Cork manager John Cleary: A good start but a long way to go

Cork manager John Cleary had reason to be cheerful after seeing his team pick up a second successive win in the Allianz Division 2 Football League.

The Rebels got the better of Louth at Integral GAA Grounds in Drogheda on Sunday afternoon on a scoreline of 1-17 to 1-12.

It’s now four points from a possible four to start the league campaign having beaten Cavan on the opening day.

“The win was what we wanted coming up and we have achieved that,” Cleary says.

“I thought it was a good performance. I thought we controlled the game for nearly all of it.

“We didn't maybe take our scores again when we should have. We had a couple of goal chances butchered again but any time Louth looked like coming back at us, we steadied the ship and we won a lot of breaks today which maybe for 60 minutes against Cavan we didn't and we addressed that during the week.

“In these types of games you have to be winning the breaks and I think that's what maybe was the winning and losing of the game for us today.” 

A pair of two-pointers just before the half-time whistle were crucial scores for Cork. Expertly taken too from Brian Hurley and a Steven Sherlock free.

It helped the Rebels to an eight-point advantage at the break. They were very composed in the second 35 minutes and a Louth comeback never looked likely.

“We knew that we needed a bit of a cushion going in at half-time and you couldn't force it either and Louth have had some very good comebacks before,” Cleary says.

“We even knew at half-time that unless we were on our game in the second half, they'd be back in it, but in fairness, we weathered the storm and as I said won the breaks around the middle and went up and chipped away in the second half.

“We just conceded I think it was 10 points up until the last minute or so. We then conceded a goal and a couple of points. But look, we had the cushion there and we'll look at that and hopefully improve on that but we're delighted to go home tonight with the two points.

“In Division 2, all these games are big games, they’re pressure games and particularly when you’re travelling away and a long journey up here to Louth. They’re Leinster champions, let no one forget that and we’re delighted to go toe-to-toe with them.

“We thought our preparation was excellent going into the game last week against Cavan and maybe we weren’t overly happy with the performance, very happy with the result and we were determined to put on a performance here today."

The Rebels are now well placed going into their next game, which is in two weeks away to Offaly.

“In Division 2, every two points is going to be a very, very hard fight. Last night Derry and Tyrone were down to the last kick, we went down to the last kick last week so games will be going like that.

“So any day you win you’ll take it and move on to the next day because it doesn’t get any easier. A good start. Look, thanks be to God we have got off to the start that we would have hoped for but a long way to go yet.”