2022 Allianz Football League Division 2 – Derry 1-13 Cork 0-7

Derry defeated Cork by 1-13 to 0-7 in Round 3 of the Allianz Football League Division 2 on Sunday February 20th at Owenbeg.

Dominant Derry add to winless Cork woes https://t.co/bfRv8zTCR8

— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) February 20, 2022

Dominant Derry add to winless Cork woes

Report by Brendan O’Brien for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Allianz League Division 2: Derry 1-13 Cork 0-7

Cork’s rebuilding project hit another stumbling block in Owenbeg on Sunday afternoon with Keith Ricken’s side going down to a nine-point defeat to a dominant Derry side that has promotion to Division One square in its sight.

This was always going to be one of the Rebel footballers’ toughest assignments in the second tier and so it proved on a pig of a day. Storm Franklin hadn’t quite landed yet but Cork still spent much of the afternoon trying to put up the shutters.

That’s two defeats and a draw, with Clare, now from their opening three games. An in-form Galway side awaits next. The spectre of Division Three football is becoming more real as the season goes on and the new management team and squad find their feet.

The Munster side got the scoreboard working with a Stephen Sherlock free after just two minutes but they had to wait another 26 for a second, from Daniel Dineen, and it was first-half injury-time before Sherlock claimed their third from another dead ball.

It was a game with flashes of moments rather than absorbing passages of play.

Sean Meehan could have struck for a goal shortly before the break for the visitors but it was Derry, by and large, who were pushing the agenda and they came closest to a three-pointer in that period when Benny Heron smacked one off the crossbar.

Derry were as organised as you would expect under Rory Gallagher. They defended with discipline and in numbers, Chrissy McKeigue acting as jailor on Brian Hurley who was kept scoreless, and they struck at pace while putting pressure on opposition kickouts.

Goals never seemed far from their minds as they ran straight down the Cork spine but they made do with a trickle of points for the most part with Shane McGuigan, their main man so far in the league, doing the majority of the damage up front.

That said, it was only 0-5 to 0-3 at the break and it was into the second-half, which started with another McGuigan free and a score from Emmet Bradley, before Derry made the most of their dominance and made the game safe.

The likelihood is that the hosts would have pulled away anyway but the contest’s back was broken in the 45th-minute when Sherlock had a shot saved from an acute angle at one end and Derry broke for the game’s first goal at the other.

Heron provided the killer blow, his finish from a rebound coming after Chris Kelly had pulled off a save from the onrushing Oisin McWilliams, and the Cork stopper turned another, from Lachlan Murray, over his bar shortly after.

The gap was out to nine by the fourth quarter, Derry leading by 1-10 to 0-4 as Cork manager Keith Ricken began to flood the field with changes. The home team continued to threaten more three-pointers from there to the finish.

A long afternoon and a longer way home for Cork.

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

Scorers for Cork: S Sherlock (0-5, 4f); D Dineen and K O’Donovan (both 0-1).

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 Murray (42); P Cassidy for McWilliams (52); M Downey for Loughlin (57); B McCarron for Heron (60); S Downey for 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 Buckley (42): K Flahive for Hennessy (50); D O’Connell for Merritt (52); B Murphy for Herlihy (57); C Kiely for Maguire (60).

Referee: J Molloy (Galway).

Team News

Cork Senior Football Team to play Derry has been announced https://t.co/IiElgfrqL5#BornToPlay pic.twitter.com/B1tP7bRwqy

— Cork GAA (@OfficialCorkGAA) February 18, 2022

CORK (AFL v Derry): C. Kelly (Éire Óg); K. O’Donovan (Nemo Rangers), S. Meehan (j-c, Kiskeam), T. Corkery (Cill Na Martra); R. Maguire (Castlehaven), B. Hennessy (St Finbarrs), M. Taylor (Mallow); I. Maguire (St Finbarr), S. Merritt (Mallow); C. O’Callaghan (Éire Óg), F. Herlihy (Dohenys), D. Dineen (Cill Na Martra); S. Sherlock (St Finbarr’s), D. Buckley (Newcestown), B. Hurley (j-c, Castlehaven).
Subs: M.A. Martin (Nemo Rangers), P. Allen (Newmarket), J. Cooper (Éire Óg), J. Grimes (Clonakilty), D. O’Connell (Kanturk), B. Murphy (St Vincent’s), C. Kiely (Ballincollig), E. Sweeney (Knocknagree), J. O’Rourke (Carbery Rangers), K. Flahive (Douglas), M. Cronin (Nemo Rangers).

Match Preview

There's no shortage of crunch ties in Round 3 of the Allianz Football League this weekend. Read our guide to all the fixtures across the four divisions. #AllianzLeagues #GAABelong

— The GAA (@officialgaa) February 18, 2022