John Caufield was happy his side got back to winning ways and through to the next round but Neale Fenn was left to bemoan the referee’s assistant in getting involved which led to his side going down to ten men. Cork City were rampant in the second h
John Caufield was happy his side got back to winning ways and through to the next round but Neale Fenn was left to bemoan the referee’s assistant in getting involved which led to his side going down to ten men.
Cork City were rampant in the second half as Caulfield’s men ran out 7-0 winners in the City Calling Stadium to dampen what was one of the most eagerly anticipated matches for a while in the midlands.
The Cork manager began by stating how happy he was to bounce back from his side’s shock defeat last week.
“We worked hard all week, we knew we had to play well. Our first half hour was electric, our passing was brilliant, we moved at pace.
“Going 2-0 up, we were well in control of the game and the sending off just killed it totally for them.
“Overall, there was only going to be one winner when we went two up. In the second half we kept passing and moving and we made a couple of changes. We got some excellent goals and we’re just happy to be in the semi-final.”
He also believes the sending off didn’t have much impact on the match result.
“If Darren [Meenan] looks back on it he’ll probably be frustrated with himself. He went in, whether it’s a red or a yellow, the referee decided it was a red, but at the same time it was definitely a foul.
“I don’t think that would have a bearing on the game, we were 2-0 up at the time and well in control of the match.”
As for his side’s second half performance, Caulfield believes they were just as ruthless in the first half, despite getting a further five goals after the break.
“I’d say we were ruthless from the start, we started so well and had six or seven corners in the first 25 minutes. We scored twice, their keeper made a great save from Karl Sheppard and we missed on at the back post.
“In the second have we didn’t let the game fester out. We kept moving the ball, Longford tired and made extra space.”
In the home camp, Neale Fenn knew his side needed a lot to go for his side and it wasn’t to be.
“We needed them to be not at the races today, and they were. The pressure was telling from the start with the amount of corners [they had]. I think they scored from their fifth. They looked like they had a lot of pressure. For us, disappointing to concede from a corner because we’ve been quite good at that recently.
As for Darren Meenan’s sending off, the Longford boss wasn’t happy that the assistant seemed to change the referee’s mind.
“At the time, I thought it was harsh. Purely for the reason I saw the referee reach for his yellow. Its only when the linesman got involved and said it’s a straight red, who wouldn’t have had a better of it than the ref so I don’t know why the ref let him over rule him. “
