Under pressure Cork City boss John Caulfield has launched a passionate defence of his management going into the most important weekend of his tenure as he bids to save the club’s season.

Luckily for Manchester City, the bloated Champions League format means that opening group games can hardly be regarded as critically important, never mind ‘must win’, but even if the competition couldn’t ever hope to hit the ground running the way the World Cup did in Russia, this week’s action did see some of football’s global superstars exhibiting varying degrees of luminosity — from dull to blinding — in their attempts to twist again like they did last summer.

Patrick Hoban hopes that by firing Dundalk FC to the title he can also land himself a place in the Republic of Ireland senior panel.

Forget VAR. Forget writing off Germans. Forget In-ger-land. Forget Fifa conspiracies and dodgy Bob Marley cover versions. The World Cup takes a back seat tonight as the League of Ireland springs back to life with a top-of-the-table clash at Oriel Park.

Over the holiday period we packed up the car, and like a scene from National Lampoons, headed off - exhaust pipe dragging along the ground, to visit my wife’s parents down in West Cork, writes Richard Hogan. 

Club captain Johnny Dunleavy has signed for the new season with Cork City though it looks like being March at the earliest before he will be ready to return to action.

Ireland’s women have been dealt a reasonably favourable pool in the women’s World Cup next July with their date with India looking to be the crucial one if they are to make the knock-out phases.

Mid-table Bohemians ended Cork City’s remarkable 22-match unbeaten league record and their hopes of going unbeaten for the whole season with a narrow away win at Turner’s Cross tonight.

Cork City’s Euro dream is very much in the balance after they suffered a first defeat in 26 matches losing out to AEK Larnaca in a tense and highly competitive Europa League qualifier at Turner’s Cross last night, writes Noel Spillane.

Cork producer Fionn Greger has served his time on blockbusters, but was happy to scale down for an abortion-related drama, writes Esther McCarthy

It’s just a week ago that Jimmy Keohane was kicking back by the pool in Mallorca. From lazy sun days, it’s now back to red hot Fridays for Keohane and his City team-mates tomorrow night, as they get back to business in the SSE Airtricty Premier Division against Limerick.

New Limerick boss Neil McDonald wants his side to lay down a marker against defending Premier League champions Dundalk at the Markets Field tonight.

Priority number one for Limerick as the league leaders came to town on the back of six straight wins from their first half-dozen games must have been the need to make John Caulfield’s side work for every single opening.

Eight face charges over incident that saw stones and bottles thrown

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Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

The wine industry in Ireland used to be a bit of a boys’ club but times have changed.

Damien Duff might be an Irish football legend but Shamrock Rovers boss Pat Fenlon has made it clear that the club’s new star signing is not automatically guaranteed a place in his team.

Cork City boss John Caulfield was looking for something akin to a volcanic response after last week’s drawn game and he certainly got it here in the first half at the KR-vollur Stadium with Mark O’Sullivan’s first European goal coming on 13 minutes.

John Caulfield is a professed fan of St Pats’ style of football under Liam Buckley but he’ll be hoping his Cork City can knock the glide out of their stride at Richmond Park this evening.

On Sunday, David Murphy beat Martin Coppinger by almost a bowl in the Denis McGarry Cup semi-final at Whitechurch, the feature score of a packed weekend that included four tournament finals and several cup ties.

Airtricity Premier Division: Dundalk 5 Bray Wanderers 1

RTÉ’s programme, Witnesses to War, was overdue. Why did it take so long to be made?

AIRTRICITY LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION:

As a teenager, he watched in awe as it flashed past at a record speed of 147mph.

Cork City 1 Shamrock Rovers 2

Cork City 1 Bohemians 1

It’s the Rebels versus the Reds, as Cork City welcome Manchester United to Turner’s Cross for a friendly game on Wednesday, July 25 (7.45pm).

Derry City head to Turner’s Cross for tonight’s Premier Division clash with Cork City desperate for a win to stay in touch with the leading pack in the Airtricity Premier Division.

Cork City boss Tommy Dunne will be looking for a fourth win in five league games when his side travel to take on unbeaten St Patrick’s Athletic in the pick of tonight’s Airtricity Premier Division fixtures at Richmond Park (7.45pm).

LOUISA HEALY and Megan Frazer will make their first international appearances in over 18 months later this month following their inclusion in Gene Muller’s panel for Ireland’s tour to South Africa.

A SINCERE expression of gratitude to the Irish legal system which has imprisoned a 70-year-old lady who refused to allow an electricity company to chop down trees on her land.

WITH the Derby now history for another year, the focus down south will now swing to the Pat Hennerty Sales Irish Laurels which will kick off at Curraheen Park on Friday night of next week.

CORK CITY will be hoping their wastefulness in front of goal won’t come back to haunt them at the end of the season after substitute Tom Elmes’ injury-time equaliser saw Wexford Youths deny them all three points after late drama at Turner’s Cross last night.

CORK CITY will look to get straight back into the title race tonight as they face a tough trip to Ballybofey to face Finn Harps (kick-off 6pm).

GARDAÍ made special arrangements yesterday to ensure a beautiful bride got to the church on time.

ALAN MATHEWS last night stepped down as Drogheda United manager, after a run of results that has left the former league champions struggling at the wrong end of the Airtricity Premier Division.

THE consortium which had wanted to buy Cork City before the club was wound up after failing to get a League of Ireland license has confirmed that it will not be investing in Cork City FORAS Co-op.

Given snowfall in the east of the country, bus services in that region are being monitored on an on-going basis, according to Bus Éireann.

The battle for third place in the Premier Division continues at Turner’s Cross tonight as fourth-placed Cork City entertain third-placed Derry City, kick-off 7.45pm.

CORK CITY chairman Tom Coughlan yesterday welcomed a pay agreement with the club’s players which brings an end to recent unrest at the club based around arrears in wages and money owed.

HAVING emerged battered but unbowed from the mother of all battles in the courts, Cork City tonight face up to a challenge on the pitch which is just about as tough as they come in the domestic calendar – an away date with reigning champions, cup holders and current league leaders Bohemians (7.45pm) at Dalymount Park).