Football Season Guide

After surviving some difficult times near the turn of the decade, Cork City have stabilized themselves over the recent years and developed a rivalry with Dundalk, having finished second to the Lilywhites in each of the last three seasons. The gap between the two clubs has not really been decreasing over the years, as Cork ended the previous season comfortably behind their opponents, but their Cup triumph over Dundalk has injected new optimism into the club, with all the transfer activity during the summer making it clear that the Rebel Army see the upcoming season as a big opportunity to win their first domestic title since 2005. They have kept hold of all of their important players, apart from Colin Healy, who has decided to hang up his boots. They have been selective with bringing in signings, having signed four players in Achille Campion, Jimmy Keohane, Conor McCormack and Rimvydas Saudauskas, with the first three men being proven in this division and Sadauskas being a big unknown, joining directly from Lithuania. Their recent President Cup game versus Dundalk saw them send out an even clearer message to the rest of the league, as they crushed their rivals with a 3:0 scoreline to claim their first trophy of the season and there is little doubt that they will be very optimistic and motivated going into their league campaign.