City brace for Dundalk test

With final college exams just weeks away, you’d expect Cork City defender Sean McLoughlin to be feeling some sort of pressure.

Not a bit of it.

STAR SIGNING: Cork City’s Daire O’Connor pens his autograph for Mark O’Driscoll from Douglas at the launch of the gold City strip at the club shop. O’Connor misses tonight’s game through injury. Picture: Gerard Bonus

“I’ve been doing it for four years now so I can surely manage the last couple of months,” he says, matter-of-factly.

McLoughlin has combined studying for a degree in Business Information Systems at UCC with playing centre-half for Cork City for the past 14 months.

“I’ll have my final year done in May. It’s tough. There’s assignments and exams you have to balance.”

A tough workload, no doubt, but one the 22-year-old has handled impressively. McLoughlin’s form for the Leesiders earned him Ireland U21 honours last season — he’s overage for Stephen Kenny’s men this time around — and that has seen him linked with cross-channel moves. Clubs in England and Scotland are hovering with intent.

Again, McLoughlin isn’t going to get ahead of himself.

I don’t pay attention. There’s going to be talk if you play a couple of good games. The main thing for me is just to focus on Cork City. There’s no point in speculating or taking the eye off the ball.

“I experienced that last year and was able to deal with it. So if it happens again this year, it doesn’t affect me, really. Every young footballer would like to play over there at the highest level, but for now, I’m focused on Cork.”

McLoughlin is back in contention for manager John Caulfield after his injury in the 0-0 draw with Derry City on March 1. Since then, City have recovered from a stuttering start, and tonight they face their toughest challenge of the season, a daunting trip to face champions Dundalk.

McLoughlin was out of luck on his last trip there, as his late own goal saw the Lilywhites eke out a 2-1 victory in June 2018. In fact, Dundalk have turned around their hoodoo against Cork — the Leesiders’ last win against them was a 1-0 win at Turner’s Cross 11 months ago.

Since then, the Louth men have beaten City four times, including an FAI Cup final and most recently a 2-1 win in the President’s Cup at Turner’s Cross last month.

McLoughlin says that City “played them off the park” in the second half of that President’s Cup encounter, but the truth is Dundalk were simply a step above in the first half that night, and deserved their two-goal lead at half time.

Daire O’Connor, City’s best performer that night, is injured this evening, while Caulfield has a slight doubt over Gearoid Morrissey, who has scored vital and spectacular goals in Cork’s return to winning ways.

Dundalk have injury problems of their own. Chris Shields has tormented Cork in recent meetings, but he misses out with a knee injury, while Robbie Benson (broken leg) and Patrick McEleney (foot) are long-term absentees. John Mountney misses out with a groin problem.

Sean Murray and Michael Duffy will be assessed ahead of kick-off.

Dundalk remain unbeaten, and skipper Brian Gartland warns there is more to come from the Lilywhites.

“We aren’t hitting our stride yet,” said the Dubliner.

“It’s a massive game against Cork City. The two of us are going head-to-head again, like so many times over the past few years. They have been cracking games, and there is a real rivalry there.

The league will settle down, but this is a huge game. Cork are a title rival and that says it all.

First team coach John Gill told dundalkfc.com: “It’s going to be very tough against Cork City.

“As a famous politician once said: ‘They haven’t gone away, you know!’ The same with Cork, they haven’t gone away. They are a decent team. They have got good players and a very experienced manager and backroom team.”