( Writes J J Hurley )
Cork survived a Clare second half revival in the All-Ireland Qualifiers in Ennis as only the battle hardened supporters made what was a four-hour round trip.
The local interest, Brian O'Driscoll, reported a clean bill of health and certainly an exciting addition to Carrigaline's ranks.
Motoring well over for the hour, the only black mark was the intervention of a pesky crossbar preventing a certain goal; the only downside for Carrig's most recent recruit.
It could have been far worse for the Cork contingent as the flawless first-half performance was not mirrored in the second half as Cork seemed to have forgotten their shooting boots in the dressing room.
'Cometh the man, cometh the hour, or in this case, the men Steven Sherlock and Mark Cronin, as they had left on their scoring boots to see Cork over the line after being sprung from the bench in the second half.
On a day when the usually flawless men in the Rebel's ranks were having an off day, including the usual dependable Captain Marvel, Mr Hurley, Maguire, and man of the match, O'Callaghan were at the heartbeat of all the Lee-siders did for the hour.
The game needed a swift kick in the 'Derriere' in the second half, as the opening half had been punctuated by a welcome from the 3000-plus attendance that befitted a lawn bowls team.
Those making the journey are hard-core supporters, and recent results in the county's underage teams haven't exactly instilled confidence in the future of the large ball throughout the county.
Indeed, the lack of significant rebel supporters on the streets of Ennis was very evident.
The only trace of the Cork team in town was the erecting of Red and White bunting, not for the imminent arrival of the boys from the Lee but a campaign to save the streets of Ennis.
Incidentally, it was quickly hauled down before it was construed as support for the trickle of Cork supporters ploughing a lonely furrow among the streets of Ennis.
(Cork's Chris ÓG jones in possession in Ennis yesterday)
Maybe, in an effort to get out of 'Dodge' quickly, Cork had started brightly, leading by 1-6 to 0-4 points at the half-time break, with Sean Powter's goal the pick of the scores thanks to a Colm O'Callahan pass.
One phenomenon from yesterday's game was that for several minutes in the first half, both teams, including the Clare keeper, were encamped in the Cork half.
Thank God Clare saw sense in the second half and reverted to a more opening game with Manus Doherty and Ikem Ugwru playing their part.
If Cork needed heroes as Clare sought to inflict a second championship defeat on the Rebels, Chris Kelly was the man in the Cork goal.
Deflecting a ball over the bar late on, Cork's boss, John Cleary, later admitted he looked like he thought his keeper had initially misjudged the flight of the ball.
Cleary was quick to admit his error in judgement.
On the plus side, he will have welcomed the return of Barry Maguire, who made an important block in front of the Cork goal yesterday and adds to the already impressive half-back line of Walsh and Taylor.
No doubt, the Tyrone boss, Brian Dooher, hiding out just in front of the press box, was also taking note.
While Cleary was delighted with the result, Cork has at least guaranteed their place in the sun for a bit longer this summer.
Hopefully, Cork supporters will remember where Pairc Ui Rinn is when Donegal come to town for the June bank Holiday Weekend.
( J J Hurley testing out the interview screen in Ennis yesterday.)
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