2009 All-Ireland quarter-final win over Donegal was a high point for Conor Counihan's Cork

It’s one of the great forgotten Croke Park performances, and arguably the best goal scored at headquarters that everyone forgets.

In the 2009 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final, a rare Donegal foray forward presented a half-chance of a goal but Michael Shields got an important block in and Alan O’Connor picked up the loose ball, more or less on the Cork goal-line.

He rode a challenge or two and found Nicholas Murphy on the 45. He in turn fed Patrick Kelly, close to the left sideline. A long handpass up the line to Donncha O’Connor allowed the Ballincollig man to race on and collect the return before changing direction, moving diagonally inwards.

Running at a right angle was his fellow PK, Paul Kerrigan, and Kelly’s pass was beautifully weighted into his colleague’s hands, meaning he didn’t have to break stride. Even still, there was work to do but Kerrigan produced a wonderful outside-of-the-boot shot to the top corner.

Speaking on The Sunday Game’s highlights show that night, current Mayo manager Kevin McStay said, “You dream of finishes like that, spend a whole career wondering if you’ll get one.”

The goal was allied to 27 points by Cork that day, in an era when such a scoreline was still above the average in hurling. Donegal’s 2-10 was bumped up with a late flurry after Cork’s victory had long been confirmed.

Conor Counihan’s side had 11 scorers that day but the dominance exercised by them meant that the game was dismissed as a cakewalk and Donegal were written off as no-hopers. It was a reputation which was underlined when Armagh eliminated them in the following year’s qualifiers, but Jim McGuinness’s installation as manager signalled the beginning of the eradication of that view of them. Half of the team beaten by Cork were to win All-Ireland medals in 2012.

Had you been told that one of the sides would win an All-Ireland in the next three years, it would not have been at all a surprise – in fact, most would have expected to be told that they would be winning an All-Ireland six weeks later. Anyone saying that both counties were Sam Maguire winners in the near future would have been looked on with a mixture of pity and more pity.

It’s probably not that controversial to say that Cork were better for much of 2009 than they were in 2010. After rampaging through Kerry in a Munster SFC semi-final replay, they threatened to be upscuttled by Limerick in the final but showed good tenacity to grind it out and then opened the throttle against Donegal.

A mature and controlled display saw off reigning champions Tyrone in the semi-final and, had they finished the job against Kerry in the final, their status as the best team in the country could not have been disputed. Sadly, a 1-3 to 0-1 early lead against the Kingdom in the final couldn’t be built on and Jack O’Connor’s side wound up 0-16 to 1-9 winners.

Redemption would come 12 months later – and in arguably as satisfying a manner, as critics were many and questions were posed in the qualifiers and the All-Ireland series proper, all eventually answered – but 2009 will always be a regret.

As the footballers lock horns with Donegal again, a victory would be a clear signal of improvement from an encouraging 2023. We wouldn’t say no to another wonderful team goal, either.

Scorers for Cork: P Kerrigan 1-4, D O’Connor (0-3f), J Miskella 0-4 each, D Goulding 0-3, P O’Neill, P Kelly, C O’Neill, F Goold, P Kissane 0-2 each, G Canty, F Lynch 0-1 each.

Donegal: M Murphy 0-6 (0-2f), S Griffin, R Kavanagh 1-0 each, B Monaghan, B Roper, E McGee, A Hanlon 0-1 each.

CORK: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, K O'Connor; N O'Leary, G Canty, J Miskella; A O'Connor, N Murphy; P Kerrigan, P O'Neill, P Kelly; D Goulding, C O'Neill, D O'Connor. Subs: F Goold for A O'Connor (45), F Lynch for O'Neill (50), M Cussen for N Murphy (52), P Kissane for Miskella (55), J Hayes for Kerrigan (60).

DONEGAL: M Boyle; F McGlynn, N McGee, K Lacey; B Dunnion, B Monaghan, E McGee; B Boyle, K Cassidy; R Kavanagh, B Roper, L McLoone; C Dunne, M Murphy, C McFadden. Subs: D Walsh for Roper; S Griffin for McLoone (both half-time), D Gallagher for Boyle (49), A Hanlon for Dunne (51), E Waide for E McGee (55).

Referee: M Deegan (Laois).