Allianz Football League Division Two

CORK 0-20 DERRY 2-10

By Steven Doherty at Celtic Park

Cork eased their relegation fears with an impressive four point win over Derry at Celtic Park.

Colm O’Neill exceeded last week’s nine points individual tally when he converted a match-winning 11 point haul to hand Cork a four point success.

O’Neill’s inside forward partner Paul Kerrigan was also in the groove, hitting 0-5 from play and Derry must now win at Fermanagh next week if they are to have any chance of avoiding the drop.

Ballyclough marksman O’Neill was the sharpest thorn in Derry’s side in the opening half, notching up six points to edge Cork ahead 0-10 to 1-6 at the break. Danny Tallon goaled in both halves, but in truth, Derry never really looked like winning this one against Cork.

Indeed, O’Neill added a further five points after the interval as both himself and Paul Kerrigan found their scoring range with consummate ease to guide Peadar Healy’s men home.

Amidst glorious sunshine Chrissy McKaigue marked his Derry return with the opening score of the game, but within minutes of that Cork raced to 0-4 to 0-1 lead. McKaigue  led the Derry fight back with a second score and when Danny Tallon rattled the back of the net it handed the home side the lead in the 30th minute.

But every time Derry threatened, Cork bit back well. A Mark Collins point, followed up by a Colm O’Neill brace regained their lead with the visitors edging ahead by a single point at half-time.

O’Neill’s seventh point, a beauty holding off two men before dissecting the posts from an impossible angle, stretched that half-time lead to two before Neil Forester’s piercing run and point once again made it a single point affair in the 40th minute.

Once again, Peadar Healy’s men tapped on the gas and by the mid-point of the second half led 0-14 to 1-7 with Paul Kerrigan (with five from play) beginning to show all his class and pace.

The Oakleafers will have rued as many as nine second half wides as their much more clinical opponents made them pay. A second Danny Tallon goal in the 51st minutes offered hope, but the Rebels snuffed out any late resistance with a further flurry of points late in the game with Kerrigan and O’Neill again Derry’s tormentors-in-chief.

Scorers for Cork: C O’Neill 0-11 (7fs), P Kerrigan 0-5, M Collins 0-2, J O’Rourke 0-1, B O’Driscoll 0-1.

Scorers for Derry: D Tallon 2-1, C McKaigue 0-2, E Lynn 0-2, B Herron 0-2 (2fs), N Forester 0-1, N Loughlin 0-1, M Lynch 0-1 (f).

CORK: Ken O’Halloran, Michael Shields, Tom Clancy, Kevin Crowley, Tomas Clancy, James Loughery, Stephen Cronin, Ian Maguire, Ruairi Deane, John O’Rourke, Mark Collins, Kevin O’Driscoll, Colm O’Neill, Peter Kelleher, Paul Kerrigan.

**Subs: **Colm O’Driscoll for T Clancy (HT), Donncha O’Connor for P Kelleher (45), Barry O’Driscoll for J O’Rourke (57), Donal Og Hodnett  for M Collins (60), John McLoughlin for S Cronin (63).

DERRY: Thomas Mallon, Jason Rocks, Brendan Rogers, Niall Keenan, Neil Forester, Christopher McKaigue, Mark Craig, Carlus McWilliams, Padraig Cassidy, Enda Lynn, Emmett McGuckin, Conor McAtamney, Danny Tallon, Niall Loughlin, Benny Herron.

Subs: Ciaran Mullan for J Rocks (27), Michael McEvoy for C Mullan (33), Danny Heavron for M Craig (44).

REFEREE: Marty Duffy (Sligo).