Cork City hitman Sean Maguire sets sights on the title
Life’s good for Maguire at the minute.
Top of the scoring charts, his team are six points clear at the top of the SSE Airtricity Premier Division with a 100% record, and he has been heavily linked with a call-up from Irish international boss Martin O’Neill.
On top of that, Maguire has been named the Soccer Writers’ Assocation of Ireland (SWAI) Player of the Month for March, rewarded for stunning form which has seen him fire eight goals in eight league games.
Maguire won the award ahead of the late Derry City captain Ryan McBride, who finished second in the voting, and Dundalk’s Patrick McEleney, who was third.
The former Ireland U21 striker yesterday confirmed he wants to make a mark in England — at the second time of asking — but has some unfinished business in the League of Ireland first.
“My ambition is to play at the highest level, at England or in Europe,” he said yesterday.
“For every kid my age, that’s the ambition, that’s a long-term goal but short-term I want to do well for Cork City. It’s best for my team and for me. I’m fully focused on trying to win the league, the League (EA Sports) Cup and retain the FAI Cup.”
After a period in football’s wilderness — discarded by West Ham, then surplus to requirements at Dundalk — the Kilkenny man revived his career with a magnificent season at City last year, where he finished the league’s top scorer and fired the winner in a dramatic extra-time FAI Cup final win over the champions at Aviva Stadium.
The 22-year-old was out of contract and free to leave Cork but felt compelled to play another season on Leeside.
“I felt I owed something to Cork City and I owed something to John Caulfield,” said Maguire.
“At the start of last season, I was nowhere. I didn’t play for Dundalk, I hadn’t many games under my belt in the previous year. I felt I wanted to win the league here.
“I give John a lot of credit for what I’ve done in Cork. We’ve a great relationship on and off the pitch. I look at John and he was a striker who scored goals and worked hard so I look up to him. He gives me tips on and off the field on what to do. Our relationship is getting better and it’s a credit to him.
“I’m loving it here on the pitch and off the pitch. It’s a pleasure to come in every single day. There’s no big egos. I’ve made friends for life and if you’re enjoying it off the pitch it makes it easier on it.
“It’s not just my best form but the best I’ve felt playing football since an early age.”
Maguire has naturally taken notice of the growing clamour for him to be recognised as an Irish international. “It’s hard not to. You look at the papers, you go on your Twitter page... it’s very flattering to be linked with a call-up to Irish team. I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing in every game.”
Picked up by West Ham in 2013 after a season at Waterford, Maguire endured two frustrating seasons in East London, and believes it will stand to him if another cross-channel opportunity arises.
“From past experience, I was young going over to West Ham and I do have a few regrets. I could have tried harder. I could have tried this that or the other but if you’re going to England, you want to be playing games. You don’t want to be stuck in a squad on the bench, you have to be aware of that.
“I still have a lot to learn.”
While Maguire is in demand, boss Caulfield is not going to get caught up in the noise surrounding his player, and won’t be drawn into transfer talk, with the window firmly closed until July.
“I don’t worry about this,” said Caulfield. “Things can change dramatically over a short period. The form he’s in is fantastic. We don’t want to lose any players but we’re always looking at options. If I’m a betting man I’d say he’d like to stay with us until the end of the season and hopefully he bangs in 20 or 30 goals like he did last season and then he’s going to move somewhere.”
League leaders City face a Good Friday trip to Dalymount Park to face Bohemians (7.45pm).
A win would make it Cork’s most successful ever start to a league campaign with nine straight wins.
“We’ve had a great start and we’d love to continue but Bohs is a very tricky game,” Maguire stressed. “People expect us to win but we’re not getting carried away. I don’t think everyone has seen the best of this team or even myself yet.”
