John Caulfield playing it cool

For all that Cork City supporters were entitled to interpret last Saturday’s President’s Cup win as a statement of intent by a new-look side, manager John Caufield is cautious about reading too much into what was, after all, a preliminary skirmish — even if it did get pretty feisty at times.

What the 2-0 win over reigning league champions Dundalk did do, he suggests, is ensure the pre-season “feelgood factor” at the club would be retained right through to tomorrow night’s televised opener against Bohemians at Turner’s Cross.

“In pre-season, even though we were playing teams in the First Division, there was a feelgood factor we were creating a lot of chances, scoring goals and had more attacking options and pace,” said Caulfield.

“So the test last weekend was could we carry that into the game against Dundalk and see how the team would gel against them.

“The plus about winning the game — although I don’t want to get carried away — is we hadn’t beaten them in so long. As well as which, Stephen Kenny had been on record as saying their win in the President’s Cup last season had been a springboard for them to kick on.

“The way the game went, it was quite obvious both teams were going hammer and tongs. And both were at full-strength. Certainly, they didn’t want to lose to us.

“So, the way I feel about it is that winning won’t have done us any harm whereas, if we had lost, people would have been saying ‘you can’t beat them’. That might have been a bit of a downer.”

Meanwhile, former Cork City boss Tommy Dunne revealed yesterday that Connacht rugby coach Pat Lam has given an “inspirational talk” to the Galway United squad in the build-up to their opening night fixture in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, when they travel to Richmond Park tomorrow to take on a revamped St Patrick’s Athletic.

“He’s from a professional background, he has played in World Cups,” Dunne enthused. “He is managing at a high level in the club rugby scene. He is a big figure here and he’s an inspirational guy.

“A man who, when he spoke to the players, gave a different perspective but also, in a sports’ context, he spoke about the mindset and where you need to be at.It was a really good 90-minute session that we had. It was really beneficial.”

* See tomorrow’s Irish Examiner for a preview of the new SSE Airtricity League season, and more from Cork City manager John Caulfield, as well as skipper Johnny Dunleavy.