Garry Buckley: City still searching for ‘killer instinct’

Garry Buckley says he’d be happy to see one go in “off someone’s backside” as Cork City search for what he calls “the killer instinct” in front of goal.

With just four points and two goals from their opening four games, the long trip to Ballybofey is next up for last year’s runners-up as they face a Finn Harps side who are one of only two below them in the early season table.

“It’ll definitely be a scrap,” the midfielder predicts. “You always earn your point or three points when you go up there.”

On City’s stuttering start to the campaign, Buckley reflects: “It’s been a bit hit and miss. But I still think we can take a lot of positives from the games, I think in two or three of them Mark McNulty didn’t have a save to make.

“We just need that killer instinct in front of goal, we’ll be up and running then. We’re putting in a lot of effort in training and I’d say once that goal goes in — it could go in off someone’s backside in some game — then we’ll get rolling.

“We thought we would after Sligo, I thought we were all over Derry the other day. Hopefully, we’ll start flowing soon. We believe in our ability.”

Harps boss Ollie Horgan is certainly not underestimating the size of the challenge he believes is facing his promoted team in a match which kicks off at Finn Park at 8pm.

John Caulfield guided Cork to a win in Sligo a couple of weeks ago and Sligo deservedly got the better of us last Friday in Ballybofey so it’s going to take some performance from our lads to get anything from the game,” he observes.

“We have concentrated on being ready to give it our best shot and if we do that then we have a chance — but it will probably also take Cork to perform below par.”

For the home side, Gareth Harkin is out after being stretchered off in Monday’s defeat to Shamrock Rovers, joining Mark Timlin and Sam Todd who also missed that game through injury.

Sean Boyd and Mark Coyle should return to the home squad but John Kavanagh won’t feature as he is on loan from Cork City.

The latter have a number of injury concerns: Alan Bennett and Matty Gillam are still out, while Gearóid Morrissey, Seán McLoughlin and Karl Sheppard will be assessed ahead of the game.

Fresh from comfortably dismissing Harps in Tallaght, Shamrock Rovers — currently top of the table on goal difference but having played an extra game — cross the city to face third-placed St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park.

“St Pat’s will be a difficult game, they’ve got some good players,” says Hoops boss Stephen Bradley.

“It’s a Dublin derby and there’ll be a big crowd. All the former Rovers players they have does add a bit of interest to it I suppose. The likes of Gary Shaw and Brandon Miele know how we like to play and we know how they like to play. They’d know little details and vice versa.

“But when you’re in the heat of it, those things can get lost. We want to get more points on the board, it’s as simple as that. There’s no point in looking any further ahead than that.”

Also in Dublin, Bohemians — who currently share top spot on points with Rovers — are at home to a Derry City side shorn of some key personnel with Patrick McClean injured and Jamie McDonagh is in the middle of an extended ban having been sent off in City’s sole defeat so far, against Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght.

While accepting his player deserved that red card, Candystripes boss Declan Devine says he is “at a complete loss to understand the extent of the winger’s retrospective suspension”.

On top of that, Devine is also coming to terms with the fact Michael McCrudden will be out of the running for anything up to three months having broken a metatarsal during training on Wednesday.

With Sligo Rovers and bottom club UCD not in action at the Showgrounds until tomorrow, tonight’s remaining Premier Division tie sees champions Dundalk at home to Waterford.

On the injury front, the Lilywhites will be without Robbie Benson (leg) Patrick McEleney (foot) John Mountney (groin) and Chris Shields (knee) while Dean Jarvis will undergo a late fitness test on a calf problem.

For the Blues, Bastien Hery and Kevin Lynch are both rated doubtful.