Keyed-in Kildare too strong for Cork minor footballers

Cork 1-12

Kildare 0-22

While the Cork minor football team fell to their first defeat of the year on Saturday, manager Keith Ricken felt it was an outing that could prove to be beneficial in terms of the season as a whole.

The clash with Kildare at MTU Sports Stadium was a 90-minute affair with three periods of 30 minutes each. In that regard, a tally of ten scores against the 22 of the visitors – their entire output measured in white flags – could be alarming.

However, Cork – coming off the back of victory over Louth in the Leinster Development League final the previous week – are not in championship action until the end of April whereas the Lilywhites will face Laois next Tuesday week and were at a stronger pitch.

“Every game is a positive,” he said.

“We’re delighted to get games and we’re delighted to give game-time to fellas who hadn't got proper time last week and the last couple of weeks, for whatever reason.

“It was three 30s and we had a couple of knocks and injuries that we were worried about, but you know, we were able to give fellas 20 minutes or 10 minutes.

“We lost our shape at times we were trying new things there as well because the league showed up one or two things that we felt we had to look at but we hadn’t had the opportunity to do that.

“That's what today was about, really. Some lads come in and did well and some might have found the going tough a bit, but you won't become experienced unless you’re given that exposure.”

While Cork began well with two fine two-pointers from Ben Hegarty and Kevin O’Donovan in the opening minutes, that was the extent of their opening-third scoring and Kildare replied with 11 unanswered points.

Their key attacker, Eoghan Lyons, was unlucky not to augment his three points with a goal – his low shot following a good move on 17 minutes flashed across the face of goal and wide.

Two minutes into the second third, Kildare’s Liam Mescal went close to a green flag too, firing just over for a 0-12 to 0-4 lead before a fine Jacob Barry two-point free ended the scoring drought for a much-changed Cork and they competed better as the lead was reduced. They did, however, need a pair of good saves from goalkeeper Rory Twohig to keep them in touch - Twohig also sent over a 45 as the scoreboard showed 0-15 to 0-9 for Kildare at the end of 60 minutes.

Into the last segment of the game, Hegarty was unfortunate that a goal from a free was taken too quickly and he had to be content with a point, while Alex O'Herlihy sent over a good free following a strong run from Peadar Kelly.

However, with the visitors using the bulk of their subs for the final third, they were fresher and pulled away again before Cork’s Alex O’Herlihy scored the game’s only goal, a brilliant finish following a solo and go after he was fouled.

That left it 0-19 to 1-12 but Kildare had the last three points to win by seven.

Scorers for Cork: J Barry 0-4 (1 2pt, 0-1 f), A O’Herlihy 1-1 (0-1 f), B Hegarty 0-3 (1 2pt, 0-1 f), K O’Donovan 0-2 (2pt), R Twohig (0-1 45), P Kelly 0-1 each.

Kildare: Eoghan Lyons (Clane) 0-5, O McAfee, G Kelly, J Wolfe (0-1 f) 0-2 each, L Mescall, F Lawlor, A Robin, L Tennyson, A Bergin, F Martin (0-1 f), O Sherry, D Daniels, G Clare, F Stewart Byrne, J Doran 0-1 each.

CORK: B Looney (Banteer); Cathal Murphy (Valley Rovers), C Garvey (St Finbarr’s), A O’Sullivan (Glanmire); Conrad Murphy (Ibane Gaels), C Downing (Adrigole), F O’Donovan (Clonakilty); M Power (Charleville), K O’Shea (Urhan); B Hegarty (Ballinora), J Miskella (Ballincollig), K O’Donovan (O’Donovan Rossa); D Herlihy (Shamrocks), L O’Neill (Carbery Rangers), R O’Donovan (Ibane Gaels).

Subs: M Corkery (Nemo Rangers) for Miskella, É Lynch (Ballincollig) for F O’Donovan, C O’Riordan (Blarney) for Cathal Murphy, D O’Sullivan (Erin’s Own) for K O’Donovan, R McCormack (Midleton) for Garvey, R Twohig (Kilmeen) for Looney, P O’Connor (Lisgoold) for Downing, J Barry (Aghiangh) for R O’Donovan (all 30), E Stack (Ballincollig) for Herlihy, P Kelly (Naomh Abán) for Conrad Murphy (both 44), R Coakley (Éire Óg) for Power, D O’Mahony (Newcestown) for Hegarty (both 49), R O’Donovan for O’Shea, A O’Herlihy (St Finbarr’s) for Herlihy (both 60), Conrad Murphy for Coakley (72).

KILDARE: J Crotty; E Markey, R Crawford, L Shanahan; L Mescal, C Doran, O McAfee; F Lawlor, P Ryan; J Flood, G Kelly, A Bergin; A Tobin, Eoghan Lyons (Clane), L Tennyson.

Subs: D Conway for Kelly (42), J Wolfe for Tennyson (49), C Harris for McAfee, G Clare for Ryan, Eoghan Lyons (Leixlip) for Shanahan, J Doran for Flood (all 53), C Gilroy for Crotty (56), C Cullen for Markey, R Cooke for Crawford, H Feely for Mescal, F Stewart Byrne for Lawlor, Odhrán Sherry for C Doran, D Daniels for Tobin, F Martin for Bergin, C Cowzer for Eoghan Lyons (Leixlip) (all 60).

Referee: A O’Connor (Ballygarvan).