‘A special time to be a Cork fan. It may take time to fully realise that’

The first man to captain a Cork City side to a League of Ireland title believes it may take years before the scale of the club’s achievements this season are recognised.

What skipper John Dunleavy gets to do this year, lifting the League of Ireland trophy, the highest honour in Irish domestic football, Declan Daly achieved 24 years ago, leading City to their first ever league title when Noel O’Mahony’s side made the breakthrough in 1993. A player renowned for his passion on the field, these days Daly retains that passion as a Turner’s Cross regular.

And he says he will never forget what he has seen on Leeside this season. “I think people lose sight of what they did at the start of the season,” says Daly. “To be honest, I don’t think the achievements of this team will be fully realised until it’s all over. It could be years before we really grasp what they have done. I mean, to go through the first 22 league games, and only drop two points? That’s unheard of.