Change in chairman's seat at Ringmahon Rangers

Paul Higgins has stepped down following a committee meeting at the Cork city club.

Ringmahon are currently appealing five- and three-year bans from the FAI Cup and Intermediate Cups respectively after they failed to fulfil a second-round fixture against Bohemians in July. Picture: Larry Cummins

Ringmahon Rangers have changed their chairman this week as off-field issues continue to bedevil the Cork club.

Long-serving chairman Paul Higgins stepped down following a committee meeting and is being replaced on an interim basis by Kieran Brett.

Ringmahon are currently appealing five- and three-year bans from the FAI Cup and Intermediate Cups respectively after they failed to fulfil a second-round fixture against Bohemians in July.

Foremost among the reasons for the first team withdrawing was a fear over player availability due to the potential clash with the All-Ireland hurling final.

An offer by Bohs to reverse the fixture to Dalymount Park, facilitating players attending nearby Croke Park afterwards, was declined.

As it transpired, Cork were beaten by Galway in the semi-final and the FAI came down hard on the club by imposing the suspensions along with €5,000 fine.

That punishment has already been upheld by an FAI appeal committee but the club have escalated their case to the next level of arbitration.

In the meantime, a query has arisen about the registration eligibility of a player in a local match.

Higgins wouldn’t comment on the boardroom reshuffle when contacted by the Irish Examiner, other than to confirm he was remaining on the club’s committee.

Ringmahon, based on the south side of Cork, caters for players from five years of age up to senior.

Their profile has ballooned over recent years due to their star graduate Caoimhin Kelleher.

Canny club officials brokered a 20% sell-on clause when Liverpool swooped for the goalkeeper at 16, ensuring they received a hefty slice of the initial €14.5m fee Brentford shelled out for Ireland’s No 1 14 months ago.

They banked an additional €250,000 through Fifa’s solidarity mechanisms and have shared the increments Liverpool pocketed for Kelleher reaching milestones such as 10 clean sheets in his first season.

Meanwhile, another former Ringmahon player, Cathal Heffernan, has joined English League One side Cambridge United on a four-year contract.

The centre-back only joined Harrogate Town six months ago from Newcastle United. He began his professional career at hometown club Cork City before making a much-publicised move to Italian giants AC Milan.

“It was a no-brainer to me when I found out that Cambridge were interested,” he said after stepping up a tier, on the back of 24 appearances for Harrogate.

“All my experiences have helped me gear up to this moment - I am relishing the challenge and really excited to get started.” Experienced manager Neil Harris could hand the 21-year-old his debut in Saturday’s visit of Huddersfield Town.

“Cathal really shone through during a testing period for Harrogate last season, and we were thoroughly impressed when we came up against him,” said the former Millwall boss.

“Cathal can come straight in and impact the starting XI but also has the long-term ambition to grow alongside us.

“Given the strides our defensive unit has made over the last 18 months, we’re excited to work closely with Cathal and help him reach his potential."

One of Heffernan’s former Newcastle teammates and compatriots, Rory Finneran, is set to join Notts County on loan for the season. Finneran, 18, made his Ireland debut against Grenada in May.