Caulfield closing in on Cork City manager’s job

Cork City legend John Caulfield is considered one of the front-runners to take over as the new manager of the club, after the completion of the interview process yesterday.

However, one potential complication is that the UCC coach does not possess a Uefa Pro-Licence qualification and would need to do the appropriate course in order to manage in the Airtricity League Premier Division.

Although support for Caulfield’s candidacy is widespread, other significant contenders for the vacant post are believed to include Mick Cooke of Drogheda United, Martin Russell of UCD and former West Ham, Newcastle United and Norwich City boss Glenn Roeder.

Roeder is not the only manager with Premier League pedigree to have entered the frame for the Cork job — former Leicester City and Aston Villa boss Brian Little was also in the running at an early stage before opting to withdraw his interest.

Anxious to have a manager in place to tie down players to new contracts, the club is hoping to be able to confirm the full-time successor to Tommy Dunne possibly as early as tomorrow or, at the latest, at the beginning of next week.

Already, Cork have lost midfielder Shane Duggan, who has left Turner’s Cross to join Limerick in a deal which will run until the end of the 2015 season.

“I’m delighted to sign for my hometown club,” said the 24-year-old yesterday. “It’s something I always wanted to do but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened until now. I had five great seasons in the first team at Cork City and I’m grateful for everything the club did for me. I made a lot of good friends there and won a First Division title. But I’m looking forward now and hoping to push on further in my career with Limerick.”

Limerick boss Stuart Taylor

expressed his happiness at securing Duggan, who caught the Scot’s eye in a season in which he started all but three of Cork’s 33 league games.

“Shane is a player who has impressed me this season,” said Taylor. “He is a midfield player who has a lot of energy and a lot of good attributes to his game. Not only is Shane a fine player, he is also a Limerick lad.”

With Cork City hotshot Danny Morrissey also expected to leave Turner’s Cross — the young striker has already been linked with West Ham, Wigan and Huddersfield — club officials have already been working behind the scenes in a bid to retain the bulk of their playing talent.

Clearly, the early appointment of a manager would help that cause and — amidst speculation that fans’ favourite Joe Gamble could be in line for a return to Cork from Limerick — would also allow the incoming boss plenty of time to assess potential new additions to the squad.