Murphy aiming for top four finish

While there are plenty of new faces around Cork City following the club’s rebirth a couple of years ago, one player who knows just what the club is all about is left-back Danny Murphy.

Murphy, who is currently in his third spell with the Rebel Army, speaks candidly about his love for the club, the county, and its people.

It is clear that he genuinely wants to do well for Cork City Football Club, and that despite being one of the most experienced players in the squad at 30, he still has a burning desire to succeed – rubber-stamped by his recent new contract.

Just take last season for instance. Fans and media alike were predicting that consolidation was the order of the day for City’s first season back in the top flight, and that is exactly what they got, eventually finishing fifth. But is that enough for the full-back?

“I think we probably could have done a lot better than we did, when you consider that we dropped a total of 28 points from winning positions.

“At the start of the season we had got together and said that mid-table would have been a decent position, but as the season got going we probably should have finished up near the top three.”

Throughout last year, manager Tommy Dunne tinkered with the team’s formation, alternating between 4-4-2 and 4-3-3. The team’s performances and results seemed to improve when they were operating with the more fluid 4-3-3, but which did the Cockney Rebel prefer?

“I don’t mind either of them really, obviously with a 4-4-2 you probably get a bit more protection, but for myself I probably like the 4-3-3 a bit more.

“I can get forward a bit more, and I have that bit more extra insurance from my midfielders to cover me. All formations have their plusses, but I think I prefer the 4-3-3 a bit more.”

Thoughts now turn to 2013, and Cork really are a mixed bag. They achieved what was expected of them last year, but now questions linger as to what they can achieve this term. Will they struggle to keep up with the leading pack, or do they have enough to claim a European spot and maybe even have a chance to win the title? For Danny, the response was immediate and determined.

“For me, we need to be finishing in the top four. We need to do better than what we did last year, otherwise it will have been an unsuccessful season.

“Last year we weren’t expected to do all that much straight away. The club would probably have been happy if we had just stayed mid-table, but for me, being a fan and a player at the club, we need to win trophies and we need to finish in the top three.”

You really get a sense that the left-back desperately wants to win trophies at the club, something to reward fans that have had a tough time over the last couple of years. He realises that people have invested a lot of time and effort into the club, and recognises the changes.

“It’s a better run club than it ever was.

“Obviously, when Brian Lennox was here it was run very similar to the way it’s run now, but it’s far better run than it was under the people whose names don’t deserve to be mentioned.

“Things are going to get better, things are going to improve in little small steps. If people started throwing money at it then we’d be in the same situation as before. We need to rebuild the club from the root up, because at the end of the day all we really have is the players. We’ve no other assets, just the team that plays every week.”

A big part of City’s rebuilding is blooding youngsters into the club, rather than signing older, established players. Danny recognises this, and understands that as one of the most experienced players at the club, he has a role to play.

“There’s some very good young players coming through, and the more they train with us the better they’re going to get, I’ll try and help them as they do come up.

“I’m not going to be able to play for ever, and you need to be able to do that and people will respect you for doing that [helping the younger players at the club].”

But what about his plans for the future?

“At this stage I’m not too sure which one I’d like to do, at the minute I quite like the coaching side of things, rather than being a manager.

“I’d definitely like to get involved with something as soon as I finish playing, and hopefully it will be something within the club.”