Cup final glory kept Caulfield’s critics at bay

John Caulfield believes it’s less likely his Cork City team would have won the league this year if they hadn’t finished last season by winning the FAI Cup and finally getting the upper hand in their great rivalry with Dundalk.

“Absolutely, and for a number of reasons,” says the City manager as the two clubs prepare to go head to head for the third year in a row at the Aviva tomorrow afternoon.

“The cup win was significant because while, on the inside, I’ve got phenomenal support from the supporters all the way through, from the outside a lot of people were trying to say that if the team didn’t win the cup last year maybe there should be a change of management. Which is nasty but, at the same time, that’s the way it is nowadays. It’s difficult.