Cork hit Donegal for four goals to put them into league final against Dublin

Cork 4-11 Donegal 0-19

By dictat, nay by the very law of the land, semi-finals are for the winning. But what of league semi-finals? Maybe not so much for the winning as for the dipping into and out of, at least on this evidence.

Cork and Donegal both played in fits and starts here, the difference being that Cork banged in goals when they had the whip-hand, whereas Donegal left the jugular well enough alone and stuck to points.

Twilight zone

Four green flags for Brian Cuthbert’s side were the winning of a game that Donegal would conceivably have taken home with them if the prize for doing so had been greater. With an Ulster Championship opener against Tyrone just five weeks from now, this semi-final fell right in the twilight zone for Rory Gallagher’s side.

Just far enough away from May 17th for a win and a place in the league final not to be a total inconvenience, just close enough for them not to break their neck going for it either.

“Once we qualified out of the section we were coming here to win the game,” said Gallagher, although he quickly conceded that the training regime they’re in just now didn’t give them the best chance of a result. “We’re different to Cork because I don’t think they’re out until June 14th.

Trying to peak

“Our guys’ legs weren’t fresh coming into today and I think that had a toll on us. We weren’t trying to peak for today because unfortunately we are out in Ulster in a must-win game on May 17th and we have to gear for that.”

Yet to the casual viewer – and there weren’t many on or off the pitch yesterday who would have been classed otherwise – Donegal’s first-half display was far from half-hearted.

They were much the better side, in fact, and cut through Cork at will at times. Patrick McBrearty was in sparkling form at the point of the spear, clipping a couple of especially tidy points early on.

Odhrán MacNiallais, Michael Murphy and Karl Lacey all got in on the act and but for a smart save by Cork goalkeeper Ken O’Halloran, Colm McFadden would have finished a terrific necklace of passes to the net after seven minutes to push Donegal into a commanding lead.

As it was, they pushed on anyway and led 0-7 to 0-4 with a quarter of an hour gone.

But Cork’s currency all through the league has been goals and they traded heavily again here.

Colm O’Neill would end the day with 2-2 but his first intervention of note was to put Tom Clancy through for the goal that wiped out Donegal’s early advantage.

Cheek by jowl

And though McBrearty and McFadden tacked on a couple more at the Hill end, a brace in response from Fintan Goold – two of his four on the afternoon, all from play – kept Cork cheek by jowl despite not looking just as sharp. The sides went in level at the break, 1-8 to 0-11.

Stick or twist time for Donegal came in the five minutes after the restart when two rat-a-tat Cork goals tested their interest in the fixture to the fullest extent. First O’Neill punched home a dropping ball that came back off the upright, then Brian Hurley placed a stunning shot into the top corner. All of a sudden, Cork led by 3-9 to 0-11 and it was hard to make a case for sticking out the rest of the afternoon.

And yet Donegal made a fair fist of it for a while. Maybe their pride was stung at being seven points down despite having played the better football but, whatever it was, they inched their way back. Martin McElhinney surged through for a couple of no-retreat scores. McFadden, Murphy and McBrearty kept their end up as well. With 20 minutes to go, they had the margin down to three points again.

Bottom corner

Two shots at goal settled it. McBrearty has his saved by O’Halloran at the Canal End, O’Neill found the bottom corner by the Hill.

Had the first gone in, there might have been something to talk about; the second ended all questions and sent Cork into the final looking to avoid a repeat of last year’s messy business against Dublin.

"In that Dublin game last year there was a 17-point turnaround and I think no matter what way you frame it afterwards, it is very difficult to pick up those pieces," said Brian Cuthbert.

“After it we played Tipp in the championship and didn’t perform at all and then we had what happened us against Kerry. So that time was a tough time for the group.

"It is very early days. We are doing our best and working very hard and it's completely a case of coming here in two weeks trying to perform to our optimum of where we are right now and see where it takes us."

CORK: K O'Halloran; Tom Clancy (1-0), M Shields (0-1), J Loughrey; C Dorman (0-1), B O'Driscoll, Tomás Clancy; E Cadogan, F Goold (0-4); C O'Driscoll (0-1), K O'Driscoll, M Collins; J O'Rourke (0-1), C O'Neill (2-2, one free), B Hurley (1-1). Subs: P Kerrigan for Shields (55 mins), D Goulding for K O'Driscoll (60 mins), Barry O'Driscoll for Brian O'Driscoll (64 mins), J Hayes for Hurley (67 mins), D Óg Hodnett for O'Rourke (68 mins).
DONEGAL: M Boyle; P McGrath, N McGee, E McGee; F McGlynn, K Lacey (0-1), A Thompson (0-1); O MacNiallais (0-1), H McFadden; R McHugh, M McElhinney (0-2), E McHugh; P McBrearty (0-4, one free), M Murphy (capt; 0-8, two frees, two 45s), C McFadden (0-2). Subs: E Doherty for Thompson (41 mins), M O'Reilly for E McHugh (46 mins), C Toye for McGrath (49 mins), S Griffen for C McFadden (60 mins), D McLaughlin for H McFadden (64 mins). Referee: M Duffy (Sligo)