THEY have been precariously close to the precipice more than once this season, but the Cork minor footballers produced what can only be described as the ultimate in gutsy comebacks at Croke Park last Sunday. With 44 minutes gone in a rip-roaring All Ireland semi-final, it looked oddson that they were about to be pushed over the edge by a Galway side that had claimed a fifth goal to move 5-6 to 2-6 ahead.

But the Leeside youngsters were in no mood to give up the ghost, and, following the boost of a goal from Kevin Hallissey, they staged a remarkable rally, culminating in a matchwinning pointed free by Brian Hurley deep in stoppage time.

It was an amazing display of courage and resilience by any standards, reinforcing the notion that this is a very special group of players. They may not be the most talented ever to represent the Rebel County at this level, but they clearly possess a never-say-die attitude that sets them apart.

Over the course of this enthralling encounter, they shipped a series of demoralising body-blows that would have crippled a team of lesser resolve. They were stung by a goal in the seventh minute which gave Galway the lead for the first time, 1-1 to 0-1, and, having battled their way back to equality, their defence was breached tellingly again shortly before the interval.

They drew level once more early in the second half only to concede two more goals in fairly quick succession. Even after they turned on the power in the last quarter to pull back a nine-point deficit, their character was sternly tested after Galway twice inched ahead by the minimum in the dying minutes. Again, however, Cork refused to drop their heads, and Brian Hurley tilted the issue in their favour when slotting over a couple of pressure frees at the death.

No doubt, relief was their overriding emotion when the last whistle shrilled, but, taking everything into account, they were the better team, and they certainly dictated matters territorially for long periods. That was due in no small way to the influence exerted by Damien Cahalane, who had a massive game at midfield, but wing-back Jamie Wall and wing-forward John O'Rourke were others to the fore as Cork enjoyed the lion's share of the possession in the first half.

Mark Sugrue was regularly involved too on the '40 as Cork began to warm to their task in response to Galway's first goal, scored with aplomb by corner forward Peadar O'Griofa after wing-forward Niall Walsh had done much of the spadework.

Yet, Galway, with their forwards making regularly headway against an unconvincing Cork rearguard, led by 1-4 to 0-3, midway through the first half. With Cahalane and Wall powering Cork forward, however, Galway were largely forced to fight a rearguard action in the second quarter, and, almost inevitably, a major breakthrough arrived in the 29th minute when Sugrue, Wall and O'Rourke were involved in the leadup to an equalising goal from Kevin Hallissey.

Prior to that, Wall had unhinged the Galway defence with one of several probing runs only to play a poor pass to Hallissey, who was unable to steer the ball home from a tight angle. Later, Brian Hurley, put clean through following good work by Sugrue and Hallissey, was foiled by a fine save from Galway 'keeper James Keane, so Hallissey's goal, in light of their relentless pressure, was no more than Cork deserved.

It was negated almost immediately, however, by Peadar O'Griofa, allowing Galway to go in at the break 2-5 to 1-5 to the good. Matthew O'Shea had settled down well after a shaky start at full-back for Cork, and he opened brightly on the resumption, instigating an attack which also involved Wall and the lion-hearted Cahalane, whose delivery into the danger-zone led to Brian Hurley engineering a superb goal.

Again Galway responded swiftly through Niall Walsh, who, having had a shot charged down by Cork corner back Darren Murphy, regained possession to drill the ball to the net. That underlined Cork's vulnerability in the full-back line, which became even more pronounced after Galway's Shane Maughan thundered into the picture at full-forward against Matthew O'Shea.

Maughan was the chief architect of the brace of goals scored by Conor

- Noel Horgan at Croke Park, Dublin