Kildare 1-10
Cork 0-10

Fintan O’Toole reports from Páirc Uí Chaoimh

BY THE FINAL whistle Kildare were playing out with 13 men and Cork would close out with 14 but amidst the cards being brandished, it was the away team who would round out this Division 2 league encounter on a successful note.

Kildare’s Keith Cribbin goes up against Cork’s Mark Collins.

Source: Ken Sutton/INPHO

On an afternoon where the Páirc Uí Chaoimh surface proved troublesome for both sets of players, it was Kildare who snatched the spoils in a game where both teams were going in search of their first victory after opening day draws last Sunday.

Kildare were cut to 14 men in the 43rd minute, a black card brandished in the direction of Fergal Conway and allied to an earlier yellow card, it resulted in his dismissal. That came at a juncture when Cork had drawn level, Michael Hurley bringing his personal tally to 0-5 for the afternoon from open play.

But the experience and intelligence of Kildare’s seasoned operators Eoin Doyle and Kevin Feely proved crucial as they coped with that setback to forge ahead. Substitute Neil Flynn also made a vital contribution as he picked off 0-3 in the closing stages.

Keith Cribbin was sent to the sin bin in injury-time as Kildare fought to repel Cork’s attempts to salvage something from the game but the home side would also lose a player late on as Brian Hurley was shown a red card for an off-the-ball incident.

Kildare had made a decisive burst in the 12th minute, Kevin Feely calmly rolling a penalty into the bottom corner after Jimmy Hyland was fouled by Cork midfielder Ronan O’Toole. It proved to be the solitary goal of the game and a crucial score that Kildare could fall back on.

Cork packed their defence with bodies early on but struggled with the transition element of their game to attack. Luke Connolly’s accuracy from frees proved costly as he missed four attempts in the first half with Hurley proving Cork’s brightest attacking spark as he picked off 0-3 from play in that opening period.

Kildare were in the ascendancy 1-4 to 0-5 at the interval but Cork quickly wiped out that deficit thanks to Hurley’s attacking interventions. The teams were locked together at 1-5 to 0-8 by the 48th minute but despite the personnel advantage, Cork could not translate it to the scoreboard.

Ruairi Deane saw one piledriver tipped onto the bar by Mark Donnellan and the Kildare netminder got down well on another occasion to divert a Matthew Taylor shot from a narrow angle. It was 1-7 to 0-9 in Kildare’s favour entering the final ten minutes when a trio of Flynn scores created a sizeable advantage.

Cork poured forward yet Kildare were resilient and a Mark Collins converted free was all the home side could muster.

Scorers for Kildare: Kevin Feely 1-1 (1-0 pen, 0-1f), Neil Flynn 0-3 (0-1 ’45), Adam Tyrrell (0-2f), Ben McCormack 0-2 each, Fionn Dowling, Jimmy Hyland (0-1 mark) 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cork: Michael Hurley 0-5, Luke Connolly 0-2 (0-1f, 0-1 mark), Mark Collins (0-1f), Ruairi Deane (0-1 mark), Sean White 0-1 each.

Kildare

1. Mark Donnellan (Maynooth)

2. Mark Dempsey (Moorefield)
3. Mick O’Grady (Celbridge)
4. David Hyland (Athy)

5. James Murray (Moorefield)
6. Eoin Doyle (Naas – captain)
7. Keith Cribbin (Johnstownbridge)

8. Kevin Feely (Athy)
9. Fergal Conway (Celbridge)

10. Conor Hartley (Sarsfields)
11. Fionn Dowling (Suncroft)
13. David Slattery (Confey)

12. Adam Tyrrell (Moorefield)
14. Ben McCormack (Sarsfields)
15. Jimmy Hyland (Ballyteague)

Subs

20. Aaron Masterson (Moorefield) for Hartley (half-time)
24. Neil Flynn (Maynooth) for Dowling (44)
19. Cian O’Donoghue (Clane) for Murray (54)
18. Eoghan O’Flaherty (Carbury) for Tyrrell (56)
21. Jason Gibbons (Kilcock) for Hyland (65)

Cork

1. Mark White (Clonakilty)

2. Kevin O’Donovan (Nemo Rangers)
3. Kevin Flahive (Douglas)
4. Conor Dennehy (St Finbarr’s)

5. James Loughrey (Mallow)
6. Stephen Cronin (Nemo Rangers)
7. Mattie Taylor (Mallow)

8. Ian Maguire (St Finbarr’s – captain)
9. Ronan O’Toole (Éire Óg)

10. Tomás Clancy (Fermoy)
11. Eoghan McSweeney (Knocknagree)
12. Mark Collins (Castlehaven)

13. Michael Hurley (Castlehaven)
14. Ruairi Deane (Bantry)
15. Luke Connolly (Nemo Rangers)

Subs

22. Paul Kerrigan (Nemo Rangers) for McSweeney (half-time)
23. Sean White (Clonakilty) for O’Toole (48)
19. Liam O’Donovan (Clonakilty) for Loughrey (54)
26. Brian Hurley (Castlehaven) for Connolly (56)
21. Killian O’Hanlon (Kilshannig) for Clancy (61)

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Tipperary)

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