Cork manager John Cleary admits his side have been backed into a corner after their one-point loss at home to Cavan on Saturday.
After an encouraging 2023 championship showing, highlighted by wins over Mayo and Roscommon, Cork were touted in some quarters as promotion hopefuls in 2024.
However, following defeats to Donegal, Louth and now Cavan, they sit bottom of the Division 2 table and are stuck in a scrap for survival heading into the final four rounds.
Even more concerningly, they are plonked on the same side of the Munster SFC draw as Kerry, meaning that a high-ish league placing is required to ensure their participation in the Sam Maguire this summer.
"This is a very competitive division. We knew it before we started," Cleary told RTÉ Sport after the loss to Cavan.
"Well beaten in Donegal. Close enough in Louth, on another day we might have got something out of it.
"Today, the same. On another day, we could have went home with at least a draw - didn't.
"Now, we've probably backed ourselves into a corner. But look, what can we do only go again next week. Tough trip up to Fermanagh but we'll dust ourselves down, get ready during the week and go up there all guns blazing next week."
Cork appeared to be in a strong position at half-time, leading 0-11 to 0-08, with Chris Óg Jones contributing three from play.
However, they had spurned a couple of clear goal chances, and then wilted badly in the second half, failing to register a score from play across the entire period, which incorporated eight minutes of injury-time.
Luke Fahy's 48th minute sending off - a yellow card following his first-half black card - left them further in a hole in a third quarter where they were outscored 0-07 to 0-01.
"We're very disappointed. We came down here to hopefully win the game. Thought we played well at times. Two big goal chances in the first half, we didn't take them. And they came back to bite us in the end.
"Now, Cavan played well in fairness to them. Moved the ball very quickly. At times, had us under pressure. But having said that, [we had] another goal chance in the second half, and two or three points chances in the second half and we didn't take them.
"[The third quarter] it was seven points to one. And you lose the game by a point in the end. That ultimately cost us the game in the end, as well as our missed chances. Not an awful lot went right for us today."
On the Fahy sending off, Cleary said: "It was over the far side of the field. I'd rather see it again before making a comment on it. From where I saw it, it looked harsh enough. But look, I won't make a definite comment on it until I see it again."
For Cavan, it's a second victory on the road, which was sandwiched between a narrow loss to the Division's top team, Donegal, in Kingspan Breffni.
Manager Raymond Galligan was especially happy with their third-quarter showing, when they sought to apply more pressure higher up the pitch.
"The game ebbed and flowed in the first half. We went three points down and we got it back to eight points [apiece] and we felt we had good momentum. To go three points behind at half-time was disappointing, we hadn't played well. But definitely, there was a couple of goals that Cork left behind them. So on reflection, it probably wasn't a bad position for us to be going in.
"We put a little bit more energy into our attack [in the second half]. Cian Madden came in, Oisín Brady came in. We said we'd push up on their kickout and really go for it. We got great reward out of it, we took control on the breaking ball and it gave us a great platform to drive on.
"I was delighted how that turned the tide for us and put us in a winning position."
