Mathews: the goals will come

WITH the three goals they have scored this season supplied exclusively by George O’Callaghan, Cork City will be hoping their strikeforce doesn’t wait a whole lot longer before getting in on the act, with their next opportunity to do so coming against Derry City in the eircom League tomorrow night.

Tuesday night’s Setanta Cup clash with Drogheda United once again saw the Leesiders dominant in most areas of the pitch but a failure to convert the game’s few clearcut chances meant they had to settle for a second scoreless draw at home.

New boss Alan Mathews was disappointed with the result but, at this very early stage in proceedings, isn’t about to hit the panic button.

“Obviously, it would be great to be standing here and saying that Dave Mooney and Denis Behan have clicked and John O’Flynn has scored but we’re creating an awful lot of chances,” he says.

“If we weren’t creating the chances I would be disappointed but our play with and without the ball has been very good. The only thing we’re lacking is a goal. And I know that’s what changes games and that’s what the game is all about, but we’ll get there sooner rather than later.”

Probably the biggest pressure is on Dave Mooney to open his account, given that the former Longford man finished up last season as the league’s leading scorer. But Mathews has an explanation for why his former charge hasn’t hit the ground running with his new club.

“First and foremost, Mooney is getting double-tagged all over the place,” he observes. “He scored 22 goals last year with a team that got relegated so he’s probably finding it a little bit difficult. He’s come with a reputation to a big club and people are working extremely hard to deny him and us opportunities.

“I think when we start converting chances confidence will lift, although it’s not as if the guys are going around with funeral faces on them at the moment. Far from it. They were very disappointed that they weren’t able to win against Drogheda but they realise that if they continue to work hard and play like that, the chances that we are creating will come to goal.

“If it had been a boxing match, it would have been a points victory but it’s not and we need to stick the ball in the back of the net. And once we start doing that, we’ll be okay.”

Meanwhile, Mathews has paid a glowing tribute to Monday’s man of the match, Joe Gamble, by likening the midfielder to a Brazilian legend and current manager of the samba stars.

“Joe was terrific, and Colin Healy was equally good in the middle. Joe is in his mid-20s and he’s a top class midfield player. He reminds me of Dunga, his stature and the way he goes about his business. He’s a super player with a great attitude. He’s a senior pro, a leader, a winner and he wants to push on with the club.”