Five-star Cork Youth League push past Wexford into FAI final
The Cork Youth team before their FAI Inter-League semi-final against Wexford Football League at North End pitch at Hollygrove in Wexford.
The Cork Youth League put in a superb team performance to beat Wexford Football League in their FAI Youth Inter-League semi-final at the magnificent facility at Hollygrove in Wexford on Saturday.
Cork were on top in the first half and led courtesy of a well-taken goal by Kai O’Neill in the 23rd minute.
However, the boys in Red came out for the second half and stamped their authority on the game by adding four goals in a 20-minute period with a College Corinthians angle.
O’Neill grabbed his second, Padraig McGrath fired a brace himself and Ty Corcoran added a goal to go with his two assists.
Cork will now go on to meet the Mayo Football League in the final on the weekend of April 13 with the venue to be named by the FAI in the coming weeks.
Louis Nolan’s side came very close to breaking the deadlock in the 10th minute, when Kai O’Neill released Padraig McGrath with a delightful through ball, but his effort sailed inches over the bar.
Wexford had a great opportunity to open the scoring in the 19th minute, their captain Cian Redmond released Jack Walsh down the left flank and when his cross was met by Troy Sinnott, Cork stopper Hordi Kirian somehow clawed his effort away from danger.
Cork were awarded a penalty a minute later when O’Neill was upended in the Wexford box. Corcoran took the responsibility to take the spot kick but Cormac Redmond made a superb save and he then had to make another stop to deny Corcoran’s follow-up effort.
Cork eventually took the lead in the 23rd minute. Corcoran's crossfield ball was collected by O’Neill and he calmly stuck the target from close range.
Cork dominated possession in the remainder of the half, but they couldn’t get the better of Redmond in the Wexford goal as he made some excellent saves to keep his side in the game.
Cork made a dream start to the second half. Corcoran again found O’Neill with another crossfield pass and he side-stepped his defender to curl his effort into the roof of the net.
They increased their lead 3-0 in the 53rd minute, Evan Cummins found McGrath at the far post and he headed home from close range.
Things got worse for the Wexford boys a minute later when Cork got a fourth.
Cummins picked out Corcoran on the edge of the box and he curled his effort high into the roof of the net for his eighth goal in the competition.
To give credit to Wexford they kept battling away, however, they they fell 5-0 behind in the 65th minute.
Cork captain Kealan Crowe picked our McGrath at the back post and he struck his effort home from close range.
Both sides made a host of changes in the final 20 minutes.
Cork were just too good on the day to see themselves into the final in three weeks.
Cormac Redmond, Luke Renwick, Cian O’Dowd, James Kirby, Cian Redmond, Noah Byrne, Ryan Dempsey, Philip Yeats, Troy Sinnott, Stephen Murphy, Jack Walsh.
Alex Connick for Dempsey (h-t), Richard Goff for Renwick (55), Callum Fowler for Byrne (64), Jack Byrne for O’Dowd (80).
Hordi Kirian, Daniel Mellerick, Colm Harte, Finn Hagermark, Conor Gardiner, Kealan Crowe, Ty Corcoran, Evan Cummins, Padraig McGrath, Joe Mouret, Kai O’Neill.
Ruai Jeffers for Gardiner (64), Liam Lynch for McGrath (64), Dylan O’Sullivan for Crowe (68), Karim Fonseca for O’Neill (73), Dylan McCarthy for Harte (73).
Daniel Whelan (Kildare).
Eric McCann, Derek Stafford (Kildare).
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