Out of the frying pan, into the fire: after losing their opening game at home to promoted Shelbourne last week, Cork City tomorrow night face the daunting task of taking on FAI Cup-winners and predicted title contenders Shamrock Rovers in the new-look side’s their first away test of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division season.

They join Bohemians and Athlone Town in being accepted to an expanded nine-team top tier for 2020.

You have to go back 88 days to find the last time Cork City ended an SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match with three points. Summer has come and gone since, and alarmingly, a mini-revival by Finn Harps in the meantime has left the 2018 league and cup runners-up looking over their shoulders.

Cork City’s reward for edging out Cabinteely in a penalty shootout last Friday is another away game and more First Division opposition, after the FAI Second Round draw in Abbotstown pitted the Rebels against Galway United.

Holders Dundalk have been drawn away to Derry City in the pick of the FAI Cup second round ties.

Dundalk head coach Vinny Perth has called on Irish football fans to support his side as their Europa League qualifying campaign continues in Tallaght Stadium on Tuesday, after seeing his side progress to the second round of the FAI Cup with a 1-0 victory over Cobh Ramblers.

Cork City have been warned by Pat Devlin that they’ll face a tough task to rescue their season with a FAI Cup run.

Holders Dundalk have been drawn away to First Division Cobh Ramblers in the first round of the FAI Cup.

First Division pacesetters Shelbourne cruised past Galway United 3-0 to rack up their eighth league win on the trot.

Shelbourne held on against Limerick for a 1-0 victory last night which maintains their push for automatic promotion.

Stephen Henderson tonight resigned from his position as Cobh Ramblers manager after the team’s 2-1 home win over Galway United.

After two decades in the professional game, Alan Bennett has learned the value of perspective.

There will be plenty on the line for both sides but for contrasting reasons when Cork City host Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division at Turner’s Cross tomorrow night.

Bray Wanderers took top spot in the SSE Airtricity First Division outright thanks to a 1-0 victory over Cobh Ramblers last night.

It was an evening of upsets in the First Division last night as Cobh Ramblers sunk Shelbourne and Wexford prevailed against Bray Wanderers.

2018 finalists Cobh Ramblers will face a Munster derby against Limerick at St Colman’s Park in the first round of the EA Sports Cup.

The Republic of Ireland have had a dream start to their Women's Under-17 European Championships qualification campaign.

Dundalk’s ‘bouncebackability’ will be put to the test against Limerick at the Market’s Field tonight, as the Premier Division leaders resume their quest to dethrone champions Cork City who currently trail them by just three points.

Maynooth University Town, in the words of manager Barry Prenderville, already “know the road to Cork well” having beaten Rockmount and Blarney United on their way to winning the Intermediate Cup in May and then Everton and Leeds in this year’s FAI Cup.

Limerick are facing an exodus of playing talent as the club looks to cut its spending in the wake of well-documented financial difficulties.

Premier Division top spot going into the mid-season break is what’s at stake in the SSE Airtricity League this evening as leaders Cork City host Bohemians, while Dundalk, just a point behind the defending champions, travel to Derry.

A win for Cork City in their game in hand against Derry City at Turner’s Cross this afternoon (3pm) will see the Rebels leapfrog Dundalk to go top of the Premier Division.

Boosted by his team’s first back-to-back league victories this season, manager Keith Long is calling on Bohemians to “have a go” against league leaders Dundalk at Dalymount tonight.

Ronan Curtis scored a first half hat-trick as Derry City, record 10-time winners of the competition, beat First Division Shelbourne 7-3 in a thrilling goal-fest last eight tie at the Brandywell to book their place in the semi-final of the EA Sports Cup.

With Cork City not in action until tomorrow when they play host to Limerick, Dundalk will travel to Waterford this evening looking to convert their superior goal difference into a clear points advantage at the top of the Premier Division table.

Cork City defender Johnny Dunleavy is closing on a return to action and is expected to be back in full training with the club in the next fortnight.

League champions Cork City have a four-point lead at the top of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division after victory over Bohemians at Turner’s Cross.

All five Premier Division matches have been re-fixed for the St Patrick's weekend bank holiday.

It comes just one game into the new season.

The full house signs on the approaches to Dalymount Park for tonight’s derby meeting of Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers sit comfortably with a domestic game that is once again allowing itself to embrace a guarded sense of optimism. 

Cork City will begin the defence of their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division title with an away game against St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park on Friday, February 16.

Two professional soccer players suspended for 12 months following an investigation into match-fixing have secured temporary High Court injunctions over the FAI’s intention to introduce new evidence against them in their appeal.

In the absence this year of FAI support for the PFAI’s annual training camp for out of contract League of Ireland footballers, the players’ union has had to dig into its own resources and rely on the charity of clubs and others to ensure that the 2017 programme could kick off as planned yesterday.

Grotesque abuse hurled at Cyrus Christie online came to the fore this week, the latest example of how football, and sport in general, continues to battle the scourge of racism.

Seamus O’Brien was barely a teenager when his brother Pascal arrived back home from seminary one time to usher him and another brother Brendan out the door and on to a train bound for Kingsbridge Station in Dublin.

Enda McEvoy reflects on how the game - and punditry - played out on TV.

Victory for Galway United tonight and Mayo on Sunday would complete a perfect few days for Ronan Murray, who has been named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland Player of the Month for August.

Athlone Town players Igors Labuts and Dragos Sfrijan will appeal against the 12-month suspensions handed to them yesterday after an independent disciplinary committee found them to be in breach of FAI rules.

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Athlone Town soccer club can now draw down a €200,000 government grant for a proposed new astro-turf training pitch, following an agreement in the High Court.

Cork City manager John Caulfield hopes that last night’s FAI Cup second round blowout against Athlone Town at Turner’s Cross will provide confidence to the team as they seek to clinch the league title.

The holders and league champions-elect Cork City brushed aside the token challenge of Athlone Town to reach the last eight of the Irish Daily Mail sponsored FAI Cup at Turner’s Cross tonight.

If things had worked out a little differently, Cork City defender Ryan Delaney could have been preparing for a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United next month.

Cork City continue to edge towards the Airtricity League Premier Division title but they had to work hard before finally seeing off a battling relegation-threatened Finn Harps at Finn Park last night.

Holders Cork City have been rewarded with a home draw against First Division side Athlone Town in the second round of the 2017 FAI Cup.

Holders Cork City have been drawn at home to Athlone Town in the second round of the FAI Cup.