Back man Turner in overdrive

AS Cork City prepare to host Derry City in the EA Sports Cup final at Turner’s Cross tomorrow, Ian Turner needs no reminding it was the Candystripes who also provided the opposition when he made his senior debut for the Leesiders at the start of last season.

The circumstances were unusual, to say the least. Cork City Foras Co-op had barely taken shape when the reborn club was obliged to travel to the Brandywell for the opening night of the First Division season. When three members of the squad failed to get clearance on the day of the game, Tommy Dunne’s side were down to bare bones — just 13 players, one of whom was actually injured and the other a reserve keeper.

Thus full-back Turner, then 19 and having only ever trained with the senior players under previous manager Paul Doolin, discovered just a half-hour before the team left their hotel for the ground, that he would be in the starting 11.

“It was a total step into the unknown but also a dream come true for me, making my debut in front of two and half thousand people,” he recalled.

“Before that, probably the biggest crowd I’d played in front of us was about 200 people for the reserves. So, yeah, I was hugely nervous going into the game but I also thought that this was an opportunity and I had to grab it with both hands.”

Which he did, literally, his long throw-in setting up Davin O’Neill for Cork’s goal on the night. The rest of the game, Turner admitted, passed in a blur, so total was his concentration as, against all the pre-match odds, the visitors held out for a remarkable point.

If it was a sink or swim introduction to senior football in Ireland then, more than most, Ian Turner was conditioned to cope. With his father a soccer coach and his mother a swimming instructor, the lad from Douglas had known the deep end from a young age, training in the pool for an hour before school every morning and putting in another two hours on a Saturday. He was good too, winning an All-Ireland bronze medal for Sunday’s Well at the age of 12.

But there was also gaelic, hurling and soccer and, about a year later, he decided to commit himself to the football. “I was always passionate about soccer from a young age,” said Turner, who supported Manchester United and Cork City.

His progress from fan to player for the Rebels took him from College Corinthians via Wilton to Turner’s Cross and, at 22, he still has hopes of emulating Sunderland’s David Meyler — someone he’s known and played football with since they were young kids — by making the move to England. “Without a doubt. I was a little bit of a late bloomer in soccer. A lot of my friends went over for trials at 14 or 15. I never did that, just worked my way up and eventually got better and began to realise my potential at 17 or 18. And when you look at someone who went over later, like Kevin Doyle, you think maybe there is a hope for someone of my age and older.”

Meantime, he appears to be emulating another League of Ireland export to the Premier League, Seamus Coleman, by alternating comfortably between right-back and right-side of midfield — indeed he impressed hugely playing in both positions in the course of City’s recent unlucky FAI Cup loss to St Pat’s.

“I love getting forward even as a right back so playing as a right-midfielder really allows me to take fellas on. The more positions you can play, it can only help.”

Along with few more of the younger players in the current Cork side, Turner has had to do his football growing up in public.

“We’ve had to learn fairly quick too because Cork City, with the fanbase and everything, it’s not a club that stands still,” he observed. “This club wants to go places. The EA Sports final is a bonus and a bit of a welcome distraction too because the last couple of weeks have been pretty intense with games coming thick and fast. Obviously, getting promoted is 100% our priority but to have a cup final and a big occasion as well is brilliant.”

Kick-off at Turner’s Cross tomorrow is at 6pm and the game is live on Setanta Sports.

Meanwhile, in other domestic news, Shamrock Rovers’ Pat Sullivan – scorer of that wonder-goal against Partizan Belgrade – has been named the Airtricity/Soccer Writers Player Of The Month for August.

The future of Dundalk FC is uncertain as supporters look to take over the running of the club amid negotiations about ownership and reports that it owes just over €430,000 in planning fees to the local council.

And tonight’s fixtures – 7.45pm kick off, unless stated otherwise — are: (Premier Division) Dundalk v St Patrick’s Athletic, Oriel Park; Galway United v Bohemians, Terryland Park; and Drogheda United v Sligo Rovers, Hunky Dorys Park. (First Division) Limerick v Wexford Youths, Jackman Park and Monaghan United v Longford Town, Gortakeegan (8pm).