“There’s no point in being quiet. You have to stand up to people.”

IT would have been an unthinkable scenario for the Rebel Army, of course, but Cork City’s George O’Callaghan could easily have finished this season wearing the maroon and blue of FAI Cup final opponents Drogheda United.

His cup-tied status would have ruled him out of Sunday’s game but, back in July, City’s star of stars almost jumped ship when the ambitious Co. Louth club made him an offer he just about refused.

“I was close to signing for them,” O’Callaghan admits. “Cork gave them permission to talk to me at one stage and I went up and met them. They were lovely people up there, and they nearly had me convinced to join them. But I knew I had to finish off the job here with the league title. I felt they hadn’t seen the best of me in Cork and, because I hadn’t won anything, I really wanted to win the league. And we’ve done that now so it proved I was right to stay.