Throwback Thursday: Munster Senior Cup was perfect start to historic year for Cork City

SIX years ago this week, Cork City’s first game back on Leeside as FAI Cup winners saw them open up their Munster Senior Cup campaign with a 4-0 victory over St Mary’s.

In what could easily be seen as an isolated win, it kickstarted a historic year that accumulated in the double. That brought the two biggest trophies in Irish football to Cork and they joined City’s early season spoils, the Munster Senior Cup and Presidents Cup.

But, no one was thinking of that as the team walked out on a bitterly cold January evening in Kilcully. The people of Cork were just happy to see a winning team back out on the pitch, just two months after Sean Maguire scored in extra-time to beat Dundalk in the FAI Cup final.

That night also saw the club right a number of wrongs in the Munster Senior Cup, as they claimed a much-needed win in the competition after years of falling at the first hurdle. Ever since their 2008 triumph, the club has been regularly knocked out by intermediate teams. Even under Caulfield, who led the club to runners-up in the Premier Division in his first season in charge, City were beaten by Douglas Hall and Rockmount. The only League of Ireland side to get the better of them under him was Limerick FC, who were on the winning side of a penalty shoot-out in 2015.

Caulfield was well aware of his team’s recent history in the competition and that reflected in the group selected to start at Kilcully. 

Five players were retained from the XI that won the FAI Cup with Maguire named up top, Greg Bolger and Garry Buckley in midfield, and the wings featured Kevin O’Connor and Stephen Dooley.

The fixture also allowed the management team to blood a number of new signings who just arrived in Cork. Conor McCormack, a star for the St Patrick’s Athletic team that won the 2014 FAI Cup, was named in the starting XI alongside midfielder Jimmy Keohane, who had been drafted from Sligo Rovers. Achille Campion, another new signing from the Bit O’Red, ended up making his competitive debut by replacing his former Sligo team-mate in the 66th minute.

DRIVEN

City were hungry and an early shot from Maguire was denied by a stern hand from the St Mary’s goalkeeper. Greg Bolger was the next to try and score, and his drilled effort was put out for a corner. It was Keohane, who headed in the first goal after good work by John Kavanagh and Conor McCormack.

The club had to wait until the 65th minute to double their lead, and it was an own goal from Cian Murphy that made it 2-0 to City. The cushion meant nothing to the players as they kept pushing up. Their third goal was the pick of the bunch as Maguire beat several defenders and launched the ball to the roof of the net. The goal scorer turned creator for the third as he set up Achille Campion and the French striker finished low into the corner.

The quarter-final also saw Conor McCarthy make another appearance for the first team. The defender, who broke through with the club’s Under-19s, had been slowly establishing himself with occasional appearances under Caulfield in 2016. He replaced Greg Bolger in the 59th minute and didn’t put a foot wrong in the remaining half hour.

It was the perfect start to the year for Caulfield and it was the best possible comeback from their victory over Dundalk in the FAI Cup final. 

Their preseason preparations were already promising another trophy, and that was before the big curtain raiser; the Presidents Cup.

City were back in action in the Munster Senior Cup two weeks later and they beat Blarney United 5-0 in the semi-finals at O’Shea Park. That qualified them for the final, where Munster Senior League First Division side Wilton United awaited.

That tie was played in June, just days after City beat Dundalk 3-0 and moved 18 points clear at the top of the Premier Division table. The mood around the club was euphoric at the time and as the people of Cork were dreaming of a top-flight title, they went out to Turner’s Cross to watch the team lift another trophy.

City added the Munster Senior Cup to their tally with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Wilton. That meant the club had two trophies at Bishopstown before they completed the double.

Their victory also broke the club’s torrid run in the competition as it was the start of a hat-trick of titles by Caulfield and his team. The following year they beat St Marys in the final and the three in a row was completed with a 3-1 victory over Midleton AFC.