CORK 0-13
ROSCOMMON 2-21
MATTHEW HURLEY REPORTS
JOHN Cleary’s biggest defeat as Cork football manager. A third loss in five games. Promotion hopes over, again. Another two goals conceded. Thirteen wides. Five 50 metre penalties given away due to ill-discipline. Not pretty figures for Cork football fans as the Rebels slumped to a heavy 14-point defeat in this Allianz Football League Division 2 tie.
The goals Roscommon scored in the second half at Páirc Uí Chaoimh were soft, to say the least. Enda Smith converted a penalty on 50 minutes but the Rossies held the ball for over two and a half minutes before Ciarán Lennon was fouled in the Cork area.
The second goal on 66 minutes was calamitous. A misplaced back pass from Rory Maguire allowed Ben O’Carroll to place it into a net which Cork shot-stopper Patrick Doyle wasn’t guarding. In fact, under the new rules Doyle isn’t allowed to receive the ball inside his own half. It summed up a difficult evening for Cleary’s side who are now embroiled in a relegation battle, just two points ahead of Down in seventh.
‘Since I’ve come in, it’s the biggest beating we’ve got. It was frustrating hitting the crossbar and going down, giving the goals away as we did. That is very frustrating,’ a disappointed Cleary said.
‘The scoreline tells it really. The big thing looking at the stats, we had 20 shots, five scores, 25 percent conversion rate (from play). What could go wrong for us went wrong and that’s not having any excuse.
‘We were beaten by a better team on the night. We hit the crossbar twice and we probably gave them the penalty and the second goal.’
This is a defeat that ended Cork’s promotion push, but it is important to remember the absentees – Brian Hurley, Conor Corbett, Seán Meehan and Luke Fahy were all missing through injury.
‘We have seven, eight, maybe nine players injured at the moment. All teams get injuries and that’s what the panel is for. It definitely has taken from us in that and we have got to put in guys there maybe a bit sooner than we hoped but look, we had to,’ Cleary admitted.
‘Roscommon showed that they are a team four or five years on the go, very experienced, very slick when they are in full flight. They have outstanding forwards. To put up a score like that on the night it’s no accident really. We were well beaten and that’s just the way it is.’
The game started well for Cork who led 0-3 to 0-1 inside five minutes as Mark Cronin was deadly accurate from frees. O’Carroll and Conor Hand levelled it for Roscommon before Cronin and Cathail O’Mahony had Cleary’s side 0-5 to 0-3 in front.
But a 15-minute spell that saw Roscommon score 0-6 without reply gave the Connacht side a firm grip. Shane Cunnane, Diarmuid Murtagh and O’Carroll all converted scores while Murtagh struck over a two pointed free after Cork’s ill-discipline cost them. Cronin finally got Cork scoring again before Murtagh punished Cork’s dissent again with another two-pointer. Cronin’s two-pointed effort from play kept Cork in it before Hand fired over another Roscommon score on the hooter to leave it 0-12 to 0-8 at the break.
A fast start to the second spell was vital for Cork but it was the Connacht side who started brightest as Ultan Harney and Hand (two-pointer) had them in cruise control. Cork did grab three of the next four points as Cronin, Chris Óg Jones and Paul Walsh closed the gap; it was 0-16 to 0-11 after 45 minutes.
The penalty converted by Smith then came, a frustrating one for Cork to concede. That was followed by another two-pointer from Hand and the gap was now out to ten, 1-18 to 0-11. Seán Powter had a goal chance on 56 minutes but his shot hit the bar and went over. The Murtagh brothers Diarmuid and Ciaráin kept up the Rossies’ momentum before a defensive calamity allowed O’Carroll to wrap up the win. Niall Daly put the closer on a sobering night for Cork.
‘They were slicker than us and we couldn’t get to grips with their kickout. They really went to town with their own kickout in the second half. At half-time, I didn’t think we were in a bad position the way games have gone but after half-time, they upped it particularly from their own kickout. When we were missing chances on the other side, it came back to haunt us,’ Cleary said.
Scorers
Cork: Mark Cronin 0-8 (4f, 1tpf, 1tp); Cathail O’Mahony, Paul Walsh, Chris Óg Jones, Seán Powter, Colm O’Callaghan (m) 0-1 each.
Roscommon: Diarmuid Murtagh 0-7 (2f, 2tpf); Conor Hand 0-6 (2tp, 1 ‘45); Ben O’Carroll 1-3; Enda Smith 1-0 (pen); Robbie Dolan, Shane Cunnane (m), Ultan Harney, Ciaráin Murtagh (f), Niall Daly 0-1 each.
Cork: Patrick Doyle (Knocknagree); Seán Brady (Ballygarvan), Daniel O’Mahony (captain, Knocknagree), Neil Lordan (Ballinora); Tommy Walsh (Kanturk), Rory Maguire (Castlehaven), Matty Taylor (Mallow); Ian Maguire (St Finbarr’s), Colm O’Callaghan (Éire Óg); Paul Walsh (Kanturk), Brian O’Driscoll (Carrigaline), Seán McDonnell (Mallow); Mark Cronin (Nemo Rangers), Chris Óg Jones (Uibh Laoire), Cathail O’Mahony (Mitchelstown).
Subs: Seán Powter (Douglas) for T Walsh (43); Ruairí Deane (Bantry Blues) for C O’Mahony (46); Seán Walsh (Mitchelstown) for S McDonnell (59); Conor Cahalane (Castlehaven) for P Walsh (61); Hugh O’Connor (Newmarket) for C Óg Jones (69).
Roscommon: Conor Carroll; Pearse Frost, John McManus, Niall Higgins; Shane Cunnane, David Murray, Robbie Dolan; Enda Smith, Keith Doyle; Ben O’Carroll, Ultan Harney, Conor Hand; Diarmuid Murtagh (captain), Cian McKeon, Ciarán Lennon.
Subs: Ciaráin Murtagh for C McKeon (ht); Ronan Daly for J McManus (46); Eddie Nolan for U Harney (52); Dylan Ruane for C Lennon (64); Niall Daly for R Dolan (68).
Referee: Seán Lonergan (Tipperary).
