Cork players stranded by bus row

THE chairman of Cork City yesterday claimed “an unfortunate blip” led to an embarrassing incident which left Dublin-bound players stranded for nearly two hours after a bus company owed over €2,000 by the club refused to take them to last night’s League of Ireland Premier Division clash with St Pat’s.

The City players assembled at Silversprings Moran Hotel yesterday for an 11.45am departure but the bus driver refused to let them on until the company, Kearney’s, were paid more than €2,000 owed by the club for previous trips.

Team captain Dan Murray was forced to phone Cork’s 96fm where he made an on-air appeal for help and after sympathetic donors stumped up, Cork City chairman, Tom Coughlan, agreed to settle the outstanding bill with the company.

Mr Coughlan said he didn’t know what had happened and said it was just “an unfortunate blip.”

“All the wages were paid today. Everybody has been paid up to date,” Mr Coughlan said. “We are going the right way. All we need is a small bit of leeway until we get on our feet.”

Left-back Danny Murphy told Red FM that the club was now a “laughing stock” in the domestic league.

“It’s embarrassing and it’s not great preparation for a team trying to get into Europe,” the London-born player said. “We’ve put a lot of effort in this year and we’re left standing here, I just feel like we’ve been let down.

“It’s just one thing after another. All of us are very embarrassed to be standing here like beggars, begging people to pay for our bus journey.

“It’s gone beyond a joke now. We’re being made to look a laughing stock in the league.”

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that Boylesports suspended betting on last night’s League of Ireland Premier Division game between Dundalk and Galway United at Oriel Park at lunch time on Thursday.