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Cork City Foras Co-Op -v- Longford Town
- Alan Smith
- Thu, Apr 08 2010
Cork City FC will look to make it three wins on the bounce against a Longford Town side, which haven’t won a game since the opening day of the season, at Turner’s Cross on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm).
Another big crowd is a certainty at the Cross and there will also be some added spice on the touchline as Cork boss Tommy Dunne and Longford gaffer Tony Cousins are related.
The home side come into this tie on the back of two high scoring wins, beating Mervue and Limerick 4-2 and 3-1 respectively.
Longford, meanwhile, travel south on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Derry City, though Dunne, who travelled to Flancare Park, believes that it wasn’t a fair scoreline on the balance of play over the 90 minutes.
"I went up to watch Longford against Derry and I don't think the scoreline did them any justice. Derry went one up but Longford pretty much dominated the next 25 minutes after that, up until half-time anyway.”
"It's going to be a difficult match for us, like all the games in this Division. Longford, coming down, will be looking to get three points if they can and we have to make sure we're tuned in and ready to go because they have some experienced, strong players in their squad.
"The game is not going to make or break either of our seasons and myself and Tony will definitely shake hands at full-time. We're quite close as cousins and I do speak to him on a regular basis - apart from Friday night, I wish him the best in everything he does,” Dunne added.
City have a lot of worries coming into the game though, with three players away in the US, adding to quite a hefty list of injuries for the depleted squad. Eoin Forde, Willie Heffernan and John Dineen are abroad with their college on a week-long tour, while Dave Warren is still ruled out due to injury.
Gearoid Morrissey, who is nearing fitness, could make his debut, though a decision on his fitness, as well as that of Stephen Mulcahy and Uros Hojan, will not be made until closer to kick-off. Greg O’Halloran is also serving the second game of his suspension after seeing red in the 2-0 defeat to Waterford United earlier in the season, as Dunne rates those who are injured as 50/50.
"The boys who are injured are all around 50-50 to play. It might be a feast or a famine, we'll just have to wait and see on that one. I just have to thank Keith Warren who has helped out on the physio side of things this week - he has worked extremely hard with the lads and if they do come through for us, it will be his hard work and that of the doctor's which will have them out on the pitch."
Cathal Brady should feature for the away side after he made his return, coming on as a substitute for JP McDonagh, against the Candystripes, while team captain Philip Byrne will also make an appearance as he works his way back to full fitness after a lay-off.
Byrne wouldn’t have been happy with his part in Derry’s goals last week, but it was his first game back and he should turn in an improved performance against Cork’s potent strikeforce of Graham Cummins and Davin O’Neill.
Venue: Turner’s Cross, Cork
Referee: S Grant
Paddypower.com Odds: Cork City 8/13, Draw 12/5, Longford 5/1
Cork City
Suspended: Greg O’Halloran
Injured: Dave Warren
Doubtful: Gearoid Morrissey, Uros Hojan, Stephen Mulcahy
Unavailable: Eoin Forde, Willie Heffernan, John Dineen
Longford Town:
No information available at time of going to press
Extratime Prediction: 2-0
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.