IT’S back to business in the national football league this weekend. The good news for Cork, after recent long journeys to Derry and to the Algarve, is that they have home advantage for Saturday’s clash with Kildare in Páirc Uí Rinn.

The move to the smaller venue comes after the success there last time out against Meath. Cork will be hoping to replicate that performance and result against a struggling Kildare side.

The Lilywhites hover just a single point above Cavan in the second relegation spot in Division 2, and with the Ulster side taking on bottom-of-the-table Offaly, manager Brian Flanagan and his squad will be targeting two points here to keep themselves out of the drop zone.

Cork have a rather different motivation this season and will be hoping to pick up another two points in the chase for promotion to Division 1. We went through the permutations in some detail last week so we won’t labour the issue again, other than to reiterate that a Cork win, coupled with a Tyrone victory over Meath in Croke Park later in the evening, would leave the Rebels looking pretty good going into the final round of games.

We know it’s also possible that two wins from the last two games may not be enough for Cork. However, the focus must be on beating Kildare.

My own recent memories of facing the Leinster side are not positive, having lost to Kildare in our league opener in 2021 as a selector and, even worse, being an unused substitute for a heavy championship defeat in Thurles in my last outing as a Cork player in 2015.

Those games have little relevance to the current Cork team, and the squad will be looking to bounce back from what we are all hoping was just a particularly bad day at the office against Derry. It is my belief that there were mitigating circumstances for the substantially below-par outing and that Cork are much closer to the best team in the league at present than that result would suggest.

There were factors – not excuses – behind Cork’s no-show in Derry. Firstly, losing Tommy Walsh and Mark Cronin, on top of the already unavailable Ian Maguire, Patrick Doyle, Sean Brady, Brian Hurley and Brian O’Driscoll, deprived Cork of possibly a third of their preferred starting line-up. Secondly, Cork put a huge effort into the Meath game while Derry were able to take things easier against Offaly at the same time, and there may have been some weariness in the legs after that battle with the Royal County.

It’s also possible that Cork got a little too excited after the win and couldn’t raise their bodies and minds again so quickly for the long spin north. Add in the sucker-punch goal before half-time and the second-half collapse against a gale-force wind and the defeat begins to make more sense. That’s not to excuse the performance, but simply to point out that on another day Cork would likely have been much closer to the Derrymen.

On the pitch, reports suggested Cork’s kick-out against the breeze was the fundamental problem on the day, so Micheál Aodh Martin may come under pressure if Patrick Doyle is available again. Cork were light on defensive numbers against Derry, so it would be a big boost if any or all of Walsh, Brady and O’Driscoll were back to fitness. Ian Maguire will return in midfield after having his suspension reduced to one game following his red card against Meath.

Cork are better served up front than in defence, though having Cronin and/or Hurley available again would also be very welcome.

Conor Corbett made a surprise but welcome return against Derry. Even if it wasn’t the easiest outing for the Clyda Rovers man to come into cold, getting some minutes into his legs will be beneficial. The same can be said for David Buckley and Cathail O’Mahony, who each got 25 minutes in that game and will be hoping for more opportunities this weekend and against Tyrone.

Attacking wing-back Darragh Cashman made perhaps the biggest impression from the bench against Derry, kicking two points into the wind to follow up his scoring display in the McGrath Cup against Limerick. If some or all of the injured players return this weekend, Cork’s squad begins to look well stocked again.

Saturday evening’s game holds great importance, not alone in the quest for promotion but also in ensuring that the Derry defeat is quickly forgotten and that confidence and momentum are restored to the Cork squad.

The Kildare team that started at home to Meath featured a number of names that may not be well known outside their own county, with Darragh Kirwan, Alex Beirne and Kevin Feely among the more recognisable figures in a much-changed side.

Looking back at the 2021 encounter, also played in Thurles during the Covid-reduced league, Cork could have ten of the starting line-up from that game, plus substitute Kevin O’Donovan, in contention this weekend. Kildare, meanwhile, only used the three players mentioned above plus Brian McLoughlin from that meeting when they faced Meath. For the record, McLoughlin was an injury-time substitute in the 2021 game. That represents a huge turnover in five years.

It may be more relevant for Cork to look at the draw Kildare secured against Tyrone to gauge what this new Kildare team is capable of when in better form. McLoughlin was very much to the fore that night, kicking nine points from wing-forward, while centre-forward Beirne added five of his own.

This is a relatively kind fixture for Cork in terms of rediscovering form and belief, but that performance in Omagh – along with those earlier defeats – should ensure no one takes the Lilywhites lightly.

In recent seasons Cork returned from Portugal needing results to avoid relegation to Division 3 and each time claimed the back-to-back wins required. The motivation this time is more carrot than stick, but the importance is at least equal to those pressurised contests.

Going back to permutations very briefly, there are three results Cork supporters will be hoping for this weekend. The Rebels must handle their own business by beating Kildare, but there will also be a keen eye on updates from Croke Park where Tyrone face Meath.

Louth v Derry throws in earlier at 3pm and a Louth win would really throw the cat among the pigeons, raising the prospect of a four-way tie on ten points.

We will have a much clearer picture by around 7pm on Saturday evening. For now, all thoughts must be on Kildare and ensuring Cork remain firmly in the mix heading into the final round.

A defeat combined with a Meath win would all but end Cork’s promotion hopes.

Worrying about your own job and your own corner is often good advice and, while the likes of me can speculate ad nauseam, John Cleary and his management team will be focused solely on the task at hand.

Assuming the heads are in the right place, Cork can take the spoils on home ground and bring the race right down to the wire. Cork by four.

Let’s hope events elsewhere also fall in our favour. Get your red and white hats out for Cork – and Tyrone – this Saturday evening.