Allianz Division 2 football league preview: Louth v Cork

SUNDAY: Allianz Division 2 football league Round 2: Louth v Cork, DEFY Páirc Mhuire, Ardee, 1pm 

BOTH sides are searching for their first points of the new season after contrasting opening games last weekend, Louth pipped by a point by Armagh and Cork losing by 11 points to Donegal.

As well as the results being different the first day out, there were also contrasting finishes to the games. The Wee County despite leading for the majority of the contest at the Athletic Grounds, somehow found themselves a point in arrears heading into injury-time, but still had the stomach to keep going and were desperately unlucky not to draw level. Star forward Sam Mulroy had a 45 to level it, but he was unable to convert. 

So while that game was in the melting pot right to the very end, the same unfortunately couldn’t be said for the encounter above in Ballybofey. The match was long over by the time Patrick McBrearty billowed the back of the Cork net five minutes from time past a helpless Rebels netminder Patrick Doyle, who had no chance to save the powerful shot. Many in the crowd of just over 5,000 had vacated their position by the time the referee called for full-time, as Donegal won on a scoreline of 1-20 to 2-6.

Whatever about the first-half last weekend, with Cork trailing by just six points at the interval despite playing against a gale of a wind, the second-half would have been a huge disappointment for manager John Cleary and his management team. The good thing is that it’s a quick turnaround and the Rebels don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves. What exactly Cork can rectify in a week remains to be seen or was it just a case of one of those days?

Speaking after the 11-point loss last weekend, Cleary did say the performance would have to improve big time.

“Coming up today was always going to be an ask,” he said.

“To be beaten isn’t the end of the world, it’s the performance that we will be very disappointed with. We are capable of much better than that and we have played better than that. We have a week now to try and get back on the horse. We lost the first game last season and bounced back quick enough. Louth looked very good last night. It’s going to be a difficult assignment. We went up there last year and got beaten. After today’s performance we will just have to see where we can go next Sunday.” 

Louth will pose a threat all over the pitch. Mulroy might well be their go to man in the forward department, and while he did score 0-3, all from frees, in the 0-12 to 0-11 defeat to Armagh six days ago, the Leinster side had seven different scorers. Mickey Harte might have departed as manager, but it hasn’t affected the team with Dubliner Ger Brennan his successor. Their performance was to be admired last weekend against a strong Armagh side, but not for the first time in Louth’s modern era where a wholehearted performance reaped diddly squat in terms of reward.

The Wee County were strong at home last season, and it will be interesting how the team responds this year with slightly different tactics under this management. They will have a big vocal crowd behind them and that will help them. 

After Sunday’s game, the league goes into a two-week break before Cavan make the journey down south with the Rebels at home for the first time in this campaign with that one taking place on Saturday, February 17 in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh at 4pm. It would be unthinkable that Cleary’s side would go into that match without any points, but if the team isn't on it this weekend, it could happen. Louth are going for a second league win on the bounce over Cork, after winning at Sunday’s venue 11 months ago.