Midleton -v- Cork City
Credit:
Airtricity League First Division side Cork City make the short trip east on Friday night to face Munster Senior League side Midleton in an eagerly-awaited FAI Cup 3rd round clash at Knockgriffin Park. (Kick-off 7.45pm)
The Magpies may have finished their league season a couple of weeks back, but they are still confident of taking a major scalp against the First Division promotion hopefuls.
A large crowd is expected at the modest Knockgriffin Park, where current City assistant manager Billy Woods will be welcomed back at his old club, while former City winger, Paul Deasy, is also on the books at Midleton. They finished third from bottom in this season’s MSL, but that will mean for nothing as the heavy underdogs hope to cause a major upset.
City boss Tommy Dunne has stated that he won’t be ringing the changes against the Magpies, however, though Derek O’Brien is likely to make his first start after returning from injury. Davin O’Neill is the only absentee for City as he gets married, and will miss the next three games.
“I will bring one or two players in, but it won’t change the strength of the team; there is no way we will be going to Midleton with a weakened team,” Dunne says ahead of the game. “We are going into the unknown to some extent, and we will not be underestimating the opposition at all.
“I have played a lot of games against Munster Senior League and Leinster Senior League teams myself over the course of my career, and they are always tough games.
“The key for us is to start well. I am sure they will have a big crowd behind them, although I do expect we will have a big support down there too, but if we do not start the game properly, it will be a difficult one for us.
“Last year we played Bluebell and they took the tie to a replay, and while I think we are in better shape this year than we were then, we have to be up for it from the start. Our work rate has to be right, we need to play at a good tempo and we need to compete for everything if we are to get through to the next round.”
Midleton:
Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended: Unavailable.
Cork City:
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: Davin O’Neill.
Referee: Anthony Buttimer.
Paddy Power Odds: Midleton 11/1; Draw 9/2; Cork City 2/9.
Extratime prediction: Midleton 0-4 Cork City.
The Magpies may have finished their league season a couple of weeks back, but they are still confident of taking a major scalp against the First Division promotion hopefuls.
A large crowd is expected at the modest Knockgriffin Park, where current City assistant manager Billy Woods will be welcomed back at his old club, while former City winger, Paul Deasy, is also on the books at Midleton. They finished third from bottom in this season’s MSL, but that will mean for nothing as the heavy underdogs hope to cause a major upset.
City boss Tommy Dunne has stated that he won’t be ringing the changes against the Magpies, however, though Derek O’Brien is likely to make his first start after returning from injury. Davin O’Neill is the only absentee for City as he gets married, and will miss the next three games.
“I will bring one or two players in, but it won’t change the strength of the team; there is no way we will be going to Midleton with a weakened team,” Dunne says ahead of the game. “We are going into the unknown to some extent, and we will not be underestimating the opposition at all.
“I have played a lot of games against Munster Senior League and Leinster Senior League teams myself over the course of my career, and they are always tough games.
“The key for us is to start well. I am sure they will have a big crowd behind them, although I do expect we will have a big support down there too, but if we do not start the game properly, it will be a difficult one for us.
“Last year we played Bluebell and they took the tie to a replay, and while I think we are in better shape this year than we were then, we have to be up for it from the start. Our work rate has to be right, we need to play at a good tempo and we need to compete for everything if we are to get through to the next round.”
Midleton:
Injured: Unavailable.
Doubtful: Unavailable.
Suspended: Unavailable.
Cork City:
Injured: None.
Doubtful: None.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: Davin O’Neill.
Referee: Anthony Buttimer.
Paddy Power Odds: Midleton 11/1; Draw 9/2; Cork City 2/9.
Extratime prediction: Midleton 0-4 Cork City.
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile