to the Cork goal before Daniel O’Mahony forced the turnover. Cork broke at breakneck speed. Chris Óg Jones fisted off the post. It was Meath’s turn to counter. And counter they did, Ruairí Kinsella punishing Chris Óg’s mistake with a white flag at the far end. The gap reduced to the minimum. 0-12 to 0-11.
As it turns out, we hadn’t seen anything yet.
Ian Maguire, superb under the Meath restart, slipped Chris Óg through. The necessary clinical streak was evident on this occasion. Goal Cork. And so began an incredible 110 seconds where Cork jumped from one to seven clear.
Brennan’s kickout following the major was won by Luke Fahy. A Mark Cronin point was the result. The next kickout was again lost. Sherlock raised orange and the Cork majority in the crowd of 6,223 raised the roof.
The flowing nature of proceedings, for so long, was matched by near flawless kicking.
Meath’s opening eight kicks were successful. Aaron Lynch, watched by Maurice Shanley, registered their opening wide on 25 minutes. Eoghan Frayne would hit the post shortly after.
From Cork’s opening 11 attempts, nine stuck. A Sherlock two-point effort sent wide and a Sherlock ‘45 short were the two indiscretions.
This missed pair was part of an early three-in-a-row of Sherlock scoring opportunities that came to nought. They also, mind, pointed to Cork’s assertive start where a Mark Cronin two-pointer and the first of Dara Sheedy’s first-half three, following Ian Maguire’s interruption of a Meath kickout, shoved the hosts 0-4 to 0-2 clear.
A three-in-a-row from Lynch, Jordan Morris, he watched by Daniel O’Mahony, and Kinsella brought Meath level at 0-5 apiece on 15 minutes. They were level again minutes later when the controversial 50-metre advancement reared its head at Páirc Uí Rinn.
Colm O'Callaghan was penalised for dissent after Meath were awarded a free. Meath brought the advanced free back outside the arc, with goalkeeper Seán Brennan coming forward to raise orange. It was the last time the visitors would stand equal for the remainder of the half and, indeed, the game.
O'Callaghan's reply to the advanced free was to sweep the break on Cork’s next two kickouts. One of those fed Mark Cronin’s second two-pointer.
Last year’s eight-point total was Cork’s outstanding accumulation since falling into the second tier. With four rounds run in the current edition, that total has now been matched.
C Óg Jones (1-4); M Cronin (0-5, 2tps); S Sherlock (tp, 0-1 free, 0-1 ‘45), D Sheedy (0-4 each); S McDonnell (0-3); L Fahy, C O’Callaghan, I Maguire (0-1 each).
E Frayne (1-3, tp); J Morris (0-4, 0-1 free); J Flynn, R Kinsella (0-3 each); S Brennan (tp free), A Lynch, J O’Connor (0-2 each); S Coffey, C Caulfield (0-1 each).
MA Martin; M Shanley, S Meehan, D O’Mahony; M Taylor, T Walsh, L Fahy; C O’Callaghan, I Maguire; P Walsh, D Sheedy, S McDonnell; M Cronin, C Óg Jones, S Sherlock.
R Deane for P Walsh (54); S Walsh for Sheedy (60); R Maguire for Taylor (63); D Buckley for O’Callaghan (64); K O’Donovan for Meehan (68).
S Brennan; S Lavin, R Ryan, B O’Halloran; C Caulfield, S Coffey, D Keogan; B Menton, J Flynn; C Duke, R Kinsella, C McBride; J Morris, E Frayne, A Lynch.
A O’Neill for McBride (35); J O’Connor for Duke (HT); J Conlon for Lynch (47); J Scully for Ryan (58).
C Dourneen (Cavan).
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