Cork make the long trip to Derry this weekend with promotion in sight 

The Cork footballers make the long journey to Derry this weekend knowing their promotion hopes are in their own hands.

The Rebels have won their first four Allianz Division 2 Football League games with promotion very close with just two matches remaining after this weekend.

Find Insurance Celtic Park is the venue on Sunday with a 1pm start time.

The Rebels haven’t been this close to a return to Division 1 since being relegated from the top tier in 2016. They will know that they will require possibly another three points from their remaining games to make sure promotion is secure.

They face a difficult assignment though this weekend in the shape of Derry who look like a side who have rediscovered their mojo. After a challenging couple of years both in terms of championship and league results, they are going for a fourth victory on the trot on Sunday.

They are just two points behind John Cleary’s charges in what is a pivotal fixture for both teams.

The Rebels make the long trip up to Derry for the first time since 2022. That particular game was played in Owenbeg on a day when the Oakleafers won handsomely on a scoreline of 1-13 to 0-7.

Cork were in the early stages of rebuilding under a new management led by Keith Ricken.

In truth, the Leesiders never got out of the traps four years ago, one line in the match report in the Irish Examiner summed it up: “A long afternoon and a longer way home for Cork.” 

It has taken them some time to steady the ship, but a win on Sunday would be a giant step in the right direction in lots of ways.

It would underline the strides made since that disappointing day in 2022. The sides did draw in the 2023 league down the Páirc but the previous game in Derry is a better barometer. 

Below are the scorers and teams from Derry’s nine-point victory over Cork four years ago.

Scorers for Derry: S McGuigan 0-8 (0-4 f), B Heron 1-0, L Murray 0-2, E Bradley, O McWilliams, P McGrogan 0-1 each.

Cork: S Sherlock 0-5 (0-4 f), D Dineen, K O’Donovan 0-1 each.

DERRY: O Lynch; C McKaigue, B Rodgers, C McCluskey; E Doherty, P McGrgogan, C Doherty; C Glass, E Bradley; P Cassidy, N Loughlin, O McWilliams; B Heron, S McGuigan, L Murray.

Subs: N Toner for L Murray (42), P Cassidy for O McWilliams (52), M Downey for N Loughlin (57), B McCarron for B Heron (60), S Downey for C Doherty (64).

CORK: C Kelly; K O’Donovan, S Meehan, T Corkery; R Maguire, B Hennessy, M Taylor; I Maguire, S Merritt; D Dineen, F Herlihy, C O’Callaghan; S Sherlock, D Buckley, B Hurley.

Subs: J O’Rourke for D Buckley (42), K Flahive for B Hennessy (50), D O’Connell for S Merritt (52), B Murphy for F Herlihy (57), C Kiely for I Maguire (60).

Referee: J Molloy (Galway).