City’s Ryan to see specialist

CORK CITY’S Darragh Ryan will travel to England this week to see a specialist about the injury which continues to keep him on the sidelines.

Says the former Brighton, Crawley and UCD full-back: “It’s something in my stomach muscles, so hopefully I can get it sorted and get back playing as soon as possible.

“It’s a bit frustrating, but injuries happen and you’ve just got to get on with it and deal with it. I’ve been playing with it for a couple of months but it’s been getting worse in the last few weeks and I’m not doing myself any favours by trying to play through it. Now I just want to get it sorted out and get back to full fitness.”

Although ruled out of Friday’s FAI Ford Cup quarter-final against Waterford United, Ryan is hoping that his Cork City colleagues will do enough at the RSC to permit him the possibility of some input in the later stages of the competition.

“I’ve never won medals over here so if the lads could get through to the semi-finals, it would be great if I could have a hand in helping them get to the final,” he says.

While in England for his treatment, Darragh will also visit his father, Gerry, the former Bohemians, Derby, Brighton and Republic of Ireland winger who is recovering from a recent stroke.

“I’d always talk to him about football and he’d come over to see me every couple of months,” says Darragh of his 51-year-old father who has been the landlord of a pub in Lindfield, West Sussex, for a number of years.