Pressure mounts as Cork slip to a third loss
CORK face the real danger of missing out on the race for the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time in the county’s history.
A third defeat on the bounce leaves them rooted to the bottom of Division 2 of the Allianz Football League and threatened with missing out on the top tier All-Ireland Championships.
If results don’t turn around after yesterday’s single point defeat to Cavan at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, it will require a win over Limerick and then Kerry in Munster to secure the provincial final place that would avoid dropping into the second tier Tailteann Cup.
Tough days then for John Cleary and his squad who were pipped at the end by the visitors.
Elsewhere, the Jim McGuinness revolution continues apace as Donegal cruised past Fermanagh to make it three wins from three. This Ulster derby tussle looked delicately poised at half-time with Donegal holding the slenderest of leads before Fermanagh had the temerity to equalise early in the second half and make it 0-6 apiece.
Daire Ó Baoill’s lobbed goal though changed the whole tenor of the game. With the Fermanagh keeper Sean McNally gone walkabout, he showed great poise to float the ball into an empty goal on the counter. And it wasn’t the only time the same player found the net – his second goal was part of a big performance that yielded 2-3 as Donegal ran out easy 2-16 to 0-8 winners.
Oisin Gallen was another to impress with a three point haul.
It was also a good day for reigning Ulster champions Derry who thumped Monaghan by 3-17 to 0-13 at Celtic Park, continuing the bright start for Mickey Harte.
In the Fitzgibbon Cup final, Mary Immaculate College benefited from a lightning start against University of Limerick that saw them race into a 1-5 to 0-1 lead.
It took a goal from man of the moment Gearóid O’Connor to keep UL in touch and they trailed by 2-8 to 1-7 at the break. A storming comeback from UL set up a thrilling finish but a super Shane Meehan score was part of the reason Mary Immaculate held on.