Raising standards should be main aim for Cork City FC

Cork City FC are in a good place right now.

I watched their 2-0 win against Longford Town last Monday, a game in which the most notable thing was what City didn’t do, or what, more precisely, they didn’t need to do. There were no lung-bursting runs from the home side, no last-minute lunges, no risky tackles. No yellow cards, no injuries, no panic, no problem.

Truth be told, Cork City were, at most, in second gear. Longford possessed a few experienced players through the spine of their team, but lacked the strength and top-end-of-the-league quality everywhere else. Once Cork scored the first goal, it was over.