We’ve been slightly delayed by the tense and tight duel that Kerry and Mayo have just fought out. Paul Fennessy needed a wee lie down afterwards (such was the excitement) but we’re almost underway now as Cork and Down stand for the National Anthem.

We’re underway. Colm O’Neill has opened the scoring for Cork.

Here are your teams in full.

Cork: Quirke; Carey, Shields, Cotter; O’Leary, Canty, Kissane; O’Connor, O’Neill; Goold, Kelly, Kerrigan; O’Neill, Walsh, O’Connor.

Down: McVeigh; McCartan, McArdle, Turley; McKernan, McParland, Garvey; Rogers, King; Turley, Poland, Carr; McConville, Laverty, Coulter.

A swift counter from Down results in Eoin Cotter conceding a free. Easy conversion for Arthur McConville.

From the restart, Down win possession in midfield and launch another long ball into the square, Conor Laverty comes close to a goal, but settles for it flying over the bar off his fist.

Down are rampant. They win another breaking ball in midfield and this time feed it in quick to Benny Coulter and he too points.

Cork respond immediately through Colm O’Neill and seconds later Pearse O’Neill, bearing down on goal passes the opportunity for three points and fists over the bar

Laverty looking very lively for the men in black. The forward slips in from the right and fists the ball over the bar.

Again, Cork reply instantly. Working the ball upfield smoothly for Paul Kerrigan to make scoring from play look easy.

After trading some uncharacteristic wides. Aidan Walsh has given the Rebels a 5-4 lead. But the teams soon draw level for the fourth time. Mark Poland collecting a long cross-field pass and stylishly lofting the ball high and over the bar.

This is a fantastic game of football, free-flowing and free-scoring.

Walsh was down receiving treatment for Cork. He landed awkwardly on his back after scoring his last point. The full-forward is up and about now, but moving gingerly.

No need to worry greatly, not while Colm O’Neill is in this kind of form. The corner-forward received possession 20 meters out turned onto his left boot and swung over his sides’ sixth point of the day.

Finally some defenders have a grip on this game. Down hang on and withstand some sustained Cork pressure. They break forward and McConville’s lofted shot comes close to dropping under the bar but is palmed away by Quirke.

Down take the ’45 short and Ambrose Rogers send the ball crashing off the right hand upright at the Canal End.

Down the other end and Cork’s proficiency from placed balls is proving the difference. Colm O’Neill coolly sends over a free from the right.

Laverty is keeping his county in contention.

Cork are looking like they could run away with this given half a chance but Laverty receives possession from Kalum King’s knock-down and reduces the gap.

Here’s a pic of an earlier foul by Eoin Cotter on Laverty.

©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Donncha O’Conner cancels out that score, judging the long ball best and slipping in behind Damian Turley. From a tight angle, he might have been tempted to go for goal, but elected to fist over.

Down fight back again. Fullback, Brendan McArdle marched all the way forward receive a fist pass from Coulter on the left wing and he sends over a classy finish.

If Cork were worried a bout losing O’Neill, you can double that anxiety for Down looking at Laverty.

The forward has his hamstring strapped up and after receiving treatment he hobbling round the field. cork work the ball forward, winning a free in midfield and Alan O’Connor immediately picks out Kerrigan. The half forward re-opens the two point gap.

Just a minute before half time, Down’s fears are borne out. Laverty is withdrawn with three points to his name. Conor McGinn is his replacement.

A quick note on the crowd here in north inner-city Dublin. It’s not good.

The crowd for Kerry v Mayo was disappointing and since then the vast majority of the crowd have shown their loyalty ot the men of the west and departed the ground on Jones’ Road.

With two of the best teams playing in the country playing, the island’s biggest stadium feels very very eerie, with echoes louder than cheers.

The official crowd is just over 11,ooo. The vast majority of them have already hit the road.

But enough giving out. The second half is on and straight away Daniel McCartan drags down O’Neill. He gets up to point the easy free.

Conor McGinn, came on the field just before half time and he has picked up where Laverty left off, scoring a point.

That could prove a rallying call for the Mournesiders. Benny Coulter gets on the end of Aidan Carr’s cross-field kick. He smashes the shot at goal and it whistles over the bar.

Kerrigan is having a fruitful day. From 45 meters he stands off and receives the pass from Fintan Gould and lofts it high, straight and over the bar.

This game is tit-for-tat. Aidan Carr says ‘anything you can do…’ to Gould and from the right send over a fantastic score to take Down into double figures.

GOAL! A big game-swinger.  Down were twice opened up in quick succession. First the ball dropped to substitute, Barry O’Driscoll, who twisted but could not shake his marker. Instead he pointed.

Cork won the kick out and again got on the attack, mesmerising Down with some quick short passing. The chance came for O’Neill and he made no mistake, driving the shot low into the goal off his left foot.

That goal was body-blow to Down. Suddenly from constantly being within touching distance, they are now five points down.

Coulter is still looking dangerous, he collected a high ball in the left corner and dinked inside. It was great skill to make space for the shot, but he has to go for goal, and the diving block from Ray Carey was even more impressive. Quirke may have had it covered, but terrific defending from Carey.

Cork have dropped a few gears now, but only after a tremendous long range score from midfielder Pearse O’Neill.

Coulter quickly cancels that out, but it’s followed up by a bad wide from Peter Turley. There have been plenty of wides in this game, we don’t have the stats to hand yet, but that’s to be expected at this time of the season.

PENALTY TO DOWN. Great work from Kalum King forced the spot-kick, he squeezed a close range shot past Quirke and it rolled towards the line only to be stopped illegally by a Cork defender diving back to scoop it away.

Carr blasts it home. Game on?

Noel O’Leary gallops forward and tags a point on to the delight of everybody on Leeside, but it’s quickly cancelled out as King wins a free 15 meters out and Carr adds to his tally.

There’s talk of a comeback, but you can’t see it happening while Colm O’Neill is on the field. He has just lost his defender and drifted to the right-hand channel, using his right boot to bring his tally for the day to 1-5.

GOAL! A long, high, hopeful ball towards the square from Cork tempted Brendan Mcveigh out og his goal. Alan O’Conner challenged for the 50-50 ball and won, the ball dropped behind McVeigh and O’Conner was able to lift the ball and smash it into the empty net.

With no supporters to snap, some of the photographers are instead taking pictures of winged rats. /©INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan

Both managers have come close to emptying their substitutes bench. All continuity is gone from this game and as the shadow of the Hogan Stand creeps across the pitch the wide count just keeps growing and growing.

Cork to their credit are concentrating a little more on possession football, but just as I say that a high ball is sent to the square adn there is no one there to greet it except McVeigh.

There will be one minute of added time in added time. Colm O’Neill seals his man-of-the-match award, a point bringing his tally to 1-6, that’s the irst socre since O’Conner’s goal.

30 seconds later, Daniel Goulding finds space on the left and rifles over the last score of the day.

Thanks for tuning in, I think there were just as many people reading our live updates as there were in Croke Park today. The All-Munster league final the GAA were whetting their lips for will not happen.

Instead, it will be Cork V Mayo. here’s hoping that game will be played in a stadium with an atmosphere, not a big empty Croke Park.

For me, it’s goodbye. But if you need updates from the cross-channel FA Cup action, Paul Fennessy is your man.