Counihan proving a tough Cork taskmaster

ALLIANZ NFL DIVISION ONE Cork 2-9 Derry 0-14:CORK'S FIFTH win of the season may have confirmed their position as the form football team in the country but Conor Counihan is doing his utmost to keep any hype surrounding his squad at bay.

The Cork boss sounded like a manager analysing a defeat after his side’s one-point win over Derry at Celtic Park on Saturday night.

Maybe it was because his side had to hang on towards the end of the game after goals from John Hayes and Fintan Goold blasted them into an early lead but Counihan’s post-match assessment was determinedly downbeat. “I don’t think too many fellas came out happy with their performance. In some ways that’s a positive because people know they have to work that bit harder,” he said.

Of particular annoyance to Counihan was the amount of possession his team turned over through the course of the game.

“It can be very hard with the amount of men teams get behind the ball; when you have 24 men within 50 yards of goal hard it can be tough to break down but there were still some situations where I was unhappy about kicking the ball away,” he said.

“It would be a big bonus to get to a final, we went through 31 players which is a positive. But I’d be disappointed with the consistency element of our performances though that’s maybe down to chopping and changing . . . ” he said.

Cork were almost reeled in by Damien Cassidy’s men after initially threatening to blow them away. A typically-audacious Eoin Bradley point saw Derry open the scoring but they were shaken by two massive blows in the opening five minutes. First John Hayes drilled home a penalty after Fergal Doherty’s foul on Derek Kavanagh and then Goold fired past Barry Gillis after Paul Kerrigan’s searing run.

Derry initially responded in fine fashion, with Paddy Bradley pointing from wide on the left to spark a string of scores from the hosts. Michael Bateson, Bradley (twice), Charlie Kielt, Eoin Bradley and Fergal Doherty pointed to put Derry ahead by 0-8 to 2-1 on the 28 minute mark.

Falling behind seemed to sting Cork back into action and they finished the half with a flourish as Aidan Walsh, Daniel Goulding (a free), Paddy Kelly and Paul Kerrigan scored to edge them in to a 2-5 to 0-8 interval lead.

Two Paddy Bradley frees gave Derry hope early in the second half but with Kerrigan running the Derry back line ragged, back roared Cork with points from Kerrigan and Goold. Bradley’s third of the half signalled Derry’s continued resistance but a Goold free and an O’Leary point stretched the lead to 2-9 to 0-11.

Scores from Joe Diver, Raymond Wilkinson and a Bradley free closed the gap to a point but Kielt and Mark Lynch were off target with late efforts as Cork hung on for the win.

CORK: P O'Shea; R Carey, E Cadogan, E Cotter; P Kissane, M Shields, N O'Leary (0-1); A O'Connor, D Kavanagh; F Goold (1-1), J Hayes (1-0, pen), P Kelly (0-1); D Goulding (0-3, frees), F Lynch, P Kerrigan (0-2). Subs: A Walsh (0-1)for E Cotter (25 mins), J O'Sullivan for Walsh (40), C Sheehan for Hayes (45), S Kiely for Walsh (55).

DERRY: B Gillis; M Craig, K McGuckin, D McBride; G O'Kane, B McGuigan, M Bateson (0-1); F Doherty (0-1), J Diver (0-1); E Bradley (0-2), B McGoldrick, C Kielt (0-1); J Kielt, P Bradley (0-7, four frees), M Lynch. Subs: R Wilkinson (0-1)for J Kielt (ht), S L McGoldrick for Bateson (44 mins), Patsy Bradley for B McGoldrick (50 mins), B Óg McAlary for McGuigan (55).

Referee: Martin Duffy(Sligo).