Fiacre Kelleher embraces 'David vs Goliath' FAI Cup final as Cork City chase shock
Cork City captain Fiacre Kelleher said everything "means a bit more to me personally" since deciding to join his hometown club. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Expecting a team that failed to win any of their away games in the league to fillet the best in the country in their home county represents the uphill task facing Cork City.
Going an entire campaign without winning on the road in 18 attempts goes a long way to explaining why Cork City were adrift at the foot of the table by the autumn.
Manager Ger Nash was unable to pinpoint that particular weakness in their downfall but his captain Fiacre Kelleher views Sunday’s outing in isolation.
Shamrock Rovers are chasing their first double for 38 years on the lush, wide expanse of the Aviva Stadium.
City, after shipping 61 goals during their relegation season, must somehow curb their threat to hold a chance of causing a shock.
“Our home front has been brilliant all year but away from home it's been tragic,” said Kelleher, whose team’s sole victory away was in the FAI Cup quarter-final at Finn Harps.
“It's been black and white and now we're going to play in the Aviva.
“Probably nine times out of 10, Shamrock Rovers will beat us but this is a cup final.
“That's why you've probably got 20,000 Cork City travelling fans all believing that we can achieve something.
“So it's a one-off game. We have to treat it as such. Anything can happen on the day.
“Listen, it's top versus bottom, it's David versus Goliath kind of stuff, so we're hoping.
“It's going to take us at our very, very best, and on top of that a little luck to win on Sunday.
“But, Jesus, we're looking forward to it. We're going to give it everything we've got.”
Where the Rebels can take encouragement for what some view as a mismatch is the clinical nature to their semi-final defeat of St Patrick’s Athletic.
Few backed City beforehand to reach their first final since 2018 but they enacted a gameplan hatched by a manager Kelleher credits for his tactical prowess.
“We’ve struggled in games where the pressure is on us,” reasoned the 29-year-old, brother of Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher.
“The matches against Sligo at home and Galway away were ones we’d to enforce ourselves on.
“This suits us as a group at the moment, especially the younger players.
“I feel like they can really have a go in the game when they don't have much pressure on their shoulders. I think that will be in our favour on Sunday because there’s no expectation.”
There will be plenty of it within the sanctuary of City’s dressing-room.
In contrast to the deflation of the drop, the motivation for claiming one of the only two domestic trophies, coupled with a Europa League spot, has supplied a singular focus.
Former Celtic, Wrexham and Colchester centre-back Kelleher added: “The last few weeks could have really petered out after the Pats game had we lost.
“It would have been a difficult place to come in and work because you would have had people taking care of themselves and maybe loan players going back. That just gets very messy.
“This has given us all something to look towards.”
Sunday’s clash with Caoimhín’s Premier League match against Newcastle United deprives a full turnout of the four Kelleher brothers at the national stadium.
“I have three other brothers that will be all up at the match, so plenty of family,” he said. “I'm sure Caoimhín will be keeping an eye on it when he gets off the pitch.”
They’ll be depending on his leadership skills to rally a challenge that would deepen Cork pride.
“Everything changes really,” he said about deciding to end his long spell in the UK to return home in the summer. I have family coming to the games all the time, whereas when I was over the water, it was just kind of my wife there. The whole dynamic is just completely different.
“I think everything just means a bit more to me personally. Relegation hurts a lot more than probably what I would have felt had it not been my hometown club.
“But I've actually enjoyed really it. It makes everything a bit more intense, that bit more important.”
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