'Malik’s agent made it clear he was unavailable' - Dijksteel shuns City's six-pointer

The Dutchman was not in Cork City's squad for the vital clash with Sligo

Sun, 27 Jul, 2025 - 00:00

John Fallon

Malik Dijksteel made himself unavailable for Cork City’s defeat to Sligo Rovers on Friday, manager Ger Nash has revealed.

It was announced in midweek that the Dutchman will join St Mirren once his contract elapses in November. However, City knocking back a bid by the Scottish club to sign the winger in this window led to a standoff.

“Malik is still under contract for this club,” Nash said about the 24-year-old’s surprise absence from the matchday squad.

“St Mirren made a bid to take him in this window but that was rejected by the club.

“Unfortunately, since then Malik’s agent made it clear that he was unavailable for this match for personal reasons.”

Nash confirmed he planned to involve the flanker against Sligo. “If Malik was available, I would have used him.”

Nash couldn’t confirm if Dijksteel’s exile would continue. “We’ll speak to Malik,” he said.

City, now 11 points adrift at the foot of the table following the 3-2 loss, host John Caulfield’s eighth-placed Galway United on Friday.

Nash has been at the helm for the last 11 of City’s 14-game winless sequence in the league.

He’s vowed to soldier on in his first senior managerial job despite the miracle required to avoid the drop with 11 games remaining.

How his team got nothing from a game they led 2-0 in by the hour mark raised questions about his in-game management. Owen Elding’s reply in a move exposing City’s soft centre, was the turning point in his view.

“At 2-0, the message was to be calm,” he explained about his sideline instructions to the players.

“We were in control but their first goal was key because it changed the mood in the stadium and gave them momentum.

“The team hasn’t been two goals up in a hell of a long time but the psychological aspect of what’s gone on here is really high.

“Patrick McClean equalises with his header whereas Fiacre Kelleher had a similar chance in the first half that went just wide. It was a microcosm of our season.”

Nash spoke afterwards about strategic planning in a bid to detach the yo-yo tag from City. If, as expected, relegation is confirmed, it will mean City playing five of their last seven years in the First Division.

He’s prepared to risk flak, or ridicule as brands it, for persevering with his principles within the blueprint.

“We’re forming something,” he insisted, pointing to specific recruitment criteria as his calling card.

“I know nobody wants to hear that. I understand the anger of fans.

“Players aren’t reluctant to come to the club. I take responsibility for wanting to bring a certain type of player in. I’ll be strong on that because players have come in from window and window before moving on. All we’re doing is developing players for other clubs. We’ve not been getting value for players when they leave.

“This club must be competitive in this division. We’ve tried to do that with a lot of foreign players, plenty on short contracts that mean there’s no value when the deals run out.

“I came into a situation where we were a point ahead of Sligo at the bottom. There needs to be a plan on developing the club to have sustained success on the pitch. That will be with a settled squad of players who want to be at this club.

“I stand over that. I might get ridiculed but I’ll stay strong on it. I might get one go at this job and I’ll do it my way.”