When the players of FC Haka of Finland walked off the pitch at Turner’s Cross in July 2008 following an entertaining 2-2 draw, few of the home fans could have predicted that it would be seven long years before the ground would hold another European club fixture.

"We did forty press conferences last year and the crowd was never as big as this," said John Caulfield with a grin at Cork’s International Airport Hotel yesterday, as a big media contingent turned up to greet Liam Miller on his official touchdown for Cork City.

When attempting to outline differences between people who reside on the southern side of the River Lee and those who live on its northern slopes, one would always be best advised to tread carefully.

Brian Carey arrived for the interview at a Cork hotel with a ready-made intro: by sheer coincidence, the Tuesday on which we were meeting turned out to be 24 years ago to the very day since he’d left his hometown, Cork, for England to begin a career in professional football which would take him to Manchester United, Leicester City, Wrexham, Doncaster Rovers and Wolves and see him experience almost all aspects of the game – from the glorious to the grim – as, variously, player, skipper, coach, scout, assistant manager and manager.

The Leinster Senior League reclaimed the Michael Ward Trophy at Turner’s Cross yesterday following a 2-1 victory over the Munster Senior League.

A late Danny Long goal saw Beamish Stout MSL Premier Division leaders Avondale United edge out Leeds 3-2 in difficult conditions at Avondale Park on Saturday.

AZ Alkmaar 0 Middlesbrough 0

CASTLEVIEW are the new Beamish Stout Munster Senior League champions after defeating Douglas Hall 2-0 at O’Sullivan Park last night.

Cork City 0 Bohemians 1