| Single point gives Cork their first
league victory BY TREVOR O’SULLIVAN
Cork 1-11
Dublin 1-10
 Cork finally
got their league campaign up and running with a closely fought win over
14-man Dublin at Parc Uí Rinn.
It was imperative for Cork that they ground out the win as successive
defeats to Offaly and neighbours Kerry left them propping up the table.
The conditions under the lights were far from conducive for good football
with torrential rain making it difficult. The game started brightly with
both sides exchanging scores but a Donncha O’Connor fisted goal
put Cork in the ascendancy.
James Masters and David Niblock continued the Cork dominance with some
impressive scores and then in a three-minute spell they ran off a trio
of points through Conor McCarthy and an excellent Kevin O’Sullivan
brace.
But just as Cork looked on the verge of coasting to a comfortable half-time
advantage Dublin pegged them back when Declan Lally capitalised on a loose
ball to score a goal that left it 1-6 to 1-3 at the interval.
Dublin continued their resurgence in the second-half and the game was
level at 1-8 apiece as it entered the closing stages but three successive
points from Gary Murphy, David Niblock and James Masters put Cork into
a match-winning position.
Dublin hit back with late efforts despite the dismissal of Denis Bastic
with a second yellow card as Alan Brogan and Ciaran Whelan found their
shooting boots but Cork held on for a fully-deserved and much-needed win.
Elsewhere in Division 1A the Kingdom made it three wins on the trot after
an injury-time score from Colm Gooch Cooper gave Kerry the narrowest of
wins over Monaghan in Scotstown.
Cooper again excelled alongside Eoin Brosnan and Declan O’Sullivan
who also impressed for the visitors. Kerry just about deserved their 1-11
to 0-13 win in a fiery encounter and now move to second in the table.
Mayo remain top of Division 1A as they continued their excellent start
with a 0-19 to 1-14 victory over an impressive Fermanagh side in McHale
Park Castlebar. The Northerners were eight points down after 26 minutes
but fought back impressively and the deficit was just two points with
five minutes remaining. Mayo held on to make it four wins out of four
and a place in the knockout stages looks ever more likely.
All Ireland champions Tyrone finally shook off their post-championship
cobwebs with a 2-15 to 0-12 win over Offaly in Tullamore. The scoreline
didn’t reflect an impressive Offaly performance with the home side
leading from the sixth minute to the 21st minute of the second-half. Tyrone’s
superior quality and the introduction of Owen Mulligan, Kevin Hughes and
Gerard Cavlan saw them surge into an unassailable lead in the last 10
minutes and gave them their first win of the campaign.
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