Kildare dismantle Cork to book All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry
Saturday 25 July 2015 21:40, UK
Kildare marched into the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland SFC when they scored a shock win over Cork at Semple Stadium, but Jason Ryan’s men were deserving 1-21 to 1-13 winners.
Cork, weary after coming through a Munster final replay loss against All-Ireland champions Kerry just seven days earlier, faded after suffering a couple of big blows in the opening quarter of a game which was played at a good tempo.
But as the opening half progressed it was Kildare, looking for their first championship win over Cork since their only success in 1928, who kept upping the ante.
Paul Cribbin was outstanding in the middle of the field and dictated matters with a superb performance.
Cork just did not have anyone with that sort of pedigree to rescue their season and while, typically, they battled to the end, they were in serious trouble when they trailed by 0-11 to 0-5 at the interval.
The first of their set-backs came after 11 minutes when corner-back James Loughrey got a black card when he pulled down Cathal McNally as the Kildare man raced through on goal after some passing.
Then six minutes later Cork midfielder Alan O’Connor, who had come out of retirement, was carried off after suffering a serious knee injury when he came down after trying to catch a high ball.
The impact of Cribbin and Tommy Moolick increased after O’Connor went off and Cork only managed one point from there to the break.
Earlier, the sides were level three times with Colm O’Neill and Niall Kelly exchanging early points.
Kelly was a constant threat and he edged them in front for the first time after six minutes with a good point before Eoghan O’Flaherty put them two in front with a free after Loughrey was black-carded.
Cork initially responded to the challenge well with a Donncha O’Connor free and a good effort from play by O’Neill leveling at 0-3 each after 15 minutes.
O’Neill edged Cork back in front after O’Connor was carried off but they only managed one more point from there to the break as Kildare took control with some excellent passing movements which saw them finish the opening half with 61 per cent possession.
And it was possession which was used well by an attack which flowed and increased rapidly in confidence.
A free by O’Flaherty tied the sides at 0-4 each after 23 minutes and it was quickly extended as he kicked another free and then goalkeeper Mark Donnellan stepped forward to land a 45.
Kelly landed his third point from play after a superb double dummy by Cribbin before Paul Kerrigan finally lifted the siege for Cork with a point after 31 minutes.
But Kildare finished the half on the front foot. Alan Smith and Padraig O’Neill struck for good points, O’Flaherty landed a free from the left and then corner-back Ollie Lyons went forward to score from the right and send Kildare in at half-time six points in front.
Kildare captain Eamonn Callaghan went off with a shoulder injury just before the break.
Cork took the game to Kildare directly from the restart and the gap should have been cut from six to two points inside two minutes. Mark Collins got a point before a Fintan Goold run opened the Kildare defence but when Jamie O’Sullivan fisted the ball across, Conor Dorman hit the crossbar with a palmed effort from just a few metres.
Kildare made the most of the let-off and two minutes later went eight in front when Niall Kelly took a pass from Peter Kelly, got past Stephen Cronin and finished neatly to the bottom right corner.
There was no way back for Cork. They lost Kevin O’Driscoll to a red card when he lashed out at McNally and while Emmet Bolton was also sent off for Kildare in the final quarter, they were out of sight by then.
Kildare picked off points from all angles and while O’Neill got a goal from a free and Brian Hurley also went close, they never looked like saving their season.
Kildare: M Donnellan (0-2, 2 ’45); O Lyons (0-1), C Fitzpatrick, M O’Grady; K Murnaghan, E Doyle, E Bolton; T Moolick, P Cribbin (0-2); C McNally (0-1), E O’Flaherty (0-5, 5f), P O'Neill (0-1); N Kelly (1-4), A Smith (0-2), E Callaghan.
Subs: P Fogarty (0-3, 1f) for Callaghan (39 mins), P Kelly for O’Grady (38), M Sherry for O’Flaherty (51), F Conway for N Kelly (63), G White for Smith (71).
Cork: K O’Halloran; J O’Sullivan, M Shields, S Cronin; C Dorman, J Loughrey, Barry O’Driscoll; A O’Connor, E Cadogan; C O’Driscoll, M Collins (0-1), K O’Driscoll; C O’Neill (1-4, 1-2f), D O’Connor (0-5, 3f, 1 ’45), P Kerrigan (0-1).
Subs: Brian O’Driscoll (0-1) for Loughrey (12 mins, BC), F Goold for A O’Connor (20), B Hurley (0-1) for C O’Driscoll (h-t), T Clancy for Cronin (43), J O’Rourke for J Dorman (48), D Og Hodnett for O’Sullivan (66).
Referee: Marty Duffy (Sligo).
