Cork leave goals behind but still surge to fourth win
Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon and Kilkenny's Mossy Keoghan. Pic: ©INPHO
A sort of homecoming.
Back in action after three weeks, UPMC Nowlan Park became the latest venue to be washed over by the red wave as Cork gave their dominating following more reason to cheer.
The home support in the 14,206 crowd was outnumbered and outvoiced by a visiting contingent that knew their team should have been home and hosed long before the conclusion.
Their frustration with the two from nine goal chance conversion was palpable until Alan Walsh’s first contribution off the bench was to catch, turn and strike a goal that turned out to be the difference in the penultimate minute of normal time.
A fourth straight win, it will be tougher for Cork to avoid a league final now than qualify for it. The trip to Limerick next Saturday could be a dry run for it in more ways than one – we’re told the counties have a home-away arrangement in place for league finals and it’s Limerick’s turn to host after the 1980 decider in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
It’s a thought for another day. Here, Kilkenny were more practical and efficient simply because they had to be against a side that could have ran them over but for Aidan Tallis and some other close shaves.
Derek Lyng took solace from Kilkenny’s reaction to the two goals they conceded in the second half. They hit Cork for 1-3 after Barry Walsh’s 52nd-minute goal having been seven points down. His namesake Alan’s goal widened the gap to five, but they returned with two points to set up a tense finale.
Of course, if Cork had been more efficient when aiming below the crossbar their fans wouldn’t have been as worried. Ben O’Connor qualified the inaccuracies. “We could have had a few more goals but their keeper had a couple of great saves in the first half in fairness.
“And I suppose with the conditions that we're out there, even with the breeze, it was hard to take a shot with the way it was swirling across the field.
“So, the only option is to put up on the hurley and run and try and get into a better position. I suppose it took us a while to get it going but when we did, we had a couple of good moves. But we've got to work on. It's only March 1.”
Four of the nine openings Cork failed to take came in the opening seven minutes of the second half. Hugh O’Connor was hooked by Richie Reid as he was unloading. Moments before, O’Connor looked set to finish a neat move involving Brian Hayes and Tommy O’Connell but his shot went wide.
The last of the opportunities was a penalty strike Alan Connolly also sent wide after Ivan Bolger had brought down Barry Walsh in the 41st minute.
Bolger was sent to the sin bin. Cork were almost cutting Kilkenny’s defence at will but the second goal didn’t arrive until Barry Walsh’s beautiful finish in the 52nd minute.
Seven up, Cork were still gunning for goals while Kilkenny were happy to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Kenny’s seventh free was followed by John Donnelly and Martin Keoghan’s scores.
Eoin Cody’s 63rd-minute goal made it a one-point game. Driving forward, Liam Moore found the Ballyhale Shamrocks man, who had largely been anonymous, but his low puck was good.
A Connolly free eased the Cork jitters in the stands and then Walsh rose highest to claim a long-range free and his strike was true. Kilkenny rallied but not enough to make it a third home win from three and now face work not to be dragged into a relegation fight.
When Hayes bulged the net in the third minute, it seemed like more would follow. Connolly broke down a ball to himself, looped a handpass over Mikey Carey’s head to the supporting Hayes and he batted the sliotar passed Tallis.
Hayes almost doubled his goal total two minutes later but Tallis was equal to his shot and Connolly was put under enough pressure to prevent him striking home the deflection.
Kilkenny settled with three points, two of them Kenny frees, as Cork’s aggression spilt over a little. A misjudged pass allowed Keoghan in for the home side’s third point in the 13th minute.
Connolly converted two frees himself, one either side of an Ed McDermott effort at the other end. The Blackrock man sent over a 65 when Eoin Downey’s low percentage goal attempt was kept out and put over the endline.
For all their possession, Cork weren’t showing it on the scoreboard and David Blanchfield made it a two-point game in the 23rd minute.
But then came a barrage of Cork points after Connolly sent wide a 65, the result of a Darragh Fitzgibbon goal opening that was also kept out by Tallis.
Feasting on Kilkenny’s puck-outs, Cork hit them for four points in less than three minutes. A third Connolly free was followed by O’Connell, Hayes and William Buckley scores.
Kilkenny’s one sniff of goal in the half came courtesy of a Paudie O’Sullivan slip-up, but Niall O’Leary was alert to put the ball out for a 65 before Paddy Deegan was able to make contact with it.
Kenny’s third free ended an 11-minute dry spell for Kilkenny but Connolly cancelled it out prior to the break and Cork were 1-9 to 0-6 to the good.
C. Kenny (0-8, 7 frees, 1 65); E. Cody (1-0); D. Blanchfield, M. Keoghan (0-2 each); E. McDermott, J. Donnelly, D. Corcoran (0-1 each).
A. Connolly (0-7, 6 frees, 1 65); B. Hayes (1-1); B. Walsh, A. Walsh (1-0 each); C O’Brien (sideline), T. O’Connell, W. Buckley, D. Fitzgibbon (0-1 each).
: A. Tallis; M. Carey, M. Butler, I. Bolger; K. Doyle, D. Corcoran (c), J. Molloy; R. Reid, D. Blanchfield; L. Moore, H. Kenny, P. Deegan; M. Keoghan, E. McDermott, E. Cody.
J. Donnelly for E. McDermott (inj 46); T. Phelan for K. Doyle (55); L. Connellan for R. Reid (61); L. Hogan for M. Keoghan (66); D. Barcoe for I. Bolger (69).
Black card: I. Bolger (42-52).
P. O’Sullivan; S. O’Donoghue, D. O’Leary, N. O’Leary; E. Downey, C. Joyce, C. O’Brien; T. O’Mahony, T. O’Connell; D. Fitzgibbon (c), W. Buckley, H. O’Connor; B. Walsh, A. Connolly, B. Hayes.
E. Twomey for C. O’Brien (50); R. O’Flynn for H. O’Connor (59); G. Millerick for D. O’Leary (66); A. Walsh for B. Walsh (68); M. Mullins for T. O’Mahony (70+1).
T. Walsh (Waterford).
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