Limerick Desmond Youths lose to Cork

CORK were far too good for Limerick Desmond in the FAI Youths Interleague Trophy in Carrigaline’s all-weather pitch on Saturday and weren’t flattered by their winning margin of 4-0.

Cork, the holders of the trophy, are now odds-on to top the group, while Limerick Desmond will qualify as runners-up if they manage a draw away to Limerick District in the week ending January 6.

Both sides had come into Saturday’s game with a victory, Cork scoring an injury-time winner to beat Limerick District 2-1 away, while Limerick put five without reply past Kerry in Clounreask three weeks ago.

The game started at a furious pace, the ball rolling fast and true along the artificial surface. Even in the early minutes, some players were beginning to shine out for Cork, none more so than Leonard Sexton, the beating heart of a three-man midfield in a 4-3-3 system.

Sexton’s first touch was immaculate, his passing was visionary and accurate and his workrate was exemplary. Sexton’s midfield partners, Craig Donnellan and skipper Jack Maguire, were also creative and hard-working and it wasn’t long before the trio established a dominance that they held for most of the game.

Greg Harte, the centre-point of Cork’s attacking three, was another player who caught the eye and he was denied by goalkeeper Andrew Ruddle in the 12th minute, the penetrating pass supplied, not surprisingly, by Sexton. Ruddle was standing in for Andy Brouder, who will be out of action for a month.

Limerick Desmond’s first sight of goal came in the 14th minute when Paul Downes battled hard to win the ball near the corner flag before delivering a pass to James Naughton, who miskicked.

Cork were in the ascendancy as the game entered the second quarter, which began with Donnellan passing to Kieran Kavanagh, who cut across the edge of the penalty area and fired over the bar. That was followed soon after by centre-half Ryan Meaney heading over from a corner by Sexton.

Then, in the 25th minute, came the breakthrough. Timmy Murphy’s cross from the left was controlled by Harte, who laid off the ball for the inrushing Sexton to fire unstoppably past Ruddle.

Cork, with their quick feet and quick movement, remained on top until half-time but their threat on goal was limited and that is mainly due to the resilience of the Limerick Desmond back four, led by Peter Shanahan, who denied Kavanagh a shot on goal with a crucial tackle in the 29th minute. Dead ball prowess is another forte of Shanahan’s and he gave Cork a scary moment in the 42nd minute with a sideline free-kick that curled just wide of the far post.

Speed of thought is usually to be found in top teams and Cork displayed this attribute three minutes into the second-half with a cleverly-worked throw, which progressed to Adam Hegarty delivering a reverse pass to Harte, who drilled clinically inside the left-hand post.

With Limerick Desmond’s midfield getting no joy from Cork’s dynamic trio, the visitors’ best attacking player in the second-half was centre-half Shanahan, with his surging runs out of defence. One such run, in the 57th minute, ended with him earning a free-kick from a promising position, which came to naught.

Frank Kelliher was at the helm when Cork won the trophy last season and his status was enhanced further when his 62nd minute introduction of David King paid immediate dividends. As part of the substitution, Sexton was switched to the right wing and it was in this position that he received a pass from Maguire before running to the byline and delivering a cross that went beyond the far post, into the path of King who steered the ball to the net from an acute angle.

To their credit, Limerick Desmond didn’t throw in the towel and they were denied a quick response when Cork goalkeeper, Micheal Sadys, was forced into action for the first time in the game, advancing off his line to save from Naughton.

Cork, in a counter-attack, should have got their fourth in the 75th minute but Sexton, of all players, miskicked.

The closest that Limerick Desmond came to getting on the scoresheet was in the 78th minute when Shanahan’s free-kick from the left broke to substitute Steven Carrig, whose shot from point-blank range was blocked by Sadys. The final threat from the visitors came a few minutes later, in the form of a Dylan Griffin 20-yard shot that whizzed wide of the right-hand post.

Cork rounded off a classy performance with a classy fourth goal in the 87th minute. The ball bounced into the path of Harte, who outsped two defenders in a 20-yard run and then lobbed exquisitely over the advancing Ruddle.

Cork - Michael Sadys, James Nagle, Timmy Murphy, Jeremy Bridgeman, Ryan Meaney, Craig Donnellan, Jack Maguire, Leonard Sexton, Kieran Kavanagh, Greg Harte, Adam Hegarty. Subs: Ben McAuliffe for Murphy (56 mins), David King for Kavanagh (72 mins), Daniel Barry for Sexton, inj (82 mins), Dylan Walsh, Corey Long, Eric Baxter, Stephen Hickey.

Limerick Desmond - Andrew Ruddle (Newcastle West Rovers), Shane Stack (Newcastle West Rovers), TJ Lane (Abbeyfeale United), Peter Shanahan (Newcastle West), Eoin Cuddihy (Askeaton), Dylan Griffin (Newcastle West Rovers), James Cussen (Newcastle West), Gavin Reidy (Newcastle West Rovers), Paul Downes (Newcastle West), Bob Keogh (Rathkeale), James Naughton (Creeves Celtic). Subs: Jamie O’Connor (Abbeyfeale United) for Keogh (56 mins), Steven Carrig (Newcastle West Rovers) for Downes (69 mins), Martin Madden (Newcastle West Rovers) for Reidy (75 mins), Pa Wilmott (Rathkeale), Eoin Murphy (Newcastle West Rovers), James Bridgeman (Creeves Celtic), Lukas Tanczuk (Newcastle West).