Cork's promotion hopes over following heavy defeat to Roscommon in the Páirc
Matty Taylor with possession for Cork against Roscommon. Picture: Larry Cummins
A damaging defeat for Cork in so many ways after losing to upwardly mobile Roscommon in the Allianz Division 2 football league at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night.
It’s now a second successive loss for John Cleary’s team after falling to defeat away to Monaghan last weekend and with two games remaining, the promotion dream is now over.
Cork will now be looking nervously over their shoulder with two points the difference above the drop zone before Sunday's games.
This was an encounter where the Leesiders failed to spark in such a massive game. They more than matched their opposition early on and should have been further ahead after a promising opening 17 minutes, but the display fizzled out.
The worry for the Rebels as the game wore on was the over-reliance on the excellent Mark Cronin. There was also too much lateral play having gone direct in the first quarter.
There was one change to the Cork starting 15 that was announced on Friday with Ian Maguire replacing Seán Walsh in midfield.
In front of a sparse crowd, Cork started brightly as they created a goal opportunity after 19 seconds. Colm O’Callaghan and Paul Walsh were involved which resulted in Seán McDonnell having a chance but he was unable to raise a green flag. It was brought back for a free however, which Cronin converted.
Paul Walsh then spurned another goal chance, even if the angle was difficult. Robbie Dolan did tie up matters in the Rossies' first attack, but the Rebels responded with a Cronin two-pointer from a free.
After a breathless start, Roscommon soon got to the pitch of the game as they tacked on two unanswered points to draw parity after 10 minutes, 0-3 each. Cork showed a bit of composure as patient play resulted in points from Cronin (free) and Cathail O’Mahony after 17 enjoyable minutes.
Ian Maguire made a great block to deny Dolan a possible goal four minutes later before the away outfit put together three white flags on the trot to lead for the first time with 11 minutes to the break, 0-6 to 0-5.
Ben O’Carroll and a Diarmuid Murtagh two-pointer from a free pushed Roscommon four points clear. A Cronin free was much-needed, Cork’s first score in 14 minutes, 0-9 to 0-6.
The teams then exchanged two-pointers, with Diarmuid Murtagh landing another one from a free and a beauty from Cronin. Conor Hand got his second point as Roscommon led 0-12 to 0-8 at half-time.
The momentum and buzz was with the men from Connacht as Ultan Harney pointed and a two-pointer from Hand two minutes into the new half, 0-15 to 0-8. The aforementioned Cronin slotted over a free before Chris Óg Jones became just Cork’s third scorer so far when he fisted over a point from an acute angle.
The teams traded points as the Rossies kept Cork at arms-length and got a penalty after 48 minutes when Ciarán Lennon was taken down. Enda Smith stepped up to dispatch the ball to the net, 1-16 to 0-11. Another Hand two-pointer pushed his side 10 points clear.
The game was petering out as we entered the final quarter. Roscommon hit two of the next three points as they were in control with nine minutes to go, 1-20 to 0-12.
An O’Callaghan mark was a mere consolation before Roscommon got their second goal when O’Carroll took advantage of a terrible mix-up in the Cork defence to finish with ease after 64 minutes, 2-20 to 0-13.
Roscommon played down the clock to win very handsomely over a disjointed Cork side. Niall Daly kicked the last score as his team won by 14 points.
M Cronin 0-8 (0-4 f, 1 2pt, 1 2pt f), C O’Mahony, P Walsh, S Powter, C O’Callaghan (m), C Óg Jones 0-1 each.
D Murtagh 0-7 (2 2pt f, 0-2 f), C Hand 0-6 (2 2pt, 0-1 45), B O’Carroll 1-3, E Smith 1-0 pen, S Cunnane (m), R Dolan, C Murtagh (f), N Daly, U Harney 0-1 each.
P Doyle; S Brady, D O’Mahony (c), N Lordan; T Walsh, R Maguire, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, B O’Driscoll, S McDonnell; M Cronin, C Óg Jones, C O’Mahony.
S Powter for T Walsh (43), R Deane for C O’Mahony (45), S Walsh for S McDonnell (57), C Cahalane for P Walsh (58), H O’Connor for C Óg Jones (65).
C Carroll; P Frost, J McManus, N Higgins; S Cunnane, D Murray, R Dolan; E Smith, K Doyle; B O’Carroll, U Harney, C Hand; D Murtagh (c), C McKeon, C Lennon.
C Murtagh for C McKeon (h-t), R Daly for J McManus (45), E Nolan for U Harney (50), D Ruane for C Lennon (61), N Daly for R Dolan (65).
S Lonergan (Tipperary).
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