Cork boss John Cleary: 'We were ready for promotion'

Cork manager John Cleary paid tribute to his players after the Rebels secured promotion from the Allianz Division 2 Football League on Sunday afternoon.

The Rebels defeated Tyrone at O’Neills Healy Park on a scoreline of 0-22 to 0-19 as they make their way back to Division 1 for the first time since 2016.

Cork finish their regular league campaign with six wins out of seven games and join Meath in moving up.

A magnificent achievement for Cork football after so many bleak days.

“At the end of the day we’re absolutely thrilled because we’re promoted,” he said post-match.

“There was a lot on the line for us today. It’s taken a big season for us to get here today to have the opportunity to come up here and get a victory. 

"But we did say before the game this is going to come down to the home straight, it’s going to come down to the last five, ten minutes and we had fellas that stepped up in fairness.

“Division 2 was a very, very difficult league to get out of this year. We had two of last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists, we had the league winners from Division 1 from two years ago and we had the Leinster champions.

“When the draw was made, we had two trips up north, a trip to Louth, a trip to Offaly. So it was going to be very difficult and it was very difficult. When there’s a bit of luck going I think we deserved it and we’re absolutely thrilled now to get promotion.” 

Regarding the game itself, Cork looked nervous at times understandably given what was at stake. In the end, they did deserve their win.

“There were times when we looked like we weren’t maybe going to push it home and we should have,” Cleary says.

“I thought we played excellently in the first half. The second half we didn’t start that well but in fairness I thought we fought very well.

“Tyrone got on top around the middle, but our lads stuck at it and we should have probably won by more in the end. We won and that’s what it was all about. We weren’t focused on any other game.” 

Cork have a league final against Meath to look forward to next weekend in Croke Park, but the group and supporters will bask in this achievement of promotion for a couple of days before turning their attention to a journey to GAA HQ.

“Cork football and maybe this group has been through a fair bit in the last few years. Relief is the word really, but satisfaction as well because there was an awful lot of hard work put in there over the last three years.

“I think we were ready for promotion this time and it would have been a big blow to us if we hadn’t come out with a win or a draw here today because we’d have been back to square one.

“Being involved in Cork football sometimes can be a lonely place and, you know, when you lose a game or two, a lot of the critics can come out and you can be an easy target at times.

"What gives me great satisfaction is the lads there, the work they put in, they come to training every night and they’re a very down-to-earth and unassuming group.”