Cork footballers well beaten in Derry as relegation battle looms
Tadhg Corkery of Cork drives out with the ball against Derry. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Derry 1-13 Cork 0-7
CORK'S wait for a Division 2 win went on at Owenbeg on Sunday as they were defeated by a high-flying Derry, who always looked in control.
Billy Hennessy was handed his footballing debut for the Rebels, with the St Finbarr’s defender having switched codes from the county hurling squad.
Hennessy’s inclusion was one of six changes from Keith Ricken from the league draw with Clare, also including a league debut for Chris Kelly between the posts.
Cork got an early score on the board when another St Finbarr’s man, Stephen Sherlock, intercepted a loose pass and was pulled back – converting the close-range free.
Shane McGuigan responded for Derry when he found the target from a free after Oisin McWilliams was fouled.
Rory Gallagher’s side took the lead on 15 minutes when McGuigan engineered some space 30 metres out and managed to float a lovely effort into the wind and over the top.
Derry extended their lead to two on 22 minutes when a quick free from McWilliams picked out Padraig McGrogan and he passed for McGuigan off the shoulder to send over his, and his side’s, third.
Cork got their second score after a 25-minute wait when Daniel Dineen jinked inside and popped it over.
The visitors had a massive goal chance on 31 minutes when Sean Meehan went on a superb run through the heart of the Derry defence before a deft pass into O’Callaghan five metres out, but he was penalised for picking it off the ground – albeit that the onrushing Odhran Lynch made the save anyway.
Lachlan Murray added his name to the scoresheet when Cassidy supplied Glass who shipped two heavy hits before setting up the Desertmartin man to slice over the top.
Another McGuigan free came before Derry went within inches of a goal in first-half added time when another rapid break ended with McWilliams sending Benny Heron through, but his shot rattled off the crossbar and was cleared to safety.
The final scoring act saw Sherlock put two between them when McKaigue was adjudged to have fouled Hurley, and the St Finbarr’s man slotted before the posts with the dead ball.
A free from McGuigan and an Emmett Bradley score extended Derry’s lead early in the second half.
The major turning point came on 44 minutes when, at one end, Dineen took Rogers out of the game with a pass over the top for Sherlock who was bearing down on goal, but Odhran Lynch got himself in the way of the shot.
Immediately, Derry broke and the space opened in front of McWilliams he found Chris Kelly equal to his effort, but crucially Heron was in the right place to slot to the net.
Kelly then tipped a Loughlin shot over the bar before a fourth free from McGuigan put nine between them.
Cork got their first score of the second period after 51 minutes when Sherlock converted a free as the heavy rain started to set in at Owenbeg.
Paul Cassidy set up Oisin McWilliams for a wind-assisted score before another free from McGuigan to make it 1-11 to 0-4.
Sherlock got Cork’s second point from play on the hour mark before he took his tally to 0-5 with another free after Rogers was penalised the James Molloy for a shoulder.
Matthew Downey had the ball on the net on 67 minutes, but he was pulled for a square ball. Derry won the resulting kick-out and Downey set McGrogan clear off the shoulder to slice over the bar before McGuigan added his eighth – this one from play – for 1-13 to 0-6.
There was a consolation point at the end for Cork as Kevin O’Donovan became just their third scorer on the day with a well-taken score.
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