Cork Travel Plan Proves Ingenious As Rebels Stun Donegal In Ballybofey

Cork have beaten Donegal 0-17 to 1-13 in Ballybofey, in one of the biggest wins for the Rebels in recent years.

The Rebels are on the rise, but were firm underdogs for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC Round 2A clash even after knocking out Meath in Round 1.

Donegal had themselves laid waste to defending champions Kerry in the Round 1 rematch of last year's final, a statement of their All-Ireland intentions.

However, they were left stunned after a riveting contest, with Stephen Sherlock the Cork hero with a late two-pointer.

It is Cork's first win in Donegal since 1998, and marks one of the biggest All-Ireland shocks in recent memory.

McGuinness had made a bold selection call late in the day, opting for Shaun Patton between the sticks over Gavin Mulreany, who had started every game in league and championship thus far this year. There were some shenanigans at half-time, when it appeared as though Mulreany was set to replace Patton. Ultimately, Patton remained for all 70 minutes.

Though the Cork effort was valiant, it appeared as though Donegal were set to pull clear down the home stretch, until Ballincollig's Luke Fahy produced a two-pointer to bring Cork back within one. Another two-pointer followed from Tommy Walsh, before Jason McGee got the hosts back on level terms.

The pivotal moment came when Stephen Sherlock shrewdly decided to bring a free-in out of the 40-metre arc with just under ten minutes to play.

Sherlock is a rare breed in being able to trust himself to convert from that range, and he would to put Cork two ahead. The extra point proved crucial, as it saw Cork over the line for a historic one-point victory.

Cork have threatened to pull off a big result for several years now, but many would have thought it might come in a Munster SFC clash against Kerry rather than in the All-Ireland.

A statement result from the Rebels, it came after a crazy day of travel just to get to Ballybofey in the first place.

The Cork footballers flew to Derry just this morning, before travelling to Ballybofey by bus. A flight from Cork to Derry takes just under an hour, with a similar road journey from there to Ballybofey.

The drive from the Rebel County to Donegal, by contrast, would have taken five hours either way, meaning that Cork saved themselves a significant amount of travel by flying to Derry.

It has proved a shrewd move, with Cork's energy seeing them over the line with a late charge against a team with real aspirations of winning Sam Maguire later this summer.

Cork manager John Cleary had spoken to the Irish Examiner pre-game about the team's travel plans, saying that the Saturday throw-in had intriguingly played into their hands.

With a Sunday game, you get back late on Sunday, and lads are back into work on Monday morning. So at least with a Saturday fixture, they have Sunday to relax. Whatever the outcome, you have a day’s more preparation for whatever comes next, whether that be an All-Ireland quarter-final two weeks after or a Round 3 game potentially the Saturday after.

Every game matters, and the way the games are so attritional and so exhausting for players, I think if we were given the choice, Saturday wasn’t the worst day for us.

Cork will enjoy their Sunday recovery, but they may not have expected to have a fortnight's break until their next game, having secured progression to the All-Ireland quarter-finals rather than dropping into the Round 3 repechage.

Donegal, by contrast, will be in action again next weekend, as they will face a Round 2B winner in Round 3, with their All-Ireland survival on the line.

Having already lost two games in this year's All-Ireland, a third from here will see Donegal knocked out.

A famous, famous day for Cork football. Are the Rebels back?