Seán Powter: We've been through a lot of dark days, this was a great day to be a Cork footballer

It was a day to remember last Saturday as the Cork footballers produced a stunning performance to take down Donegal in the All-Ireland SFC Group 3 Round 2 clash.

Páirc Uí Rinn was full to the brim as the Rebel faithful roared the team home to win 3-9 to 0-16. One of the players who contributed handsomely to the victory was Douglas’ Seán Powter who scored a goal and also set up Matty Taylor’s green flag.

The 26-year-old, who will turn 27 next month, was lost for words when speaking on the pitch not long after the final whistle had blown.

“It’s a great day to be a Cork footballer,” Powter said.

“We have been through a lot of dark days and thankfully today is one we can enjoy. We were excited to bring Donegal down here. There was a bit of a buzz about us today and I felt with everything that was going on, that we had an opportunity. We took our chances in front of goal, something that we didn’t do in the league. Thankfully we took them today.

“Donegal are different to every other team in the country. They try and play the game on their terms but we wanted to set it on our terms today and they played a bit into our hands. 

We got turnovers and we punished them. All of our goals were similar.” 

Donegal led by two points at the break but they were lucky to be in front with Cork sluggish in the forward area in the first 35 minutes. That all changed, when the Rebels struck for two hugely important green flags inside the first four minutes of the new half, scored by the man himself and Rory Maguire. 

“I think Donegal were at 88% in their shot conversion and we were at 44% in the first half,” Powter says.

“That was one massive thing we focused on inside in the dressing room at the break, getting our shot percentage up. We came out of the traps in the second half and got those two goals and thankfully we got over the line.” 

DEPTH

It had looked like the momentum was with Donegal in the closing stages. The Ulster side kicked four points on the trot to draw level, but Cork showed composure and guile to land the last two points. The celebrations after the match said it all.

“We have been saying all year, our bench is probably one of the best in the country,” the centre-forward said.

“You see it there with [Steven] Sherlock, [Conor] Corbett, Deano [Ruairí Deane], Eoghan McSweeney and [Thomas] Clancy, all came on and made a massive difference. Seán Meehan was introduced late on and helped shore things up at the back.

“John Cleary’s main thing to us has been about consistency and we have to back it up now against Tyrone in two weeks and hopefully top the group. 

Once the footballers and hurlers are flying, Cork’s flying, so as long as we can keep it going it will be amazing for Cork in general."