Colin Healy: Premier Division football and competition for places driving standards at City

City boss Healy also provided an update on midfielder Aaron Bolger. 

GOOD STRIDES: Cork City manager Colin Healy. Pic: ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty

Competition for places needs to be a cornerstone of any team aiming for success in their given sport. It drives players forward and ensures that no one is ever too comfortable with their place in an environment.

That is no different for Cork City and their manager Colin Healy.

Healy emphasised how important that aspect is to his City setup, but also shed light on the importance of playing against high-level opposition week-in-week-out.

City – newly promoted to the Premier Division - have handled the step-up in division in steady fashion during the opening stanza of the campaign, slowly improving with every passing fixture.

Speaking at the pre-Sligo press conference on Thursday, Healy spoke highly of his playing ranks, noting how the fresh faces in the squad have brought more competition for places, while the step-up in class has allowed his players to showcase their readiness for Premier Division football.

“I know these lads can play at this level, 100 percent, I think they are showing that now.

“What we want is competition, we want competition in training and competition [in matches], and I think that drives the players on to make them even better.

“I think you can see that the players are loving playing at this level and they don’t look out of place.” 

Speaking specifically on the new signings that have arrived on Leeside, Healy noted that they have fitted in well with the existing group.

“They’ve been good around the place,” Healy said. “There is a good atmosphere in the dressing room and it’s a tight dressing room which is important.

“Every time that we’ve called upon them, they’ve come in and they’ve done the job that we’ve asked.

“There are one or two of them, at the moment, that are struggling to get in and that’s because of the form of other players. They are going to have to wait their turn and that’s just the way it is,” the City boss added.

Healy provided an update on City midfielder Aaron Bolger, who was taken to Tallaght Hospital on Monday night following a nasty head clash with Shamrock Rovers’ Trevor Clarke.

“He was in this morning (Thursday), he seems to be fine, Obviously he took a nasty bang. He won’t be available for the weekend and for the Shels game as well.

“Hopefully, I think he should be back for the Drogheda game.” 

The City boss has almost a full-deck to choose from for the away trip to Sligo Rovers, with midfielder Barry Coffey described as “touch-and-go” for the clash, while on-loan Celtic goalkeeper Tobi Oluwayemi will be assessed again next week.

Coffey was absent for the 4-4 draw at Tallaght, with Matt Healy, Bolger and the impressive Darragh Crowley forming a midfield that caused four-in-a-row chasing Rovers trouble on Monday night.

“Barry Coffey will be touch-and-go, he did a small bit this morning so we’ll see what he’s like tomorrow. I don’t think think Tobi will be fit for the weekend, we’ll see what he’s like next week.”