Allianz Football League Division Two: Fermanagh 0-8 Cork 1-5
FORGET the hand-pass rule, the new talking point for the Allianz Football League is the ‘offensive mark’.
Fermanagh rescued a point with a last-gasp free by Conall Jones from such a situation, converted after it was controversially brought forward, apparently for obstruction, although Cork – down to 14 men for most of the second half - disputed that the referee had actually signalled the mark.
Although his team had led from the hour onwards, through a well-taken goal by wing-back Matthew Taylor, Rebels boss Ronan McCarthy was calm and philosophical about the outcome - although he did appear to have cause for complaint:
“I’m not too sure what happened with the ‘mark’. Their player called it. As I understand it, Kevin O’Donovan can challenge until the ref blows – then the ref moved it in…look, I’ll not get into that.”
Pressed on the matter, he expanded: “If you obstruct the fella taking the mark then it’s brought in – but the point is he [the ref] hadn’t blown for it. I thought that was particularly harsh on us but we have to look at ourselves and control what we can control.
“We got ahead and Luke [Connolly] was through in injury time and we should have put ourselves two up. Then we lost the ball in our last possession…
“But we’ve come up with a young team and it they’ve shown well in a very difficult environment. It was always going to be a war of attrition.”
Indeed it was, with both sides pulling all, or almost all, of their players back inside their own ’45’ when the opposition had possession, with predictably dull consequences.
Fermanagh scored just a single point before the break, and that from a free converted in the third minute by that man Conall Jones, and trailed by 4-1 at half-time.
However, the Ernemen were much more positive in the second period, leading their boss Rory Gallagher to suggest they should actually have won the game:
“I’d say it’s a point lost. Despite struggling badly for scores in the first half, we dominated in the second half and were very disappointed to give away a bad goal.
“We had an awful lot of chances and, although it was never going to be high-scoring, we should have been finishing with 12 or 13 points on the board.”
The hosts looked like they might reach that sort of tally when they turned around and steamed into Cork, scoring three points from play inside the first four minutes after the break, through Aidan Breen, Declan McCusker, and Ciaran Corrigan.
Luke Connolly put the Rebels back in front with his second point from play but they then lost hard-working wing-forward Ruairi Deane to a red card after he received his second caution following a tangle with Fermanagh full-back Che Cullen.
Fermanagh seemed set to make the most of that one-man advantage, moving two points ahead, although they might have netted before Daniel Teague gathered and fisted over, while Breen and Conall Jones both had shots caught close to the crossbar by Cork ’keeper Mark White.
The Ernemen also sent several good opportunities wide, although their inaccuracy in front of the posts could be due to arguably starting without a single natural forward.
Gallagher explained that that was somewhat enforced, saying “Daragh [McGurn]’s emerging, Sean [Quigley]’s working his way back to fitness from injury, we don’t have an abundance of inside players.
“I thought we ran the ball well in the second half – if we’d ran the ball like that in the second half I think we’d have won the game quite comfortably.”
Certainly that tactic contributed to the hosts beginning brightly, a strong run from skipper Eoin Donnelly leading to that early converted free.
However, that was as good as it got for Fermanagh until half-time. Cork laboured to draw level, but did so in the ninth minute, working the ball patiently left for Connolly to score.
Clever kick-passing from the Rebels created a goal chance for the industrious Deane, but he fisted his effort across the face of the Fermanagh net.
The same approach brought an offensive mark, pointed by Damien Gore, but half an hour had elapsed before another score came, through Eoghan McSweeney.
The lively James Loughrey then got his reward on the score-sheet for his regular incursions forward, and Cork went in 4-1 up at the break.
Fermanagh recovered well from that poor situation, and showed spirit to battle to the very end, equalising in the fifth minute of added time, having suffered the setbacks of a Garvan Jones free signalled wide when it appeared over and goalkeeper Thomas Treacy putting a late ‘45’ off target. The free followed a goal chance for the pacy wing-back Ultan Kelm, whose low shot was kept out by the keeper’s legs.
Gallagher was pleased by that attitude of fighting to the finish, and by the involvement of several young players: “The glass is half-full, as far as I’m concerned. You had Jonny Cassidy playing, Ultan, Shane McGullion comes on, Daragh [McGurn] comes on, players that haven’t played a lot. We had plenty of ball, we just didn’t penetrate enough.”
McCarthy too was more positive than negative, although he accepted that Cork should have held on for the victory, but gave the ball away late on:
“We should have showed a bit more composure, the player on the ball…
“Possibly [we should have won], but we were also 7-5 down with 10, 12 minutes to go, with 14 men obviously.
“We could have won the game and we’re disappointed with some decisions we made on the ball. But we have to accept it – we’ve come away with a point when we should have come away with two.”
Fermanagh: T Treacy; J Cassidy, C Cullen, L Cullen; U Kelm; J McMahon, K Connor; E Donnelly (capt.), R Jones; A Breen (0-1), D McCusker (0-1), C Corrigan (0-1); D Teague (0-1), C Jones (0-3, 0-2 frees), K McDonnell.
Substitutes: Sean Quigley (0-1 free) for McDonnell (25); R Lyons for Connor (h-t); G Jones for Teague (57); D McGurn for McMahon (65); S McGullion for McCusker (70).
Yellow cards: C Cullen (43); Donnelly (66); Cassidy (73).
Cork: M White; K O’Donovan, K Flahive, C Dennehy; J Loughrey (0-1), S Cronin, M Taylor (1-0); I Maguire, R O’Toole; T Clancy, E McSweeney (0-1), R Deane; D Gore (0-1 free), B Hurley, L Connolly (0-2).
Substitutes: C O’Hanlon for O’Toole (52); M Hurley for B Hurley (52); L O’Donovan for Loughrey (56); J O’Rourke for Gore (56); S White for McSweeney (67).
Yellow cards: B Hurley (23); Deane (38, first half, and 43)
Red card: Deane (43, two yellows).
Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
