CORK manager John Cleary accepted the explanation from Longford referee Fergal Kelly to show full-back Daniel O’Mahony a red card after 34 minutes of yesterday’s 1-10 to 0-10 Division 2 defeat by Louth in Ardee.

The Knocknagree defender clashed with Conor Grimes, who had to be replaced following treatment and O’Mahony is now set to miss the concluding game against promoted Derry at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday.

“The referee said it was accidental but high,” Cleary told The Echo. “The emphasis is on the guy going in to make the tackle to make sure the other guy doesn’t get hurt.

“The shoulder hit the Louth player’s head and the referee said he had no choice and we must take his word on that.

“It was a harsh decision but that’s the nature of the game and we can’t do anything about it now.” 

It was Cork’s first loss on the road after claiming wins away to Kildare and championship opponents while Louth are still in contention, needing an unlikely win over Dublin at Croke Park to pip the Dubs on the head-to-head.

Cork faced a Louth side who thrive on playing at DEFY Pairc Mhuire, a tight pitch with a dead surface which visiting teams struggle to inject any degree of pace into games.

“We knew coming up here what to expect and what it would be like and that is exactly what it was,” Cleary commented.

We had a man sent off, conceded a penalty and again probably missed five goal chances and that’s in a nutshell why Louth have the points and we don’t.” 

The Cork boss said he was too far away from the incident which led to the 28th-minute penalty after Sean Powter tangled with Ryan Burns. “It looked more like a coming together than an actual foul,” said Cleary.

To compound matters, keeper Micheal Aodh Martin saved Burns’s kick only for the Louth player to palm in the rebound.

It was the turning point because Cork opened promisingly, establishing a five-point advantage with the strong wind at their backs.

“We were patient and we knew Louth would be on the defensive. I thought we coped well with it until we missed a goal and they went up and got the penalty.

“There was a six-point turnaround and instead of it being 1-7 to 0-2 it was 0-7 to 1-2. To compound that we then had the sending off. A lot of things didn’t go in our favour."