Darragh Gough's heroics get Cork over the line in U20 challenge with Meath
Cork's Dylan O'Neill celebrates his sides opening goal against Meath during the under 20 football challenge at SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Darragh Gough’s outstanding winner meant victory for the Cork U20s against Meath, as his last gasp point got the Rebels over the line in their U20 challenge at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday.
Gough’s kick – a sweeping effort that curled in from the outside to sneak between the posts proved to be the final chance of the game.
While the result is a positive one for Ray O’Mahony’s side, the real win was for football – given the excitement of the game itself. It was a captivating contest.
Hopefully a sign of what’s to come in the coming months.
The 40-metre arc was game changing, and a long range two-point free from Jamie Murphy cut Cork’s lead to the minimum in the 49th minute, setting up an exciting finish.
It was end to end, but neither side could manage a score until Dara Sheedy – who had aimed for goal but had to settle for a point under pressure from two Meath defenders, got Cork’s advantage back to two.
They led 1-13 to 1-11. Sixty seconds plus additional time to go.
Meath weren’t down and out yet.
Pat Crawley added a free. Rian Stafford drew Meath level for the first time in the second half. They tried, but parity wouldn’t last. Gough found the space and snatched the win with the score of the game.
Cork took a while to get firing, but by the beginning of the second half they had established control.
They improved from kickouts in the latter period, but they can thank Sheedy and Dylan O’Neill for the win.
The two west Cork footballers pulled them back into contention after trailing 1-7 to 1-2 after 23 minutes. Cork led from there, tallying eight points without reply, only one of those a two-point attempt from outside the arc through a Bryan Hayes free.
They kept Meath scoreless for 18 minutes of football, and when Jamie Murphy did finally land a point from a free – it cut Cork’s lead to two with 40 minutes elapsed and the Rebels would survive the scare.
Rian Stafford got Meath off the mark, while Michael McIvor followed that up with an excellent two-point attempt from play.
A Hayes’ free got Cork going and they would draw level one of two times in the first half when Hayes provided O’Neill with an excellent ball in, the forward turned his man and drilled it across goal and into the far corner, 0-4 to 1-1.
Then came the only other goal of the game – as Meath’s Conor O’Brien set up Daniel Hickey, putting it on a silver platter for the corner-forward, who was left unmarked and one-on-one with Joe Lyons. Simple finish, 1-4 to 1-1.
That restored Meath’s advantage to three after a quarter of an hour – but there were plenty of twists to the tale in the following 45 minutes.
D Sheedy 0-5, D O’Neill 1-1, B Hayes 0-4 (1 2pt free, 1 1pt free), M Maguire, D Gough, C Gillespie, S O’Leary 0-1 each.
D Hickey 1-0, M McIvor (1 2pt score), J Murphy (1 2pt free, 1 1pt free) 0-3 each, R Stafford, P Crawley (1 1pt free) 0-2 each, L Jennings (1 1pt free), E Armstrong, C O’Brien 0-1 each.
J Lyons (Nemo Rangers); C Molloy (Nemo Rangers), M Óg O’Sullivan (Bantry Blues), L Fogarty (Douglas); C Clifford (Éire Óg), M Woods (Valley Rovers), T Kiely (Mallow); C Gillespie (Adghabullogue), D Clifford (Éire Óg); D Miskella (Ballincollig), D Sheedy (Bantry Blues), G Kearney (Kinsale); B Hayes (Nemo Rangers), M Maguire (Castlehaven), D O’Neill (Carbery Rangers).
S O’Leary (Kilmurry) for Kiely (HT), B O’Sullivan (Aghabullogue) for Miskella, A O’Connell (Kilshanning) for Kearney (both 43), F Hurley (O’Donovan Rossa) for O’Sullivan (49), D Gough (Clonakilty) for Maguire (55), C O’Leary (Glenville) for O’Neill (57), K Murphy (Bishopstown) for C Clifford (59).
M Kealy; S Jordan, H Cahill, C O’Hare; F Hartigan, J Reeves, J Gormley; E Armstrong, M McIvor; C O’Brien, Z Thornton, R Stafford; D Hickey, J Murphy, L Jennings.
P Crawley for Hickey, B Smyth for Thornton, A Gormley for J Gormley (all 39), O Brennan for O’Brien, C Duggan for Hartigan, M O’Sullivan for Jennings (all 43), E Kelly for Reeves (58).
Robert Whelan (Gleann na Laoi)
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