The importance of scoring first rather than scoring early will be the key instruction Cork City manager John Caulfield will impart to his side ahead of tonight’s Europa League third qualifying round second leg against Rosenborg.

In one of the those curious League of Ireland scenarios, Cork City face a trip to Bray Wanderers knowing they can go top with a victory, but equally aware that failure to win will see hopes of retaining the SSE Airtricity Premier Division title fade fast.

Cork City 4 Derry City 2

Derry City 0 Cork City 0

Cork City boss John Caulfield believes playing on all-weather pitches has given title rivals Dundalk a distinct advantage and expects Derry City to reap the rewards this year too.

Meet the New Firm. Same as the Old Firm. Except different.

Cork City boss John Caulfield doesn’t expect a repeat of the controversy which marred their recent Premier Division meeting with Waterford when the sides clash in the EA Sports Cup quarter-final at the Regional Sports Centre tonight (7.45pm).

The story goes that Jose Mourinho once hid in a laundry basket to brief his players covertly and get around a matchday suspension, but manager John Caulfield won’t be going to such lengths when Cork City host Sligo Rovers in their SSE Airtricity Premier Division clash at Turner’s Cross this evening (7.45pm).

Cork City and Waterford FC will be without key players in the coming weeks as the clubs were hit with combined bans totalling 19 matches for their roles in the brawl which marred the end of the Munster derby at the RSC last weekend.

The League and Cup double winners have brought Galway United defender Colm Horgan to Turners Cross on a two-year deal.

John Caulfield has been honoured as Cork Person of the Month for November after his Cork City side raised the League of Ireland and FAI Cup trophies.

The relationship between rival managers John Caulfield and Stephen Kenny has been markedly strained this year, deteriorating rapidly as the season progressed.

John Caulfield believes it’s less likely his Cork City team would have won the league this year if they hadn’t finished last season by winning the FAI Cup and finally getting the upper hand in their great rivalry with Dundalk.

Cork City manager John Caulfield says that, in the run-up to Sunday’s FAI Cup final against Dundalk, he cannot afford to be distracted by talk of players who might leave the club in the close season.

John Caulfield has pledged his future to Cork City for the next two seasons after last night confirming a new deal with the club.

“We all want to drive on next year and the year after that and we are hoping our league triumph might attract some new fans.”

St Patrick’s Athletic 4, Cork City 2... Newly-crowned champions Cork City allowed a two-goal advantage slip at Inchicore last night as St Patrick’s Athletic staged a stunning comeback to boost their hopes of avoiding a first-ever relegation.

John Caulfield and Cork City’s wait to become Airtricity League of Ireland champions goes on following a 0-0 draw away to Bohemians on Friday night.

John Caulfield yesterday bemoaned the fact that Cork City have to wait more than a fortnight for the next opportunity to seal a Premier League title they seemed to have wrapped up months ago.

On the morning after the night before, John Caulfield was getting no further ahead of himself than a session for the Cork City players not involved in Monday’s dramatic draw with Dundalk.

John Caulfield has vowed that Cork City will take nothing for granted as they close on the league title, warning the club have been “specialists in coming second”.

AEK Larnaca 1 - 0 Cork City (AEK win 2-0 on agg.): Cork City boss John Caulfield had to accept a heartbreaking defeat and Europa League exit in the heat and humidity of Larnaca in Cyprus last night.

Cork City boss John Caulfield has hailed Sean Maguire as the club’s greatest ever striker ahead of his last home game for the club tonight.

LEVADIA TALLINN 0 - 2 CORK CITY: John Caulfield hailed his side’s clinical away performance as their two-goal Europa League first qualifying round first leg win in Estonia last night leaves the second leg close to a formality.

Cork City have been to the Baltics before on European football expeditions in Latvia and Lithuania but this evening’s Europa League first round qualifier here in the coastal resort town of Parnu is a first for the club.

The map of Europe presents a very different picture now to the days John Caulfield was gnawing at the ankles of elite club defenders.

You’re sitting 18 points clear at the top of the league, you’re unbeaten since the start of the season and you’re entering into European competition with an attractive draw against Levadia Tallinn.

Eighteen-point leads in the Premier Division are wasted on John Caulfield, writes Tony Leen.

Cork City manager John Caulfield believes Irish teams have the potential to make huge strides in the Europa League and Champions League but warned club managers must first lose their “mé féin” attitude for the good of the league.

Cork City manager John Caulfield is confident his charges will get back to business tonight and put down the first marker of a new winning streak. 

Cork City manager John Caulfield has dismissed suggestions striker Seanie Maguire has had his head turned by transfer speculation as the club look to end the Premier Division’s first series of games tonight with a 100% record.

Any conversation with John Caulfield on the eve of the new Premier Division season cannot but cut to the chase — the title chase.

Cork City boss John Caulfield has put the finishing touches to his squad to challenge for the League of Ireland title with confirmation of two new signings ahead of today’s transfer deadline.

“Some of the s*** I'm hearing is hilarious”.

Cork City will give injury concerns Garry Buckley (hamstring) and Mark O’Sullivan (knee) every chance to prove their fitness ahead of tomorrow’s FAI Cup final against Dundalk, but John Caulfield admits that it’s “touch and go” for both players.

John Caulfield has vowed to make changes for tonight’s SSE Airtricity Premier Division tie at home to Longford Town after his Cork City side suffered a 1-0 defeat at Derry City on Friday.

There’s a pragmatic side to John Caulfield and it emerges when you ask what winning tomorrow’s FAI Cup final would mean to him on a personal level, writes Liam Mackey

Cork City 1, Galway 0: Having looked like he had kicked his last ball for the club a few short weeks ago, Billy Dennehy is well and truly back in John Caulfield’s good books as his goal saw an out of sorts Cork City claim a priceless three points against a free-falling Galway United at Turner’s Cross last night.

Longford Town 1 Cork City 4: Steven Beattie says he couldn’t have planned a better league debut for Cork City.

Although delighted that the club are back in Europe for the first time since 2008, Cork City boss John Caulfield admits to mixed feelings about drawing Iceland’s KR Reykjavik in the Europa League.

Second from top take on the table-proppers in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division this evening as Cork City and Limerick meet in a Munster derby at Jackman Park (6.30pm).