2016 Season Review - Cork City

Team:  Cork City

Manager:  John Caulfield: One of the club’s all-time greats during his time as a player, Caulfield has helped to galvanize and improve the City team each and every year during his time as manager. The 2016 season in particular saw Caulfield make some big signings, who helped to reduce the gap between themselves and Dundalk to a bare minimum.

Above all, under his reign as manager, the style of football has improved and after ending the 2016 season with the FAI Cup, Caulfield’s side look well equipped and the club are in a very healthy position on and off the pitch.

Top Scorer:  Seán Maguire has been in red hot goal scoring form for Cork City all season long. He was a menace for opposition defenders and in total, he scored 29 goals in what was a remarkable campaign.

Of those goals, none were more important than the one he scored with just seconds remaining in extra time in the Aviva against Dundalk, as he found the back of the net to send City fans wild, while also leaving Dundalk fans a tad regretful they left him go.

Highest Attendance:  A crowd of 5,453 attended the Cork City v Dundalk game at Turner’s Cross on the 3rd of June this season for the league game between these sides on Leeside. This was the most attended game in the League of Ireland in 2016.

A Stephen Dooley goal closed the gap between Cork and the eventual league winners Dundalk.

Lowest Attendance:  The crowd of 1,180 was below the average, as City ended of the season against St Patrick’s Athletic, in a game which was a dead rubber, as the league trophy was at the time Dundalk’s in all but name.

Star Player:

Alan Bennett: Along with Kenny Browne, Bennett formed the best centre defensive partnership in the league. This is something which can be proven by the fact Cork conceded 23 goals in the league for the entire season. This amount was five less than what Dundalk conceded.

Bennett was a solid presence at the back all season long for City and put in some excellent displays. He ended the year with his first ever FAI Cup medal and will look to add to his collection in 2017.

Mentions must also be given to Steven Beattie, Kenny Browne and Mark McNulty, who all had outstanding seasons in their own right. 

Best Young Player:

Kevin O’Connor:  The 21-year-old who is from Enniscorthy is another one of the very talented young players currently in the League of Ireland.

His contribution in the City side has been huge this season, as illustrated by the 14 assists he has to his name. That is the more than any other player for Cork this season.

Best New Signing:

 Apart from Maguire, who we already discussed about, Greg Bolger deserves a special mention here. He has been very consistent and reliable in the Cork midfield right throughout the season. He brings good leadership qualities to the team and he will hope to continue to impress next season.

What we expected they would do:

The majority of Extratime.ie reporters felt 2016 would be Cork’s year to win the league title.  17 went for Caulfield’s side, while 11 picked Dundalk before the season started back in March.

What they actually did:

Unfortunately from a Cork perspective, for the 3rd season in a row they finished runners up to Dundalk. Though they were best equipped to challenge them this time around and the gap between the two was the closest it has ever been during the past few years.

Beating Dundalk and winning the FAI Cup in the final is an excellent way to end the season and it was a massive one psychologically. 

It silenced the doubters who felt Cork couldn’t beat Dundalk in a game that matters, with a trophy on the line.

What they need to improve on for next year:

Not a whole lot of change is required in truth, as Cork City have closed the gap between themselves and Dundalk, especially during the 2016 season.

Under Caulfield, City improved every year under his reign and he has stated that he wants his side to be even better on the whole for the 2017 campaign.

It will be interesting to see what new players could arrive on Leeside during the off-season.

#GreatestLeagueInTheWorld moment of season:

The introduction of the U19 League of Ireland has allowed a platform for players to develop. The rise of Chiedozie Ogbene has been magnificent and he is definitely a player who is now recognized nationally after the instant impact he made at the end of the 2016 season in Caulfield’s First Team. 

Few could have predicted he would come within inches of winning the FAI Cup for City in the Aviva Stadium only a few months ago, after being denied by a save by Dundalk’s Gary Rogers.

Not only with City, but what makes the League of Ireland so unique for me is how young players are given a chance, something which may not be seen as regularly in the Premiership in England.

If you are good enough, you are old enough seems to be the philosophy of League of Ireland managers.