Footballers down and almost out
THE Cork senior footballers look likely to be relegated to Division 3 this weekend.
While they have a certain amount of hope that they might be spared relegated should results go their way, the odds certainly don’t favour the Rebels’ survival in the second division.
Cork’s fall from grace – they were in Division 1 in 2016, having been in the final in 2015 – will be confirmed should they be beaten by Armagh in the Athletic Grounds this Sunday afternoon (throw-in 2pm).
As the bottom team in the division it goes without saying that they need a victory up north to stand any chance of holding onto their Division 2 status, but even than that may not be enough.
Cork’s fate will be decided as much in Semple Stadium as it will in the Ulster venue. Cork will need a victory by the hosts to stand any chance of survival. Should the Banner manage a victory or even a draw in Tipperary, Cork will be relegated, no matter how they fare against the Orchard County.
“Realistically, we’ll be going up needing to win and depending on other results, such as Tipperary to beat Clare,” Cork boss Ronan McCarthy said after his side’s defeat at the hands of Donegal in Páirc Uí Rinn last weekend.
“There is no magic wand here to turn things around. You keep it simple, keep doing the basics well, make sure our preparation is right and go up to Armagh with the confidence to say that while it is a difficult fixture, we can win it.
“You can speculate all day. All we can do is prepare as best we can and try and win. It’s a difficult fixture, but there’s no doubt we can go there and win it.”
Failure to retain their status would be a major set-back to the footballers’ hopes of getting back on track with their provincial rivals, Kerry. It would mean that Cork couldn’t return to the top table until 2022 at the very earliest. Any notion that relegation to Division 3 might not be the worst thing for a Cork side shorn of confidence on the basis that a term in Division 3 could result in a morale boosting promotion is a dangerous one, especially when you consider the fate of Derry who couldn’t arrest their slide and ended up in the basement division.
A lot, then, is riding on this weekend for the big ball game in the Rebel County. It’s not impossible that they would survive – stranger things have happened – and Armagh having nothing to play for gives Cork a real opening. They still have to take it though and hope for the best.